What is Prayer?
Prayer is personal to each one of us. If we were to ask ourselves what prayer means to us, I suspect we would come up with a definition that was different from everyone else. This I believe is a good thing. Below are what some people have said or written about prayer. I offer it here in order to stimulate our thinking about what prayer means to us.
Jesus Christ
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for they think that they will be heard for their empty words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily
bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our
debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:5-14)
Prayer is personal to each one of us. If we were to ask ourselves what prayer means to us, I suspect we would come up with a definition that was different from everyone else. This I believe is a good thing. Below are what some people have said or written about prayer. I offer it here in order to stimulate our thinking about what prayer means to us.
Jesus Christ
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for they think that they will be heard for their empty words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily
bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our
debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:5-14)
I am interested in your course - which I stumbled upon by looking in Google Images! I am a Spiritual Director in Hampshire, and I run 2 workshops /year on various ways of praying. Perhaps we could talk to each other about our efforts? dunnmary@mac.com
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