Question 45 – Prayer, what is that? 

Continuing with the exploration and reflection through a series of articles written in a conversational language about Catholicism, about God, about Jesus, about the Church and many other faith related topics. Here we present:

Question 45 – Prayer, what is that? 

For the Christian, prayer* is about a relationship with God*, and in particular with Jesus*. It is your deepest self opening up to God. It is to listen to him in his presence. To pray is to be loved by him and to speak to him in confidence. In prayer, all masks can be removed. God can only come in to you when you are willing to be known as you are. One time you will be happy, the next you will be sad. It is possible that you are angry, with God or with a person. You may also express anger in your prayer.

Prayer is not inborn. It is something you can learn. Luckily you don’t have to invent it all by yourself. Christians have been praying for two thousand years. So a lot of know-how has been developed. If you are looking for what can help you to pray yourself, it is good to let yourself be inspired by that.

There are as many different ways of praying as there are people. Some people like to pray with texts, whether or not from the Bible*. Others like to pray without words. You can pray alone or with others. You can pray in a quiet, secluded place or in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. Some like to pray for a long time, for others, the shorter the better. A good way of praying is a way that, at that moment, helps you to live more connected with God. This can change over time. What helps you get to God today may not work as well tomorrow. This is not strange. That’s how it is for most of a person’s life.

– Is prayer important to you?
– If you pray, how do you do it?

Watch this space! Coming up:   Question 46 – Is prayer useful? 

Follow these links to go back to previous questions

If you wish to learn more about this resource follow this link  “52 Questions and Answers about faith

 

About the author:

Nikolaas Sintobin, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 1989, following a short career as a lawyer. He was trained as a Jesuit in Brussels, Paris, and Santiago de Chile. Today he is a spiritual director who is keenly interested in online ministry and discovering new ways to help people find God.

This text is republished with the permission of Messenger Publications, Ireland. To buy a hard copy of the book click here.