The thing that really struck me in today’s gospel was in the very beginning, He spent the night in prayer. We see this a lot in the bible as Jesus often went off alone to pray. He was always communicating with the His father.
I found several definitions for prayer but three of them really stood out for me. The first said prayer is a devout petition to God. The second one said prayer is a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God. The third, and my favorite, said prayer is communication with God. Communication being the important word here. There are four basic forms of prayer:
· Prayer of Petition (asking for what we need, including forgiveness)
· Prayer of Intercession (asking for what others need)
· Prayer of Thanksgiving (for what God has given and done)
· Prayer of Blessing and Adoration (praising God)
The first is probably the most familiar of all as we often ask God for things. Some examples of petition are for a sunny day in the summer or a child a snowy day in the winter, prayers for good grades, good health, or for a job. Watching last night’s JET game, I spent a lot of time petitioning.
The second type, intersession, is praying for others, our Church, or our nation. The Church tells us to ask for the intersession of Mary and the saints so that they will bring our prayers before God.
The third type, thanksgiving, shows our gratitude to our heavenly father for all he has done for us. It is a way to show our appreciation for the things we have that are so often taken for granted.
The fourth type, blessing and adoration. This is when we can praise and honor God. When can express wonder and awe.
Prayer is a very important part of our lives. It gives us the opportunity to talk to God. Prayer also causes us to sit quietly and listen to God. Jesus knew this and gave us examples of how to pray. Whether he was going off alone to pray at night, or was teaching the Lord’s prayer, He was in communication with the father and always praying for the Father’s will to be done.
In this second year of the Eucharistic revival, Pope Francis asks us to take time to sit in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Many of our Bishops are calling for parishes to hold Holy hours and Adoration. Find a parish near you that is having Adoration and sit with Jesus in silence, prayer, and worship.
Rediscover the wonder and awe of our God.