What is Prayer?

From Pope Francis~
“What truly is prayer? It is first of all a dialogue, a personal relationship with God. Man was created as a being in a personal relationship with God who finds his complete fulfillment only in the encounter with his Creator. The path of life leads toward the definitive encounter with the Lord.

“The Book of Genesis states that man was created in the image and likeness of God, who is the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, a perfect relationship of love which is unity. From this we can understand that we were all created in order to enter a perfect relationship of love, in the continuous giving and receiving of ourselves so as to be able to find the fulfillment of our being.

“Praying, as every true dialogue, is also knowing how to be in silence together with Jesus. Silence is so important! From this mysterious silence of God springs his Word which resonates in our heart. Jesus himself teaches us how it is truly possible to “be” with the Father and he shows us this with his prayer. The Gospels show us Jesus who withdraws to secluded places to pray; seeking his intimate relationship with God.” (L’Osservatore Romano, 17 November 2017)

So whether we are in communal prayer, such as the Mass, or in private prayer with our Lord, the Church provides an abundance of resources to guide us during that time. In this website, we have included but a small portion of what’s available, but we hope this will be an aid in your prayer.