In light of the Quebec government’s threat to ban public prayer, Verbatim reprints “A Note on Prayer” from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Episcopal Commission for Doctrine.

Prayer is a universal human activity. It can be found in every country, in every period of human history, at every age of life. It expresses the awareness of a relationship with a Being greater than oneself, distinct from oneself, present within oneself.

Christian prayer is clearly marked by faith in God who has made Himself known, not only as the Creator of the universe, but as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The faithful pray to the Father through the Son in the Spirit.

We learn to pray, just as we learn to speak, walk or sing. The Gospel offers a profound insight into this. Impressed by Jesus’ prayer, the disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray: He teaches them the “Our Father,” with its two poles: God and humanity. Several other Gospel passages show Jesus at prayer, in close contact with His Father (abba = dad), jubilant under the action of the Holy Spirit (Mt 11:25-27), in anguish before death (Lk 22:39-46) and confident on the Cross (Mt 27:46; Lk 23:46). The great prayer recounted in chapter 17 of St. John’s Gospel reveals the heart of Christ.

Prayer is personal, that is, it expresses and enriches the faith of each person, unique and precious in God’s eyes. It is also communal, since it is lived in union with others, whether physically or spiritually present, those living in this world and those who have already entered into eternity. It is spiritual: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Rom 8:26).

Prayer takes on different hues: adoration before God’s unfathomable mystery, thanksgiving for His countless and unceasing benefits, petition in the face of daily difficulties, intercession for our sisters and brothers in humanity. It can be vocal (out loud), mental (in the mind through meditation); the body participates (seated to listen; kneeling to adore and implore), eyes closed and recollected. It has a daily rhythm: morning or evening prayer, the Lord’s Day....

Prayer is nourished by the word of God, the Old and New Testaments, in particular the book of Psalms that Jesus Himself used; it is also nourished by the liturgy, the privileged place of God’s presence; by the teaching of the Church’s Magisterium: for example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which devotes its entire fourth part to prayer (n. 2558-2865); in the life and experience of the saints, who are inspiring models and privileged intercessors, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Prayer is connected to daily life, with its ups and downs. Jesus Himself showed this when He rejoiced at the Holy Spirit’s action in the humble (Lk 10:21) and when He trusted in His Father after the death of His friend Lazarus (Jn 11:41-42).

We can pray in different places: in nature, in the bedroom, in a church; alone, as a couple, as a family, as a Church. The cycle of the liturgical year colours Christian prayer, from Advent to Christmas, from Lent to Easter and Ordinary Time, with the great mysteries of the faith (Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, Eternal Life) and the figures of the saints. The sacraments, lived out in prayer, are all essential places for this, with the celebration of the Eucharist and its extension, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, at the forefront.

The official prayer of the Church (the Liturgy of the Hours), the recitation of the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross or other devotions remain important sources for the life of prayer. Gazing at the Cross of Christ, statues of the Blessed Virgin or other saints is a great help in fixing the mind. Sacred music can also inspire us.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 2650) states: “in order to pray, one must have the will to pray.” “Looking to Jesus” (Heb 12:2), the faithful can have their faces radiant and be transformed in him, as the experience of the Transfiguration (Lk 9:29) reminds us.