Prayer and spirituality

Prayer is a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. It takes many forms, but, through the “raising of the mind and the heart” to our Creator, we remain in communion with him. God unceasingly calls us to this encounter with him, and the prayer of mankind has risen to heaven throughout the history of salvation. Abraham prayed, Jacob “wrestled with God”, Moses implored on behalf of the people, King David prayed, lamenting his sins and in praise of the Lord. The prophets prayed, “zealously seeking the face of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2595), the people of God prayed. In the Old Testament, the Psalms are the masterpiece of all. They are suitable for people of all times and places. In the New Testament, the prayer of Christ is the model of all prayer. In a loving adherence to his Father’s will, Christ teaches us how to have an attitude of great trust in how we pray. He also answers all prayers addressed to himself. The prayers of the Virgin Mary are characterised by her loving obedience in the Fiat and the offering of her whole being in faith in the great hymn of the Magnificat. The Church comes together collectively to pray and worship God. This is very often in the context of liturgy, or public prayer of the people. But we must also learn to pray as individuals, so as to nurture the life-giving relationship that God wishes to extend to us.

I believe in one God The Catholic faith is the body of belief held by Catholics. It has been revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who leaves it for us as our means of salvation. Speaking to his Father in the power of the Holy Spirit just before he died on the Cross, Christ exclaimed, “Father, … this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17,3). Such knowledge is the purpose of every Catholic’s existence. It is left to the Church as the deposit of faith, consisting of everything taught to the apostles by Our Lord and passed on by the same apostles. Built on the foundation stones of Saint Peter and the apostles, with Christ as the cornerstone, and commanded by Our Lord to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28,19), the Church has a divine mandate to pass the faith on, to catechise, in a way that is faithful to the Tradition established by Christ and guaranteed by the Magisterium of the Church to be true. The knowledge that the Catholic faith gives is not, however, a merely intellectual knowledge. More importantly, it gives us a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Through soaking ourselves in the faith of the Church, we become holy, and inspired to live not just for ourselves but for God and for our neighbour. This is the purpose of our existence. We also know, through the gift of faith, that this earthly life is a preparation ground for the bliss of heaven. So knowing God by faith can inspire us to live for him at every moment, despite the problems we all face, because we know that he is waiting for us in heaven. And the good news is that all men and women are destined for heaven, where, as Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “There will be no more sorrow or trials”, and where we will see God face-to-face. Faith offers us the exciting prospect of conversing with God, in learning and understanding his ways. When we start on this journey God reveals himself little by little, teaching us that he is close. In fact, our faith tells us, God is so close that he actually lives within us. In this section, many topics are introduced. The aim is not to give an exhaustive account, but rather to offer an introduction to the main teachings of the Church. Links are also provided to external sites where you can find out more. Indeed it is worth bearing in mind the reason why it is a good idea to think about what we believe: we need to understand our tradition in order to dialogue with today’s culture. Photo from English Martyrs’ Church, Wallasey, courtesy of Alex Ramsay.

The word Liturgy literally means work of the people, within the Catholic Church it is used to describe all the public acts of worship that take place, as it draws the people into the work of God. Liturgy is in many ways the public face or shop front of the Church, it is through the liturgy that people engage with the faith and deepen their relationship with God. ‘Liturgy is not an event that depends on good ideas and great songs. No one makes up or invents a liturgy. It is something that grew over millennia of faith.’ YOUCAT (paragraph 167) Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church and includes the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and so all other liturgies flow from and to the celebration of Mass. Liturgy is not just the words that are said, it is much much more than that. Through the liturgy we encounter God, and our united with our brothers and sisters across the world as the Universal Church. Over these pages each of the major liturgies of the Church will be explored. (Photo: St Gabriel News and Media)