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Prayer in Christianity
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Prayer is an important theme in Christianity, and there are several different forms of prayer.
Prayer in the New Testament Prayer in the New Testament is presented as a positive command (; ). The people of God are challenged to include prayer in their everyday life, even in the busy struggles of marriage as it is thought to bring the faithful closer to God.
Throughout the New Testament, prayer is shown to be God's appointed method by which the faithful obtain what he has to bestow (; ; ). Further, the Book of James says that a failure to pray can result in reduced blessings in life .
Prayer, according to the Book of Acts, can be seen at the first moments of the church . The apostles regarded prayer as the most important part of their life (; ; ). As such, the apostles frequently incorporated verses from Psalms into their writings. for example is borrowed from and other psalms.
Thus, due to this emphasis on prayer in the early church, lengthy passages of the New Testament are prayers or canticles (see also the Book of Odes), such as the Prayer for forgiveness , the Lord's Prayer, the Magnificat , the Benedictus , Jesus' prayer to the one true God , exclamations such as, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" , the Believers' Prayer , "may this cup be taken from me" , "Pray that you will not fall into temptation" , Saint Stephen's Prayer , Simon Magus' Prayer , "pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men" , and Maranatha .
The Early Church Personal PrayerSince the early church was made up of many with a Jewish lineage and history, a large part of the private prayers of its members followed typical Hebrew format. Praying three times a day became the daily office of the person, though, instead of a community encouraged practice. This adaptation was largely due to the problem that Christianity had not yet become a state endorsed religion. While the Jews were able to communally close shops and trade for the sake of their Sabbath, the ability to maintain such a discipline among Jewish and Gentile Christians wasn't met with the same enthusiasm. In the gospels, Jesus said that when you pray, you should not try to impress people with your piety.
Public Prayer
Prayer was frequently found in the gatherings of the early church, offered frequently throughout the worship service with the Lord's Prayer taking its place as the anchor - a common ritual in each gathering.
Liturgical Elements of the oldest Christian liturgies may be found in liturgies such as the modern Roman Catholic Mass, the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, the Lutheran Divine Service, and Anglican services.
Seasonal prayersSeasonal prayers such as found in the Breviary, which provides prayer for each liturgical season including Advent, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, as well as the other parts of the liturgical year. The Breviary developed over the centuries. Different religious orders sometimes have their own breviaries.
Prayer to saintsPrayer to saints: in Catholic, Anglo-Catholic, and Orthodox tradition, prayers of petition may be addressed to saints, in the belief that they answer such prayers by means of their own prayers to God on behalf of the petitioner. Catholics distinguish between latria prayer of sacrifice due to God alone, and dulia, or prayer of praise due only to a lesser figure such as a saint.
Other Christians, mostly Protestants, reject the notion of prayer to saints, which they feel is unbiblical and feel that it may lead to polytheism.
See Communion of Saints and Intercession of Saints.
Prayer for the deadRoman Catholics and Anglo-Catholics believe that prayers for the dead are efficacious; for this reason, requiem Masses are offered for the repose of the faithful departed.
Eastern Orthodoxy rejects the notion of Purgatory, but offers prayers for the dead asking God to have mercy upon them; in particular, that tradition believes that Christians who have died remain part of the Church, and as such are both able to pray and to receive the benefits of prayer for them, whatever those may be.
Protestants have historically rejected the notion of prayer for the dead, believing that such prayers are unbiblical and cannot affect the fate of departed souls. Lutherans do not believe prayers should be prayed for or to the departed, and that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is only to be prayed to.
Prayerbooks There is no one prayerbook containing a set liturgy used by all Christians; however many Christian denominations have their own local prayerbooks, for example:
Vocal Vocal prayer is prayer made with the lips, though not always out loud. Practices of vocal prayer vary across denominations, but may include:
- Renouncing distraction, often by closing the eyes
- Presenting oneself by bowing the head, placing hands together, or making the sign of the cross
- Making a request and/or give praise for grace, enlightenment, assistance or just praising and thanking God
- Invoking the name, glory, or life of Jesus
- Closing, often with "Amen"
The prayer is supposed to receive the full mental and spiritual effort of those involved; even if a standard wording is used, mechanical recitation is discouraged.
Vocal prayer may be prayer of petition: in this view, a person beseeches God for a need to be fulfilled. Vocal prayer may also involve prayer of adoration, praise, thanksgiving, intercession, and communion. Particularly common vocal prayers include the Lord's Prayer; the Psalms; the Jesus Prayer; the Hail Mary; the Canticles throughout the Old and New Testaments; Grace, a prayer of thanksgiving usually before, sometimes after, a meal; and prayers associated with the rosary and the prayer rope. See List of prayers.
Meditative This is prayer of a more interior character than vocal prayer. In some Christian theology, this type of prayer is intended to help obtain some knowledge and love of God:
"Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history the page on which the 'today' of God is written."
Christian meditation may commence by reading from a holy book of some kind, followed by silent prayer. Some Christians meditate on the condition of Man, or on the life of Jesus. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary.
Contemplative prayer In what is called contemplative prayer, it is believed that the soul enters into contemplation. Mystics have claimed that in this form of prayer, God conducts the soul.
Methods of Contemplative Prayer include the Centering Prayer and Lectio divina
Some debate exists regarding if centering prayer is actually a true Christian form of contemplative prayer or a newer approach which blends different spiritual concepts. In fact, the sentence 'methods of Contemplative Prayer' itself may be misleading because one distinct element of Christian Contemplative prayer is that it is not really a method like other religious forms of prayer, because as stated above, a person cannot will oneself into contemplation, but it is infused by God. So there is no method, so much as doing whatever makes oneself available to receive this gift. Some people actually consider centering prayer dangerous and more of a technique than the true path of Contemplative Prayer. While it is heavily influenced by the ancient mystics, it itself by this term is only decades old, however proponents would argue they are simply taking the exact same concepts and tried and true principles of prayer and making them more accessible in this day and age.
Physical postureCertain physical gestures often accompany prayer, including medieval gestures such as genuflection or making the sign of the cross. Kneeling, bowing and prostrations (see also poklon) are often practiced in more traditional branches of Christianity. Frequently in Western Christianity the hands are placed palms together and forward as in the feudal commendation ceremony. At other times the older orans posture may be used, with palms up and elbows in.
Charismatic prayer: Speaking in tongues
The technical term for speaking in tongues is “glossolalia,” made up of two Greek words, glossa (language or tongue) and lalein (to talk).
The word glossa appears in the Greek New Testament not less than fifty times. It is used to refer to the physical organ of the tongue as in ; once in reference to the flames of fire shaped like tongues; at least once in a metaphorical sense when referring to speech as in the statement, “my tongue (speech) was glad (joyous)”.
The only mention of speaking in tongues in the four Gospels is in the Gospel of Mark - “And these signs will follow those who believe; In my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues”. However this chapter, Mark 16, is widely considered a later addition to the original text.
The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible defines glossolalia as: "the ecstatic utterance of emotionally agitated religious persons, consisting of a jumble of disjointed and largely unintelligible sounds. Those who speak in this way believe that they are moved directly by a divine spirit and their utterance is therefore quite spontaneous and unpremeditated."
According to this definition a person speaking in tongues is seen to be in a state of 'religious ecstasy' and, as such, is thought to be unable to understand the words that she/he is saying. However, many contemporary charismatic and Pentecostal Christians disagree, stating that they are in full control of all their faculties when they speak in tongues.
The Wikipedia entry for Contemporary Christian Glossolalia has this to say:
Christians who practice glossolalia typically describe their experience as a regular and even mundane aspect of private prayer that tends to be associated with calm and pleasant emotions. This is in contrast to the perception of glossolalia amongst Christians who witness but do not practice glossolalia, and those who have no experience of glossolalia. Both tend to see speaking in tongues as a group activity associated with heightened emotion and excitement.
Most Christians who speak in tongues believe that they are speaking a genuine language, though not necessarily a known human tongue. Many speculate that it is heavenly in origin -- i.e. a language spoken by angels or by God -- and that the Spirit of God speaks directly through them.
According to a large gathering of Christ's disciples were given the gift of glossolalia on the day of the Pentecost, and their words were understood by a great crowd from other nations who had gathered for the Jewish festival.
Chapters 12 through 14 of the Apostle Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth provide his main discourse on the issue of tongues, and the other spiritual gifts . Interestingly the central chapter -- -- is his famous ''. After Psalm 23 this is without doubt the most well known, well read, and well loved chapter in the Bible. Many take the location of this chapter to mean that Christian love -- agapé in Greek -- must be central to all religious practice and experience, whether natural or supernatural.
A Christian philosophy of prayer Some Christians see prayer as a means of achieving union with God, a means of raising the mind as well as the heart to God. Thérèse de Lisieux described prayer as "an uplifting of the heart, a glance toward heaven, a cry of gratitude and of love in times of sorrow as well as of joy" (Story of a Soul). Prayer can therefore take place as part of an organised event such as the Breviary or the Mass, but can also be spontaneous and may offer different meanings depending on the mood of the person praying.
Many Christians believe they can grow spiritually through the life of prayer. One view sees three phases of growth: beginners start on the "purgative way", later comes the "illuminative way" with "affective prayer", and eventually one may experience the "unitive way". In the Roman Catholic Church, writers who have influenced ideas about prayer include St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ.
Scientific study The results of scientific studies on the subject of prayer are varied. Some studies claim to show that prayer has positive effects whereas others claim it does not, and can even have negative effects.
The Office of Prayer Research, sponsored by the Association of Unity Churches, has collected some 400 scientific studies on the subject of prayer and healing, and say that about 75 percent show prayer having a positive impact on health.
One highly-publicized three-year controlled double-blind study of intercessory prayer for patients recovering from coronary artery bypass graft surgery came to the conclusion that Christian intercessory prayer had no effect on the frequency or severity of complications in those patients who were prayed for.
Critics of such studies argue that science cannot illuminate questions of faith, and that the studies themselves may influence patients negatively.
For additional discussion on the subject see efficacy of prayer.
See also
External links- Text of a conference by Columba Marmion OSB
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