Forms of prayer

    We all have to pray. Prayer is a very basic requirement for Christian life, and besides, we wouldn't last very long without it. But what are some ways we can pray? And how do we know which way is right for us?

    Below are some different forms of prayer that are good for different purposes. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but they can all be very effective in bringing us closer to Christ.

Daily examen

    This form of prayer requires five steps:

     1.) Become aware of God's presence

     2.) Thank God for the ways He has blessed you in since the last time you prayed

     3.) Reflect on the ways that God was present in your life since the last time you prayed

     4.) Ask forgiveness for all of the sins you've committed

     5.) Choose one area to improve on in the future 

    This can be very helpful because it shows us just how God can work through our lives. We can pose these as questions to God and then just let go and let Him lead you where He wants you to be. You might even come across something that you didn't even think about before!

Lectio divina

    The name of this prayer is Latin for "divine reading" because it involves reading scripture. In this form of prayer, you choose a specific scripture passage and read it a few different times. First, you read it just to get a general idea of what's going on. Then, try to imagine yourself in the story using all five of your senses and choose something (a word, phrase, image, or anything else) that sticks out to you and and reflect on what Jesus might be trying to say to you through that. The last time you read, choose something else that sticks out and think of some ways that you can apply that to your life.

    Lectio divina can be effective because it involves scripture, which is one of the primary ways that God speaks to us. It also encourages us to relate to the stories in the Bible and reminds us that the Bible is not a "dead book" for people who lived 2,000 years ago, but it is very alive today and its stories apply to us just as much as they did to the apostles.

 The rosary 

     You're probably already pretty familiar with how to pray the rosary. You pray one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be while reflecting on a "mystery" in the lives of Jesus and Mary for five mysteries in a row. The rosary is a powerful way to get to Jesus through His Blessed Mother. He never refused her anything on earth and in Heaven. and if we ask her to pray for us now, Mary will surely take us straight to her Son. See this post for more about the role of the Blessed Mother in our lives: https://illuminatedbyjoyforteens.blogspot.com/2022/08/mary-our-mother.html

    I hope this was very beneficial to you in helping develop your prayer life. And remember, these are just a few of the ways to pray. There are many others! If you're curious, one book I would recommend is Time for God by Fr. Jaques Philippe.  He has many great insights that really helped me, and may be of some help to you as well. I strongly encourage you to read it!

    Feel free to pray whichever way you feel best improves your relationship with Jesus. And no matter what, the best gifts you can always give to Jesus are your time and your love, so God will always be ready to speak with you.