Prayer in the Christian Life
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
A Personal Relationship with God (2558)
The Church professes faith in the Apostles Creed (Part One) and celebrates faith in sacramental liturgy (Part Two) so the faithful might conform to God's will in the Ten Commandments (Part Three). To believe, celebrate, and live this mystery demands a personal relationship with the living God through prayer (Part Four). "Prayer is a surge of the heart, a simple look toward heaven, a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy" (St. Therese of Lisieux).
Begging before God (2559)
"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (St. John Damascene). "We do not know how to pray as we ought" (Rom 8:26). "Man is a beggar before God" (St. Augustine).
God's Thirst for Us (2560-2561)
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman "If you knew the gift of God" (Jn 4:10). At the well of prayer, Jesus meets every human being. Jesus' thirst is his desire for us. In prayer we encounter of God's thirst for us so we may thirst for him.
Our asking corresponds to God's plea. "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters and have hewn out broken cisterns which hold no water" (Jer 2:13). Prayer is a response to God's promise of salvation.
The Prayer of the Whole Person (2562-2563)
Prayer must come from the whole person. Scripture speaks of prayer coming from man's soul, spirit, and his heart (over 1000 times). If our heart is far from God, our prayer is in vain.
The heart is man's hidden center (beyond the grasp of reason), which only God's Spirit can fully know. The heart is the place of decision where we choose life or death. It is a place of our encounter and our Covenant with God.
From the Covenant with the Trinity (2564-2565)
Christian prayer is a Covenant relationship in Christ, springing from the Spirit and ourselves and directed toward the Father in union with Christ's human will.
Prayer is the living relationship of the children with the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Kingdom is "the union of the entire Holy Trinity with the whole human spirit" (St. Gregory of Nazeanzus). Prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the Trinity.
God Tirelessly Calls All to Prayer (2566-2567)
By creation, God gave existence to every being. However, only man and angels can acknowledge the majesty of God. Even after sin, man remained in God's image and retained a desire for God. All religions show man's search for God.
God tirelessly calls man to an encounter (called prayer) even though man forgets God, hides from God, or accuses God of abandonment. In prayer, God acts first and man responds. Prayer is a reciprocal call, a Covenant drama which engages man's heart.
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