+Recently a good friend of mine who is taking an interest in Catholicism has +asked me if I could write an article on how to pray. Normally this isn't the +kind of subject I'd want to deal with on my blog, especially since there's +probably millions of people who are better qualified than myself who have +written better articles than anything I could come up with. Nonetheless, I felt +the need to write this article, not only because it was a friend that asked me +to, but also because he has found that many of the articles that exist on the +matter are either too vague or too specific. E.g. a vague article may simply be +several paragraphs of someone essentially saying that praying is having a +conversation with God and growing in communion with Him, while a specific +article will just tell you how to pray a specific devotion. Neither of these are +truly helpful for someone who's just starting out. I remember when I first +started praying it was hard for me to find anything useful on this matter as +well. What beginners need is guidance on what prayer is, and to dive +deeper into how we do it. All this being said, I am still but a layman, +so take what I say with a grain of salt, and continue to expand your prayer life +beyond this article. But I hope to give at least a cursory introduction that +will be useful for beginners. +
+ ++To tackle this subject I'm going to focus on three different sections. The first +will consist of explaining the different modes of prayer, which consist +of manners in which one relates to God. The second is the mediums of prayer +which contemplates the different mediums which we use to engage in the act of +prayer. Thirdly is a section simply to give a few suggested devotions; +by no means an extensive list, but at least to give a starting point. +
+ ++When we speak of modes of prayer, we're speaking of distinct and exclusive +manners in which one can relate to God. They are exclusive because your prayer +can only truly be in one mode at any given time. Yet, remembering that these +modes are distinct may help us to keep a balance among all of them in our prayer +life. These modes can be summarized easily with the acronym ACTS: Adoration, +Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. +
+ ++The first of these would be Adoration, where we contemplate the glory +of God. In effect, we adore Him, for He is the only one worth our +adoration. To be more specific, this is what I've referred to in a previous +article[1] where I explore the true meaning of +adoration. But to summarize it is about giving glory to God and praising Him for +what He is, not for what He does for us. +
+ ++The second, Contrition, consists of recognizing oneself as a sinner, +and asking for the Lord's forgiveness in sincere repentance. We're broken, and +it's necessary to recognize that before God, to bring to Him our weaknesses and +our wounds, that He may heal us. This also will help to inspire humility, for +after having adored Him, we now turn eyes to ourselves and see just how lost we +are without Him. +
+ ++Thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks to the Lord for all He has +done for us, all He is doing, and all He will do. This is necessary, for +although He does so out of love, and there is nothing we can give Him that +doesn't come from Him. This also helps us to realize the important role He plays +in our life and to avoid taking for granted that which He has given us. +
+ ++Finally, the last mode is Supplication, which consists in asking of the +Lord in our favor or that of another. God is not indifferent to us, but loves +each and every one of us as His own son/daughter. When we are in need, we should +go to Him as a child goes to his father for help. A father has no greater joy +than to help his son. So too does God wish to help us, to make us happy. It is +for that reason He calls us to live an eternity with Him in His Kingdom! So too +here on Earth, does He wish for us to be happy - not simply a passing happiness +that comes from temporal things, but a lasting one that can only come from a +profound communion with God. +
+ ++Perhaps medium isn't the correct word to use here, but it's the closest +term I can find to what I'm trying to express. Essentially, when we pray we pray +with or through something. We normally think of praying as something we +say, think, or feel. But ultimately, prayer is about relating to God, which is +something we not only can, but should do with all of our being. This is +not simply some catchy phrase, but truly carries with it a profound meaning. As +human persons we are composed of four things: body, soul, will, and intellect; +and to more fully engage in prayer it is important to use all of these. +
+ ++Going in order, what it means to engage in prayer with our bodies is to +appropriately engage with our material being in the modes of prayer discussed +above. This is commonly understood as using our lips and vocal chords to say +certain phrases, and maybe using our hands and arms to do the Sign of the Cross. +But this is truly a minimal part of it. We can often underestimate just how +important it is to engage with our bodies that which we are trying to express or +experience with our minds; and truly if we reflect our prayer in our bodies this +strengthens the experience. It's not the same to receive Communion standing up +as kneeling, as the latter will put your mind in a state of reception, +submission, and respect. Equally, it is also important to mind the way we dress, +not that we should be extravagant, and calling attention to ourselves - which +would be a lack of humility - but we should give certain places and occasions +their due reverence. To be well dressed for Mass or to go to Adoration +communicates the importance of the event, while if you were to go in your +pajamas then you would likely feel lazy and disconnected. Use your body as a +means of giving glory to God, not by attracting attention to yourself, but by +using it to give due respect and reverence to Him. +
+ ++To pray using one's soul is perhaps a trickier topic, since we should first +agree on what a soul is. I'm not fully qualified to talk about this subject, so +we'll keep things simple and just say that our soul (or anima in Latin) +is our liveliness; it is, in effect, that which animates our +material bodies. This is also a part of us which is particularly damaged with +our sins, causing imperfections to the otherwise perfect creation of God. We +praise God with our souls by caring for it and those of others, and this is +done first and foremost by means of the Sacraments. But this is also done by +configuring our hearts to be more like that of our Lord. To feel what He feels, +to be moved by what moves Him. We do this by bringing to Him all things in our +life and viewing them from God's eyes. +
+ ++To pray with our will is to align our own will to God's. It is an act of trust +in Him, who is good and who loves us, that we must exercise in order to grow in +our prayer life, as it allows us to more clearly hear what He is calling us to, +and be more docile to the Holy Spirit. This is done by accepting that which God +gives us in our lives, be it directly by His divine intervention, or +providentially through others. +
+ ++Finally, to pray with one's intellect requires that we learn about God. What +good is a relationship if we don't know the other person? Can we really say such +a thing is a real relationship, much less one worthy of God? We get to know God +by learning about of Faith, familiarizing ourselves with the Scriptures and our +Tradition, and what the Magisterium has to say about it. By meditating on the +mysteries of Christ and His ministry. Discover who He is. Without this it will +be impossible for you to have any profound or meaningful relationship with Him. +
+ ++After going over the modes and mediums of prayer we simply lack the +means, which we typically consider to be devotions. These are +common forms of prayer used by many Christians to grow in communion with God. It +is by no means an extensive list, but they are common and very helpful. +
+ ++There's probably a lot more to be said, but this is only a beginner's guide. +Don't get too bogged down by all the text here, just work on it one day at a +time, little by little. I pray this guide will be helpful. And may God bless +you. +
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