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What is Prayer?
Luke gives special emphasis to prayer and to the power of intercession. He shows Jesus at prayer on many occasions (Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18; 9:29; 11:1; 23:46). Jesus prayed for Peter in his hour of testing (Luke 22:32). And Jesus told two parables about the power of prayer (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8). Jesus concludes the Lord’s Prayer with an exhortation to pray confidently knowing that “for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10).
We are blessed with amazing prayer resources in our Christian history. Here are a few samples:
• St. Therese of Lisieux: "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."
• St. Augustine: "True prayer is nothing but love." Prayer should arise from the heart.
• St. John Vianney: "Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself."
• St. Francis de Sales: "Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer each day except when we are busy—then we need an hour."
• The Rule of St. Benedict: "If a man wants to pray, let him go and pray."
Definitions of prayer are important, but insufficient. There is a huge difference between knowing about prayer and praying. On this issue, is clear,
• St. John Damascene: "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (De Fide Orth. 3, 24).
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church: Prayer is a "vital and personal relationship with the living and true God" (2558). Prayer is Christian "insofar as it is communion with Christ" (2565), and a "covenant relationship between God and man in Christ" (2564).
It is important to remember that we understand prayer through our celebration of the Sacraments and in the Liturgy of the Hours. The word liturgy comes from a Greek term meaning "public work or work done on behalf of the people." A work, then, done by an individual or a group was a liturgy on behalf of the larger community. We pray for and with one another. All the worshipers are expected to participate actively in each liturgy, for this is holy "work," not entertainment or a spectator event. Every liturgical celebration is an action of Christ the High Priest and of his Mystical Body, which is the Church. It therefore requires the participation of the People of God in the work of God.
Liturgy is centered on the Holy Trinity. At every liturgy the action of worship is directed to the Father, from whom all blessings come, through the Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit. We praise the Father who first called us to be his people by sending us his Son as our Redeemer and giving us the Holy Spirit so that we can continue to gather, to remember what God has done for us, and to share in the blessings of salvation.
There are abundant resources of prayer available on the Internet and as apps. I use IBreviary and CatholicMega apps every day, which I highly recommend. We also have wonderful spiritual guides such as John Cassian, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, John Keating, Richard Rohr, Ronald Rolheiser, Anselm Grun, etc. "If a man wants to pray, let him go and pray” (The Rule of St. Benedict).
Fr. Paul D. Lee