Our Father in heaven, we are your people, the work of your hands; we praise your greatness; we celebrate your

goodness; we remember the story of your love. We pray your Kingdom may come, so that it may free us from fear and darkness; heal our brokenness and bring peace in your creation. Give us today, Wisdom to understand your will and your presence especially when we are hurt by the unexpected; when we are confused by whats happening to us; when we search for meaning in the midst of our losses; when we are trapped by our emotions. Give us confidence to thank you in your daily gifts; The gift of food that provides nourishment of our bodies; the gift of beauty and love that provides nourishment of the mind and spirit; the gift of faith that sustains us, the gift of friends that comforts us; Help us to forgive as you forgive us; You cleanse away our resistance and wickedness. Help us to reach out to others, to become healing instruments, to build bridges rather than walls of your creation. AMEN

1. Prayer is man s response to God in faith

A man without faith finds prayer a foolishness. For prayer is an act of expressing ones faith in God.

2. Prayer : Mans response to Gods Undying love to humanity

Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. Let us greet Him with thanksgiving.. Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For He is our God, and we the people He shepherds, the flock He guides. (Ps. 95:1-2,6-7)

3. Prayer is a living, continuous relationship with God or thinking and working in His presence. Prayer can become a habit, a good habit that leads a person more closer to God. It is everything that we do in our daily lives in the presence of the Lord. Lord.

A Christian prayer - intimate conversation with God who we know loves us (St. Teresa of Avila) - always Trinitarian ( address to the Father
through the Son in the Holy Spirit.

- a loving, conscious, personal relationship with God, our all loving, good Father, who has adopted us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit (CFC 1475)

1. Adoration a prayer of praise, honor, glory and worship, to express God s excellence and man s absolute dependence. 2. Contrition a prayer asking for forgiveness, to express regrets and sorrow for the sins committed and to obtain from God the pardon of our sins and the remission of their punishment. punishment.

Types of Prayer

3. Thanksgiving a prayer of thanks and gratitude, to express gratitude for the blessings and benefits received from God. God.

4. Supplication/ Petition A prayer asking for something, to express a request. We request. pray not only for ourselves but for others as well. well.

MISCONCEPTIONS ON PRAYER
1. A private and individualistic thing 2. Obligation impose to us 3. Doing a favor to God- promising extra prayers to gain special favors Remember: Apart from me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:5)

Essential Qualities needed in a genuine prayer

1. Attention praying with absolute inner
sincerity and not with externalism. externalism. 2. Devotion approaching God in the spirit of submission to His will and purpose with all humility. humility. 3. Confidence to believe that whatever we ask for will be given to us. God knows what we need us. even before we ask for it in prayer. prayer. 4. Perseverance never get discouraged, never give up and never lose heart. We pray heart. unceasingly with hope in our hearts. hearts.

PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE
Old Testament : 1. Authentic prayer is always rooted in the heart, and related to neighbor in loving compassion and service.
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: Setting those bound unjustly Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, Sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, You shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! (Is. 58: 6-9)

PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE
In the Book of psalm we can find:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Joy of the believer (Ps.1:1-2) Praise of the Creator (Ps.8:2) Longing for God (Ps. 42:2) Sorrow and contrition (Ps. 5:1-3) Trust and confidence in the Lord (Ps. 23:1)

*Christian prayer, then, is directly addressed to God, our Creator and Lord, while involving an intrinsic relation to one s neighbor

PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE
New Testament
1. Spirit s action in Jesus own prayer (baptism, choosing of his apostles, transfiguration, passion and on the cross), then in the prayer of his disciples Last Supper- the great priestly prayer Jesus is both perfect model and teacher of prayer

PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE
Spirit unites us to Christ since he leads us to pray: 1. Only the grace of the Holy Spirit that links us interiorly to Christ making us his disciples 2. We have to accept and cooperate with this grace by FAITH

Necessity of Prayer for Christian

Christ himself lived always in prayerful spirit that blossomed easily into explicitly prayer. Prayer can be acknowledgement of ones weakness and dependence on God. God. Without God, we can do nothing. We need nothing. Gods graces. Prayer merits graces from graces. God. God.

KINDS OF PRAYER
1. Vocal prayer: it comes from the mind and heart and is spoken by lips 2. Meditation: attentive reflection on the mysteries of faith 3. Contemplative prayer: loving communion with God as we look at him and listen to him in simple faith and adoration

LEVELS/ FORMS OF PRAYER

1. Individual or Private prayer - Vocal - Mental / Silent

2. Shared or communal prayer 3. Liturgical Prayers These levels of prayers are complementary

Individual or Private Prayer

Characteristics: 1. Addressed to God as an individual in private. 2. There are no particular rules to be followed. 3. Any place is adequate and any posture is acceptable. 4. No requirements on length of time. 5. No fixed hour of the day.

Examples of Vocal Prayer

1. Repetitive Prayers Litany,Angelus and Holy Rosary

2. Prayer of Fixed Formula Our Father, Hail Mary,

Apostles Creed, Act of Contrition, Psalms 3. Ejaculatory Prayers these are short prayers of praise, thanksgiving or worship to God. God. 4. Spontaneous Prayer a type of vocal prayer which means to ones lips because of the situation in which one finds oneself.

Kinds of Mental Prayer

1. Formal when one devotes a definite period of time in making these internal acts and does nothing else at the same time. 2. Informal when one prays internally while also doing something else, such as cooking, sewing or driving. driving.

Liturgical Prayers
The prayer of the whole Church, and of the family of God united together in Christ. In these type of prayer, the person participates not as private individual but as a member of the Church. Church. It is also subject to regulation to which private prayers are not. not.

Characteristics:
1. It is always based on the priestly and redemptive work of Christ. Christ. 2. It is associated with the Church Hierarchy. Hierarchy. 3. It is always communal in nature. nature. 4. It is sanctifying. sanctifying.

Conditions:
1. It must be a prayer in a format or formula which has been approved for church worship. worship. 2. It must be a prayer recited in the name of the Church. Church. 3. It must be led or presided over by the person properly assigned. assigned.

Forms of Liturgical Prayers

a. Mass the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the first, the highest and central form of all Christian Liturgy. Liturgy. b. Sacrament acts of worship and the principal action through which Christ gives His Spirit to Christians and makes them a holy people. people.

c. Divine Office it is also called Liturgy of the Hours. The term Office Hours. here means duty or obligation. obligation. d. Other Public Rituals such as Novenas, Paraliturgy, Processions and the like. like.

The product of prayer is faith, the product of faith is love, the product of love is service, the product of service is peace.

by Mother Theresa of Calcutta