Prayer

Prayers

Catholics believe that prayer is a way of speaking with God and an essential part of their relationship with him. When Catholics pray, their hearts and minds are focused on God which brings great spiritual rewards.

Aims of prayers

The main aims of prayers are:
- Praising and worshipping God.
- Asking God for something.
- Trying to enter into God's presence.
‘Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.‘ [James 5:13 NIV]

The Lord's Prayer

One very important prayer often used by Catholics is the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, which they believe was taught to us by Jesus. It starts ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’
- ‘Do not be like (the pagans), for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…’’ [Matthew 6: 8 - 9 NIV]

Praying for the dead

Catholics often pray for the dead, asking God to take their loved ones into heaven.

Types of Prayer

Prayer can be formal or informal, public or private. The various types of prayer include:

Family prayers

Family prayers can include prayers at mealtimes and at bedtime.

Liturgical prayers

Liturgical prayers are prayers where the community come together and they pray using set words and form.
- The Mass is an example of liturgical prayer.

Non-liturgical prayers

Members of the Catholic Church also use non-liturgical prayers (prayers that are not designed to be said as a community).
- Examples include saying the Rosary, or praying before Stations of the Cross.
These also usually involve using set prayers.

Silent prayers

Some people prefer to pray in silence and try to put themselves into the presence of God.

Spontaneous prayers

Spontaneous prayers, sometimes called charismatic prayers, are prayers without set words, where Christians believe what they say is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Views on Prayer

Catholics believe that prayer is a way of speaking with God and an essential part of their relationship with him. Some of the views surrounding prayer are:

Praise and worship of God

Catholics believe God is all-loving and all-powerful and so he is worthy of worship, which is why much Catholic prayer takes the form of praise and worship of God.

The Lord's Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is very important for all Christians because it expresses many important Christian beliefs, such as that God is a father who cares for the spiritual and physical needs of his children.

Different Christians have different views

Some Christians, such as Quakers, do not have a set form for prayer as they believe prayer is most effective when expressed through silence, experiencing the presence of God in stillness.
Some Christians prefer charismatic prayer because they believe they do not use their own words but words which come to them from the Holy Spirit.

Does God answer prayers?

Christians also believe that sometimes God answers prayers, such as when they pray for healing or for people who are suffering.
- Unanswered prayers can sometimes be a challenge to a person's faith because they believe that an all-powerful and all-loving God would want to help them.
- Most Catholics, however, believe that God knows what is best for them, and sometimes he will not always do what people ask.

1Buddhism

2Christianity

2.1Key Beliefs

2.1.1The Nature of God

2.1.2The Problem of Evil

2.1.3Monotheism

2.1.4Creation

2.1.5Bible Accounts of Creation

2.1.6The Trinity and Creation

2.1.7Afterlife

2.1.8Heaven and Hell

2.1.9The Influence of Afterlife on Life

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Christianity Key Beliefs

2.1.11Exam-Style Questions - Christian Beliefs

2.2Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.2.1The Incarnation

2.2.2Jesus - Divine & Human

2.2.3The Crucifixion

2.2.4Jesus' Betrayal

2.2.5Resurrection & Ascension

2.2.6Sin

2.2.7Original Sin

2.2.8Punishment

2.2.9The Means of Salvation

2.2.10Achieving Salvation

2.2.11Disagreements About Salvation

2.2.12The Role of Christ in Salvation

2.2.13Theories of Salvation

2.2.14End of Topic Test - Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.3Worship & Festivals

2.3.1Different Forms of Worship

2.3.2Prayer

2.3.3Sacrament

2.3.4Baptism

2.3.5Other Sacraments

2.3.6Eucharist

2.3.7Pilgrimage & Celebrations

2.3.8Christmas & Easter

2.3.9End of Topic Test - Worship and Festivals

2.4Community

2.4.1Local Community

2.4.2Mission, Evangelism & Church Growth

2.4.3Worldwide Church

2.4.4Reconciliation

2.4.5Persecution

2.4.6Caring for Those in Need

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Community

2.4.8Exam-Style Questions - Christian Practices

3Catholicism (Christianity)

4Islam

5Judaism

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