Christian prayer animated by the holy spirit

Catechism Commentary 63

All foms of Christian prayer are animated by the Holy Spirit within us praying to the God beyond us. In Jude 20 we read, “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit.” St Paul added in Rm 8:26, “the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us.” That is why many of s begin our prayer by saying, “Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of thy faithful.”

In the Christian life a pre-eminent way of expressing trust in God is by having childlike confidence in the power of the prayer of supplication. It can take two forms.

Firstly, there is the prayer of petition whereby people pray for their own personal needs.

Secondly, the prayer of intercession where they pray for the needs of others.

One could argue that supplication is the fundamental religious act. In the beatitudes Jesus said:"Blessed are the poor in Spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In other words, blessed are those who acknowledge their need for God and God’s help in prayer.

Closely related to this feeling of dependence is a trusting reliance on the providence of God (cf. Jer 29:11). It is an acknowledgement that God has a benevolent plan for our lives and that God provides for us in a non-magical way, so that we can fulfill the divine plan.

It is also clear from the gospels that petition played a central role in Jesus' teaching on prayer. It is a striking fact that he said more about the prayer of supplication than any other form. Jesus made it clear that prayers of petition and intercession had to be offered in his name. In Jn 14:13 we read: "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

The second main form of prayer, is this that of appreciation, which consists of thanksgiving, praise and adoration. It is like a bridge which enables us to cross over from the visible to the invisible, the natural to the supernatural, from this needy world into the presence of the all sufficient, and living God.

The word to “thank” in English is taken from the Old English meaning “to be mindful, to be aware of.” Appreciation as thanksgiving means that one is mindful of and grateful for the natural and supernatural gifts of God. St Paul not only thanked God repeatedly himself, he said to people of faith: “pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus,” (1 Thes 5:17-18). Obviously we should thank God for good things, but Paul wants us to thank God for bad things like sin and misfortune in the belief that they are embraced by God’s merciful providence so that “Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more” (Rm 5:20).

The word “praise” in English is derived from the Latin pretiare to prize, which is derived from pretium meaning price. In other words, praise is evoked by an appreciation of the value of the gifts of God and the divine giver of the gifts. In Eph 1:12 we read: “We who have first hoped in Christ, have been destined and appointed for the praise of his glory.” Sir 43:29-33 says: “Where shall we find strength to praise him? For he is greater than all his works.... When you praise the Lord, exalt him as much as you can; for he will surpass even that. When you exalt him, put forth all your strength, and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough. Who has seen him and who can describe him? Or who can extol him as he is?”The prayer of praise helps us to escape the gravitational pull of self-absorption to become engrossed in the awareness of God. As Ps 22:3 says: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

Ps 95:6 shows how the prayer of appreciation as thanksgiving and praise reaches its point of highest intensity in the form of adoration. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Adoration is commonly expressed in bodily gestures such as the ones described by the psalmist such as prostrations, raising of arms, clapping etc.

The CCC states quite rightly that all the forms of prayer as supplication and appreciation achieve their highest expression in the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist, from the Greek eucharistia, meaning “thanksgiving.”