Prayer, a loving conversation with God, is at the heart of Christian faith. Christians are invited to pray as Jesus prayed, to call God “Our Father”.

Prayer forms

Christian prayer is composed of various forms:

• Blessing – we bless God who first blesses us.
• Adoration – we who are creatures humbly acknowledge God, our Creator.
• Petition – we ask God for his Kingdom to come, to forgive our sins, and for all our spiritual and material needs.
• Intercession – we pray to God for others.
• Thanksgiving – we thank God unceasingly for everything.
• Praise – we praise and glorify God for His own sake because He is God.

Liturgical and Devotional prayer

Christian prayer is either:

• Liturgical – when the Church prays using a rite of Christian prayer e.g. Divine Office or Holy Mass.
• Devotional – when Christians unite themselves to God through Christ by means of Christian prayers and devotions e.g. morning prayers or praying the Stations of the Cross.