About prayer.. for extra credit in one of my classes

[mackk]

Would i be correct in identifying prayer as falling into one of three categories.
the first being extraordinary such as mass.
the second being ordinary i.e. the rosary (structured but not requiring a priest)
an the last being mental (having a private conversation with god)

sorry if it seems like a dumb question but i can’t seem to locate anything that directly answers this question.

//mackk

 

[ConstantineTG]

from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

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.1
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 for him.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 only Son of God.11

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 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.

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 hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; 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

Further, you may want to read about Blessing and Adoration, Prayer of Petition, Prayer of Intercession, Prayer of Thanksgiving and Prayer of Praise here:

scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s1c1a3.htm

 

[mackk]

I’m very grateful for your quick reply and the time you obviously put into the reply but…
it doesn’t really answer my question. I need to be able to classify and break down the act of praying.
to apply what i need to something else …
automobile = car, truck, van
car= mustang, Cadillac, fire bird

i need to be able to break the concept into pieces and define those.
what i am aiming at at the moment is
prayer can be categorized thus
extraordinary (structured prayers requiring a priest…i.e. mass)
Ordinary (structured prayer that does not require a priest)
and
mental prayer (prayers that are not structured but are more conversational)
keep in mind i am trying to explain the need for a priest in some forms of prayer and not in others.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Yes, what I gave you is what the Church teaches what prayer is and what are the categories of prayer (on my link). Follow the link at the bottom of my first post and see the types of prayers

 

[ConstantineTG]

car= mustang, Cadillac, fire bird

By the way, Mustang and Cadillac are not kinds or types of cars. Mustang is a model and Cadillac is a brand. The types of cars would be sports cars, subcompact, compact, mid-size sedan, full size sedan, etc.

 

[mackk]

By the way, Mustang and Cadillac are not kinds or types of cars. Mustang is a model and Cadillac is a brand. The types of cars would be sports cars, subcompact, compact, mid-size sedan, full size sedan, etc.

yeah i don’t know anything about cars lol
I was just trying to be clearer.
I’ll re read the your post and link and maybe i just missed what i am looking for

 

[blackrobe]

OP might be looking for something as simple as the three categories of vocal prayer, mental prayer [meditation], and contemplative prayer.

AMDG
jsa

 

[mackk]

OP might be looking for something as simple as the three categories of vocal prayer, mental prayer [meditation], and contemplative prayer.

AMDG
jsa

that is closer but I was trying to incorporate priests into the mix … we can’t say mass alone you know and mass is prayer

 

[baltobetsy]

The Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours are liturgical prayers, that is, prayers of the whole Church. Requiring a priest really does not define a certain type of prayer, although the Mass does fall into this category and of course requires a priest.

The Rosary, various litanies, prayers written by saints - any set prayer that people can recite - these are vocal prayers.

Finally, there is mental prayer, the loving conversation with God in one’s own words or in silence without words. There are various degrees of this kind of prayer; some of the terms you might come across in a search would be meditation, prayer of simplicity, prayer of quiet, contemplation, prayer of union.

 

[thistle]

Would i be correct in identifying prayer as falling into one of three categories.
the first being extraordinary such as mass.
the second being ordinary i.e. the rosary (structured but not requiring a priest)
an the last being mental (having a private conversation with god)

sorry if it seems like a dumb question but i can’t seem to locate anything that directly answers this question.

//mackk

I notice your religion under your profile states “other”.

What is “other” and how did “other” answer your question?

 

[mackk]

The Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours are liturgical prayers, that is, prayers of the whole Church. Requiring a priest really does not define a certain type of prayer, although the Mass does fall into this category and of course requires a priest.

The Rosary, various litanies, prayers written by saints - any set prayer that people can recite - these are vocal prayers.

Finally, there is mental prayer, the loving conversation with God in one’s own words or in silence without words. There are various degrees of this kind of prayer; some of the terms you might come across in a search would be meditation, prayer of simplicity, prayer of quiet, contemplation, prayer of union.

EXACTLY thank you so much ! I understand now

 

[mackk]

I notice your religion under your profile states “other”.

What is “other” and how did “other” answer your question?

well OTHER isn’t Catholic so OTHER couldn’t be a reliable answer about Catholic things now could they?
And to further this lovely discussion I would point out that your visit to my profile could/should have brought you to looking at other threads I started … at which point you would know what OTHER is