SPIRITUAL FIRST AIDS - 911 - Catechism of the Catholic Church

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC

PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER

SECTION ONE - PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

2558 "Great is the mystery of the faith!"

The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One") and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three).

This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer. WHAT IS PRAYER?

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.[l]

Prayer as God's gift

2559 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. "[2]
But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble
and contrite heart?[3]

He who humbles himself will be exalted; [4] humility is the foundation of prayer,

Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought,"[5] are we ready to

receive freely the gift of prayer.

"Man is a beggar before God."[6]

2560 "If you knew the gift of God!"[7]

The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to

meet every human being.

It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God's

desire for us.

Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst

forhim.[8]

2561 "You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. "[9]
Paradoxically our prayer of petition, is a response to the plea of the living God:

"They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves, broken

cisterns that can hold no water! "[10]

Prayer is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation and also a response of love to the thirst of the

onlySonofGod.[ll]

Prayer as covenant

2562 Where does prayer come from?

Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays.

But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of                 j

the heart (more than a thousand times).                                                                                                                          !

According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays.

If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

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2563 The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical
expression, the heart is the place "to which I withdraw."

The heart is our bidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others;                                                              j

only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation; it is the place of covenant.

2564 Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ.

It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man.

Prayer as communion

2565 In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is
good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit.

The grace of the Kingdom is "the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity ... with the whole human

spirit."[12]

Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with

him.

This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with

Christ.[13]

Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his

Body.

Its dimensions are those of Christ's love.[14]

CHAPTER ONE - THE REVELATION OF PRAYER THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER

2566 Man is in search of God. In the act of creation, God calls every being from nothingness into existence.
"Crowned with glory and honor," man is, after the angels, capable of acknowledging "how majestic is the
name of the Lord in all the earth."[l] Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains an
image of his Creator, and retains the desire for the one who calls him into existence. All religions bear
witness to men's essential search for God. [2]

2567 God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or
accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that
mysterious encounter known as prayer, hi prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first;
our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself,
prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the
heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation.

ARTICLE 1 - IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

2568 In the Old Testament, the revelation of prayer comes between the fall and the restoration of man, that
is, between God's sorrowful call to his first children: "Where are you? ... What is this that you have
done?" [3] and the response of God's only Son on coming into the world: "Lo, I have come to do your will,
O God. "[4] Prayer is bound up with human history, for it is the relationship with God in historical events.

Creation - source of prayer

2569 Prayer is lived in the first place beginning with the realities of creation. The first nine chapters of
Genesis describe this relationship with God as an offering of the first-born of Abel's flock, as the invocation
of the divine name at the time of Enosh, and as "walking with God.[5] Noah's offering is pleasing to God,
who blesses him and through him all creation, because his heart was upright and undivided; Noah, like
Enoch before him, "walks with God." [6] This kind of prayer is lived by many righteous people in all
religions.

In his indefectible covenant with every living creature,[7j God has always called people to prayer. But it is above all beginning with our father Abraham that prayer is revealed in the Old Testament.

God's promise and the prayer of Faith

2570   When God calls him, Abraham goes forth "as the Lord had told him";[8] Abraham's heart is entirely
submissive to the Word and so he obeys. Such attendveness of the heart, whose decisions are made
according to God's will, is essential to prayer, while the words used count only in relation to it. Abraham's
prayer is expressed first by deeds: a man of silence, he constructs an altar to the Lord at each stage of his
journey. Only later does Abraham's first prayer in words appear: a veiled complaint reminding God of his
promises which seem unfulfilled. [9] Thus one aspect of the drama of prayer appears from the beginning:
the test of faith in the fidelity of God.

2571   Because Abraham believed in God and walked in his presence and in covenant with him,[10] the
patriarch is ready to welcome a mysterious Guest into his tent. Abraham's remarkable hospitality at Mature
foreshadows the annunciation of the true Son of the promise.[l 1] After that, once God had confided his
plan, Abraham's heart is attuned to his Lord's compassion for men and he dares to intercede for them with
bold confidence .[12]

2572   As a final stage in the purification of his faith, Abraham, "who had received the promises,"[13] is
asked to sacrifice the son God had given him. Abraham's faith does not weaken ("God himself will provide
the lamb for a burnt offering."), for he "considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead."[14]
And so the father of believers is conformed to the likeness of the Father who will not spare his own Son but
wiLl deliver him up for us all.[15] Prayer restores man to God's likeness and enables him to share in the
power of God's love that saves the multitude.fi 6]

2573   God renews his promise to Jacob, the ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel.[17] Before confronting
his elder brother Esau, Jacob wrestles all night with a mysterious figure who refuses to reveal his name, but
he blesses him before leaving him at dawn. From this account, the spiritual tradition of the Church has
retained the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the triumph of perseverance. [18]

Moses and the prayer of the mediator

2574   Once the promise begins to be fulfilled (Passover, the Exodus, the gift of the Law, and the ratification
of the covenant), the prayer of Moses becomes the most striking example of intercessory prayer, which will
be fulfilled in "the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."[19]

2575   Here again the initiative is God's. From the midst of the burning bush he calls Moses. [20] This event
will remain one of the primordial images of prayer in the spiritual tradition of Jews and Christians alike.
When "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob" calls Moses to be his servant, it is because he is the
living God who wants men to live. God reveals himself in order to s,ave them, though he does not do this
alone or despite them: he caLls Moses to be bis messenger, an associate in his compassion, his work of
salvation. There is something of a divine plea in this mission, and only after long debate does Moses attune
his own will to that of the Savior God. But in the dialogue in which God confides in him, Moses also learns
how to pray: he balks, makes excuses, above all questions: and it is in response to his question that the Lord
confides his ineffable name, which will be revealed through bis mighty deeds.

2576   "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend"[21] Moses¹ prayer
is characteristic of contemplative prayer by which God's servant remains faithful to his mission. Moses
converses with God often and at length, climbing the mountain to hear and entreat him and coming down to
the people to repeat the words of his God for their guidance. Moses "is entrusted with all my house. With
him I speak face to face, clearly, not in riddles," for "Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on
the face of the earth. "[22]

2577   From this intimacy with the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,[23] Moses
drew strength and determination for his intercession. He does not pray for himself but for the people whom
God made his own. Moses already intercedes for them during the battle with the Amalekites and prays to
obtain healing for Miriam. [24] But it is chiefly after their apostasy that Moses "stands in the breach" before
God in order to save the people. [25] The arguments of his prayer - for intercession is also a mysterious

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battle - will inspire the boldness of the great intercessors among the Jewish people and in the Church: God is love; he is therefore righteous and faithful; he cannot contradict himself: he must remember his marvellous deeds, since his glory is at stake, and he cannot forsake this people that bears his name.

David and the prayer of the king

2578 The prayer of the People of God flourishes in the shadow of God's dwelling place, first the ark of the
covenant and later the Temple. At first the leaders of the people - the shepherds and the prophets - teach
them to pray. The infant Samuel must have learned from his mother Hannah how "to stand before the
LORD" and from the priest Eli how to listen to his word: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."[26]
Later, he will also know the cost and consequence of intercession: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me
that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the
right way."[27]

2579 David is par excellence the king "after God's own heart," the shepherd who prays for his people and
prays in their name. His submission to the will of God, his praise, and his repentance, will be a model for
the prayer of the people. His prayer, the prayer of God's Anointed, is a faithful adherence to the divine
promise and expresses a loving arid joyful trust in God, the only King and Lord. [28] In the Psalms David,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the first prophet of Jewish and Christian prayer. The prayer of Christ, the true
Messiah and Son of David, will reveal and fulfill the meaning of this prayer.

2580 The Temple, the house of prayer that David wanted to build, will be the work of bis son,
of JerusalemSolomon. The prayer at the dedication of the Temple relies on God's promise and covenant, on the active
presence of his name among his People, recalling his mighty deeds at the Exodus.[29] The king lifts his
hands toward heaven and begs the Lord, on his own behalf, on behalf of the entire people, and of the
generations yet to come, for the forgiveness of their sins and for their daily needs, so that the nations may
know that He is the only God and that the heart of his people may belong wholly and entirely to him.

Elijah, the prophets and conversion of heart

2581 For the People of God, the Temple was to be the place of their education in prayer: pilgrimages, feasts
and sacrifices, the evening offering, the incense, and the bread of the Presence ("shewbread") - all these
signs of the holiness and glory of God Most High and Most Near were appeals to and ways of prayer. But
ritualism often encouraged an excessively external worship. The people needed education in faith and
conversion of heart; this was the mission of the prophets, both before and after the Exile.

2582 Elijah is the "father" of the prophets, "the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the
God of Jacob. "[30] Elijah's name, "The Lord is my God," foretells the people's cry in response to his prayer
on Mount Carmel.[31] St. James refers to Elijah in order to encourage us to pray: "The prayer of the
righteous is powerful and effective. "[32]

2583 After Elijah had learned mercy during his retreat at the Wadi Cherith, he teaches the widow of
Zarephath to believe in The Word of God and confirms her faith by his urgent prayer: God brings the
widow's child back to life.[33] The sacrifice on Mount Carmel is a decisive test for the faith of the People
of God. In response to Elijah's plea, "Answer me, O LORD, answer me," the Lord's fire consumes the
holocaust, at the time of the evening oblation. The Eastern liturgies repeat Elijah's plea in the Eucharistic
epiclesis.

Finally, taking the desert road that leads to the place where the living and true God reveals himself to his people, Elijah, like Moses before him, hides "in a cleft of he rock" until the mysterious presence of God has passed by,[34] But only on the mountain of the Transfiguration will Moses and Elijah behold the unveiled face of him whom they sought; "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God [shines] in the face of Christ," crucified and risen.[35]

2584 In their "one to one" encounters with God, the prophets draw light and strength for their mission.
Their prayer is not flight from this unfaithful world, but rather attentiveness to The Word of God. At times

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their prayer is an argument or a complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history. [3 6]

The Psalms, the prayer of the assembly

2585 From the time of David to the coming of the Messiah texts appearing in these sacred books show a
deepening in prayer for oneself and in prayer for others. [3 7] Thus the psalms were gradually collected into
the five books of the Psalter (or "Praises"), the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament.

2586 The Psalms both nourished and expressed the prayer of the People of God gathered during the great
feasts at Jerusalem and each Sabbath in the synagogues. Their prayer is inseparably personal and
communal; it concerns both those who are praying and all men. The Psalms arose from the communities of
the Holy Land and the Diaspora, but embrace all creation. Their prayer recalls the saving events of the past,
yet extends into the future, even to the end of history; it commemorates the promises God has already kept,
and awaits the Messiah who will fulfill them definitively. Prayed by Christ and fulfilled hi him, the Psalms
remain essential to the prayer of the Church. [38]

2587 The Psalter is the book in which The Word of God becomes man's prayer. In other books of the Old
Testament, "the words proclaim [God's] works and bring to light the mystery they contain."[39] The words
of the Psalmist, sung for God, both express and acclaim the Lord's saving works; the same Spirit inspires
both God's work and man's response. Christ will unite the two. In him, the psalms continue to teach us how
to pray.

2588 The Psalter's many forms of prayer take shape both in the liturgy of the Temple and hi the human
heart. Whether hymns or prayers of lamentation or thanksgiving, whether individual or communal, whether
royal chants, songs of pilgrimage or wisdom meditations, the Psalms are a mirror of God's marvelous deeds
hi the history of his people, as well as reflections of the human experiences of the Psalmist. Though a given
psalm may reflect an event of the past, it still possesses such direct simplicity that it can be prayed in truth
by men of all tunes and conditions.

2589 Certain constant characteristics appear throughout the Psalms: simplicity and spontaneity of prayer;
the desire for God himself through and with all that is good hi his creation; the distraught situation of the
believer who, hi his preferential love for the Lord, is exposed to a host of enemies and temptations, but who
waits upon what the faithful God will do, in the certitude of his love and in submission to his will. The
prayer of the psalms is always sustained by praise; that is why the title of this collection as handed down to
us is so fitting: "The Praises." Collected for the assembly's worship, the Psalter both sounds the call to
prayer and sings the response to that call: Hallelu-Yah! ("Alleluia"), "Praise the Lord!"

What is more pleasing than a psalm? David expresses it well: "Praise the Lord, for a psalm is good: let there be praise of our God with gladness and grace!" Yes, a psalm is a blessing on the lips of the people, praise of God, the assembly's homage, a general acclamation, a word that speaks for all, the voice of the Church, a confession of faith in song. [40]

IN BRIEF

2590 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (St.
John Damascene, Defide orth. 3,24: PG 94,1O89C).

2591 God tirelessly calls each person to this mysterious encounter with Himself. Prayer unfolds throughout
the whole history of salvation as a reciprocal call between God and man.

2592 The prayer of Abraham and Jacob is presented as a battle of faith marked by trust hi God's
faithfulness and by certitude in the victory promised to perseverance.