Grace Thompson
Prayer is a conversation with God, a way to reach out to Him with our needs, struggles, joy, and gratitude. There are several forms of prayer in Catholicism, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies five basic types: adoration or worship, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. Adoration involves exalting God's greatness and acknowledging our dependence on Him. In prayers of petition, we ask God for help with our needs. Prayers of intercession are similar but are focused on the needs of others. Prayers of thanksgiving are expressions of gratitude for God's blessings, and prayers of praise acknowledge God for who He is. Beyond these five types, other forms of prayer include meditation, contemplation, and vocal prayer.
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What You'll Learn
Adoration/worship
The Mass and other liturgies of the Church, such as the Gloria (Glory to God), are full of prayers of adoration. Among private prayers, the Act of Faith is a prayer of adoration.
> I adore you, O Jesus, God of love, truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I adore you who has come to your own but were not received by them. I adore you, whom the majority of mankind rejected and despised. I adore you, whom the impious incessantly offend by their sacrileges and blasphemies. I adore you, who are grieved by the coldness and indifference of a vast number of Christians. I adore you, O Infinite Goodness, who has wrought so many miracles, in order to reveal your love to us.
> My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You are really here in this Sacrament. Night and day You remain here compassionate and loving. You call, You wait for, You welcome everyone who comes to visit You. I thank You, Jesus my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake and for instituting the Adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.
> I adore you because you are the one true and living God. You created this world and everything in it. You created me in your image and put breath in my lungs. With my voice, I will proclaim your name, Lord over all. Let everything that has breath praise you! (Psalm 150:6) Thank you for showing me your goodness in everything you’ve made. Thank you for the presence of your Holy Spirit in my life. Your Word says in Ephesians 4:6, you are “over all, in all, and living through all.” So I know you will always be with me, surrounding me with your love. You are glorious, wonderful, and merciful! In the name of Jesus, I give you this praise, Amen.
> I adore you because you are the only One powerful enough to quiet the storms in our lives. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when I’m struck by difficult circumstances. But I don’t have to fear anything as a child of God. All power belongs to you! Thank you, Lord, for your mighty power at work in my life right now. Thank you also for your Holy Spirit, who provides power within me to do the things you’ve called me to do. I will never forget where my source of power comes from. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
> King David demonstrated how to show God our adoration. While giving Solomon gifts for building the Lord’s temple, he prayed this aloud, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.” (1 Chronicles 29:11) Like David, we can express our adoration through prayer.
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Petition
> Lord, help us pray with all our heart and all our mind and all our soul for as long as we are able. When our strength or courage or faith wavers, strengthen our determination. When our determination fades, let us remember the persistent widow and join our hearts to hers, following her example of determination. For we know that while all things human around us fail, you will yet be faithful to your promises and hear us when we cry out to you. Amen.
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Intercession
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes intercessory prayer as "asking on behalf of another". It is a powerful way to support others spiritually, and it can be done in a general way, such as praying for victims of a natural disaster, or in a specific way, such as praying for a particular person by name. Intercessory prayer can also be performed by praying to saints or angels, who are believed to be in the presence of God and care for us.
In the Gospels, Jesus instructs his followers to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father" (Mt 5:44-45). This highlights the importance of intercessory prayer, even for those who may not be close to us or whom we may not know personally.
Intercessory prayer can take many forms. For example, one can offer a Mass for a particular person or intention, gather a group of people together and pray out loud for the needs of others, or make small sacrifices as prayers for people's needs.
Through intercessory prayer, we imitate Jesus, who prayed for others while on Earth and continues to be an advocate for us in heaven.
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Thanksgiving
One of the five types of Catholic prayers is the prayer of thanksgiving. This type of prayer is about giving gratitude to God. While Grace Before Meals is a common example of a prayer of thanksgiving, Catholics are encouraged to develop the habit of expressing gratitude to God throughout the day for the good things that happen to them and to others.
Prayer for the Gift of Wisdom
> Great is the wisdom of the Lord! God Almighty, ...
> Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks ...
An Act of Thanksgiving for the Blessings of the Past Year
> O God, the beginning and the end of all things, ...
Prayer of Thanksgiving
> O God, of Whose mercies there is no number, and ...
> Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude at this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings. You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage.
> For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything thy goodness sends.
Prayer of Thanksgiving for Appreciating Others
> We thank you, Father, for the gift of Jesus your Son who came to our Earth and lived in a simple home. We have a greater appreciation of the value and dignity of the human family because he loved and was loved within its shelter. Bless us this day; may we grow in love for each other in our family and so give thanks to you who are the maker of all human families and our abiding peace.
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Praise
One of the five types of Catholic prayers is the prayer of praise. This type of prayer acknowledges God for what He is, giving Him glory and expressing His goodness.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Para. 2639) states:
> Praise "lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory."
Prayers of love or charity are another form of prayers of praise, as they are expressions of our love for God, the source and object of all love. The Act of Charity, a common morning prayer, is a good example of a prayer of praise.
The Psalms are perhaps the best-known example of prayers of praise. For instance, the Te Deum, a famous prayer of praise and thanksgiving, is addressed directly to God and acclaims Jesus as the king of glory and the eternal Son of the Father.
> You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful. You are strong. You are great. You are the Most High. You are Almighty. You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth. You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good. You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true. You are love. You are wisdom. You are humility. You are endurance. You are rest. You are peace. You are joy and gladness. You are justice and moderation. You are all our riches, and You suffice for us. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are our protector. You are our guardian and defender. You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope. You are our faith, our great consolation. You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Saviour. Amen.
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