Prayer Definition

[djames99]

Can someone be praying without knowing it? For instance if a saint appeared to someone and he decided to praise him, did he need a prior intent to pray in order for his conversation to be defined as praying?

If someone was of a status that praying is the proper method of conversation to him, and he appeared to someone, can a person be praying to him and not know it.? Can a person pray to someone and still be physically in their presence? For instance if St. Peter would appear to someone, how would they know they are simply exclaiming their praise, and not praying in praise.? What parameters defines the operation?.

Thanks

 

[bzkoss236]

Well, the basic definition of prayer (or pray) is “to ask of”, and implies an intent. You have to actively be thinking about your request for it to be prayer. Technically, humans can pray to other humans (under the basic definition). So, when you ask a friend to pray to you that is alive, you are essentially praying to them to pray for you, which could include asking (praying to) others, Saints, and/or prayer directly to God. So, if an Angel or Saith appeared before you and you asked something of them (intercession), you would be praying to them. A general conversation wouldn’t defined as prayer, in my opinion based on the definition of prayer.

 

[djames99]

Thanks bz for your answer. Perhaps I should relate the context.

Someone asked what was the earliest known prayer to Mary. I answered it was Elizabeth’s praise and exhaltation of Mary “blessed art though among women…”.

My argument is that even though Elizabeth intended to praise or exhalt a person in her presence whom she honored because of a special familial rerlationship; the reality was that she was addressing a person who is now Queen of Heaven. Additionally, Elizabeth seems to recognize Divine interaction in Mary’s change of state. My opponents seem to only see the former interpretation. So the definition is really ours in that WE know that she was praying, even though she probably didn’t realize it. My thought is that Mary is part of the Incarnation, and was predestined to play her Divinely planned role. Mary became Queen the moment of her acceptance of the will of the Father to bear a Son, whom her Son preselected. In typical human social communication, a familiarity of sorts would be a fact. But now this person has been elevated to a special position by the Holy Spirit’ an action Elizabeth recognizes.

So I think Elizabeth prayed to Mary.