What is Prayer?
Prayer, in its most basic form, is simply spending time with God. So many times we convince ourselves of what prayer “has to be.” We might think of prayer as repeating memorized words like the Our Father or Hail Mary. We might think prayer should be flowery and elegant or only done in a church. We might only pray in difficult times or when we need something special.
In reality prayer is about spending time with God and developing a relationship with Him.
- “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” — St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” — St. John Damascene
- “Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.” — St. Augustine of Hippo
You wouldn’t call someone your friend if you never talked or spent time with that person. You might know a lot about him or her, but the two of you wouldn’t necessarily have a relationship. Just as relationships are strengthened through conversations and spending time together, so is our relationship with God strengthened through prayer.
