The meaning of prayer in the life of the Christian.

WHAT IS PRAYING? It is essentially the time we spend being conscious of being in the presence of God, and of desiring to know and love Him more each time.

Ideally we shall discover something afresh about our beautiful Trinitarian God each day of our lives.

If we can see praying as not only something we set aside a particular time for each day but as something we can do as we work, run, eat, converse, wait for appointments and yes, even sleep then God will be our constant companion. We then shall be able to turn to Him so easily when we most need Him in those most difficult and discerning moments.

Although we can pray at any time, there are two times that are very important in our Christian journey: the first is the first thing we do on awakening. We commend ourselves into God's care for the day and ask Him to teach us and show us what His will is for us and to give us His grace to do it, and we thank God for the rest of the night. The second, is at the end of the day when we view the day, thanking God for it, confessing our failures and sins, forgiving any injury to us, and commending ourselves into His and the angels' care for the night.

Various kinds of prayer

1. Public Prayer - When we join our fellow Christians to celebrate and offer up the Mass. Our time in church should always be prayerful - in preparation to receive the Sacrament and then to enter into the drama of the Mass. It certainly is not the time to catch up on news. Before leaving we make sure we have said thank you for receiving the Sacrament and to be conscious that as we have received our Blessed Lord, we should act as He would always.

2. Private Prayer - This consists of various kinds of prayers

a. PRAISE - when our hearts are full of joy and love for God and His abundant bounty.

b. THANKSGIVING - when our hearts are full of appreciation for God and His immeasurable gifts of love and goodness, often from others.

c. CONFESSION - when our hearts are full of contrition for our sins against God, our fellow sisters and brothers, and even against ourselves.

d. INTERCESSION - when our hearts are full of concern about the plight and need of others.

e. PETITION - when our hearts are full of concern for our own situation.

3. SILENT PRAYER - This kind of prayer allows us to listen to God, to be conscious of God within and in a sense just soak in God. It is indeed a very precious time, and without it we do not make much progress in our prayer life. So it is something we should do each day. Many find the best time is early in the morning when the world is still relatively quiet, and the bustle of the day's routine is still in the future. When we first begin silent prayer or contemplation as it is called, it is best to practise it in the context of saying the Morning Office, or our Morning Prayer or Meditation. It is also helpful to have some helpful eye contact such as a crucifix, statue or ikon - this helps to keep us focus when our mind wanders. When we first begin, do it for a few minutes and as you grow in this practice you will want to spend much more time, even more that is practical for daily commitments. So we learn to snatch a few moments in between those commitments to be quiet and lift up our hearts to our loving God.

4. The Offices - The Opus Dei is prayer of the Church and so all priests and deacons are bound to say them daily was well the religious in the monasteries throughout the world. Many Christians like to join their monastic brothers and sisters in this kind of prayer, especially in saying the Morning and Evening Offices, and Compline. There are many versions of these published to-day and readily accessible such as in Magnificat, the Franciscan, Celebrating Common Prayer and the shortened form of the Divine Offices. One of the gains from praying the Offices is that we discover how wonderful the psalms are, as they speak to us in all our situations as well as their praises and thanks to our loving God.

5. Ejaculatory Prayer - These are prayers that we offer throughout the day and night as we go about our business. Sometimes they are prayers of help, sometimes a thank you, sometimes a prayer for someone in need, sometimes an offering of praise and gratitude and sometimes an act of contrition. They are usually very simple and short but they help us to know that we cannot do anything on our own, that God is the giver of everything and that no man is an island.

6. Prayers at Meals - Sometimes referred to as grace. To help us to recognise that God is the provider of all we have we ask God to bless our food before eating: "Bless O Lord our food and use it and us to your service, and supply the needs for others for Christ's sake. Amen.

Afterwards give thanks. "For these and all your mercies may God's name be praised."

7. MEDITATION - We meditate when we read passages of scripture or holy

writings in a prayerful way. That is we seek God's guidance to understand what we read, and to give some insight to our daily lives and to our own spiritual journey.. Usually when we spend time meditating or reflecting we pray first, then read the passage, reflect upon what we have read, make some resolution in regards to ourselves and or situation, and pray for grace to fulfill that resolution. It is one of the ways which helps us to know the mind, teaching and will of Christ and His Father better.

8. THE LORD'S PRAYER - The very best prayer to pray is the prayer Our Lord

taught His disciples. Learn to say it slowly and with meaning. 'Forgive us our

trespasses as we forgive them who trespass against us' is the heart of this prayer.

Our Lord taught us that the heart of the Gospel is forgiveness. 'How many times

should I forgive my brethren? Until seventy times seventy.' It is forgiving our brothers

and sisters that we shall be forgiven by our heavenly Father. It is also the way to our

own freedom.and release. We cannot grow at all in our Christian life unless we forgive.

Teach us good Lord

to serve you as you deserve,

To give and not to count the cost,

To fight and not to heed the wounds,

To work and not to seek rest,

To labour and not to ask for any reward,

Save that of doing your will O God. Amen.

St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Thanks be to Thee, O Lord Jesus

Christ,

For all the insults you bore for me;

Thanks be Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ,

For all the benefits you have gained

for me.

O Holy Jesu, Most merciful Redeemer,

May I know you more clearly

May I love you more dearly,

And follow you more nearly.

Day by day. Amen.

Prayer of St. Richard of

Chichester

I was so slow to love you

was so slow to love you, Lord,

your age-old beauty is still as new to me:

I was so slow to love you!

You were within me,

yet I stayed outside seeking you there;

in my ugliness I grabbed

at the beautiful things of your creation.

Already you were with me,

but I was still far from you.

The things of this world kept me away:

I did not know then

that if they had not existed through you

they would not have existed at all.

Then you called me

and your cry overcame my deafness;

you shone out

and your light overcame my blindness;

you surrounded me with your fragrance

and I breathed it in,

so that now I yearn for more of you;

I tasted you and now I am hungry and thirsty for you;

you touched me,

and now I burn with longing for your peace.

St. Augustine's Confessions X.27.