How to Pray and How to Do it Well : Part 1
Excerpts from Blessed Be God, the Traditional Catholic Prayer book
Men, at the beginning of the new year, I set out to fine tune my prayer life, specifically I wanted to find the best prayer book for my life (in addition to the Holy Bible of course) while keeping in mind my vocation as a Husband and Father. In the not so distant future, I will be posting an article on the best prayer books, from both the east and west, however, before I do so, I think it is best to start at the beginning. WHAT is prayer within the Catholic faith, HOW does the common layman do it and HOW do we do it well. Below is part 1 of this mini series on How to Pray. The excerpts below were taken from Blessed Be God, the traditional catholic prayer book.
I hope this miniseries on prayer aids you well in your journey towards heaven.
HOW TO PRAY
The Nature of Prayer
Prayer is a communing with God. It is sweet converse held between the soul and its Maker, whether by means of words or thoughts only. It is a lifting of our minds and hearts to the loving and almighty Father Who made us, in order to praise and adore Him for all His greatness and goodness, to thank Him for the unbounded and numberless benefits we have received from Him, to petition His bounty for the many favors we need and to ask His pardon for our offenses. As a child goes to its father to express its filial love and devotion ad to obtain the satisfaction of its wants, as friend talks to a friend, so in prayer the pious soul speaks to God and communes with its Creator.
The Kinds of Prayer
There are two general kinds of prayer, mental and vocal. The first consists of thought only, as when we think reverently of God, of is eternity, immensity, power, goodness, mercy, and the like; or whenever our mind dwells with pious reflection on divine things, such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments, the Blessed Virgin or the saints, the future state of souls, heaven, purgatory, and the life to come. The contemplation of God, of His attributes, or of any divine truths, which arouses pious affections or occasions good resolutions, comes under the head of mental prayer. As we can reflect in our own way and with sentiments of love on the persons of our friends and relatives who are far away, as we can think of their qualities of mind and soul, of all they have done or been to us, so in our mind alone, without the use of words, we can think affectionately and interestedly of God and of divine truths; and this is what is meant by mental prayer. No special method or system is required for this act of religion. Neither is it necessary to single out for our meditation any particular divine subject.
Rather, we should dwell on those mysteries which appeal to us most, and from contemplation of which we derive most spiritual fruit. Doubtless the life of our divine Saviour is the most attractive and fruitful subject of our pious thoughts, since it is the easiest to dwell on and the most universal in its appeal.
Vocal prayer adds to mental prayer the use of words, or external expression of our thoughts. Its usefulness lies in the fact that it helps the mind to fix and hold attention, that it reinforces our thoughts thus increasing fervor and devotion, and that it joins the homage of the body to that of the soul. Here again, for private prayer, no special form is required, no particular words or expressions are necessary, although the most beautiful vocal prayers are those which have been handed down to us from our Lord, the Holy Scriptures and the Church.
The Benefits of Prayer
From its very nature we can understand how rich in benefits is prayer. It honors God and helps us both in soul and body. We are God’s children, and as a child honors its father by speaking reverently of to him, by manifesting its love for him, by showing that it depends upon him for its needs and by begging forgiveness of offenses committed, so do we in these various ways give honor to God through prayer. Moreover, by this holy exercise we obtain for ourselves all we need both spiritually and temporally; we are strengthened against temptation and our natural weaknesses; our life is ennobled and filled with virtues and we are better fitted for heaven. In the words of St. Lawrence Justinian, prayer “pleases God, gets what it asks, overcomes enemies, changes man.” Rightly, then, has it been called incense ascending before the throne of God, or a golden key which unlocks for us the treasures of heaven.
Part 2 coming soon!
Pax et Bonum
Nick | Catholic Manhood
Thank you for this we need to be reminded.
Great article, can’t wait for the part 2.