Catechesis & Prayer

Catechesis, in many cases, is reduced to “talking” about the Faith. While this is certainly an important element, it must be remembered that instruction in the Catholic Faith cannot lack prayer and example. The entire process of instruction must be steeped in conversation with God, or else it will not bear fruit. The instructor must pray for their students as well as with them so that they may understand the most important aspect of Catholicism. Just as Jesus taught us to “pray to our Father in heaven,” we must assist others in learning to pray in his footsteps.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church dedicates an entire section to prayer. It teaches that prayer is God’s gift, the place of covenant, and the living communion “of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit” (CCC 2565). There are numerous examples of prayer for us to learn from, with the first recorded ones at the beginning of the Old Testament. The Psalms are the first large collection of prayers, and we still use them to pray today. Jesus taught and commanded us to live in prayer, and the Church follows that command through the sacraments as well as encouraging private prayer.

There are five types of prayer: Blessing/Adoration, Petition, Intercession, Thanksgiving, and Praise (CCC 2626-2649).  Adoration is an active acknowledgement as a creature before our Creator. The type of prayer that most people default to is petition——asking for what we need, recognizing that we are dependent on God’s goodness. Intercession is asking for the needs of others. Thanksgiving is most fully seen in the Eucharist, but can and should also be offered in response to the fulfillment of our needs.  Praise is the prayer that “recognizes most immediately that God is God” (CCC 2639). In the first four forms of prayer we recognize what he does for us, while in our prayers of praise we recognize Who He IS.

Catechesis and prayer go hand in hand: without knowledge, there cannot be love–and yet without love, knowledge is meaningless. Just as one small, human example, we can see that people who have an “idol,” or person they look up to as a mentor, will grow much more than those who merely have good examples from history books.

Unless we teach those entrusted to us to pray, the truths of Catholicism we teach will seem empty. Unless we spend time in conversation and communion with Christ, we cannot come to truly know him. Jesus is the Way as well as the Truth and the Life; through prayer and the Eucharist, we live in him, and he will lead us to the Father.