Catechism Part IV: Prayer.

 Prayer

Catechist.            My dear children, know well that you are not able to do these things of yourself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve him, without his grace and help; which you must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer. Let me hear, therefore, if you can say the Lord’s Prayer.

Answer.               Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Catechist.            What do you desire of God in this prayer?

Answer.               I desire my Lord God our heavenly Father, who is the giver of all goodness, To send his grace unto me, and to all people: That we may worship him, and serve him, and obey him as we ought to do: And I pray unto God, that he will send us all things that are needful both for our souls and bodies: That he will be merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins, and help us to forgive others: And that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers both of soul and body; and that he will keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from everlasting death. And this I trust he will do of his mercy and goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore I say, Amen, So be it.

The Desire may be said by all, kneeling; and the Catechist may add a Collect and the Grace at his discretion.

It's so interesting that this section is so short. Prayer seems so complicated, but it's not! It's the simplest thing about faith, really.

The Our Father (the Lord's Prayer) is the formula, words given us by Jesus to help us when we aren't sure what to say. It covers everything we might face in life.

When we pray, we begin in praise. Then we look at physical needs, followed by spiritual need. We cover our relationship with God and our relationship with others in this prayer. 

I will note that I do have a printable "faith kit" booklet that you can purchase at my Ko-Fi shop. It's got information about how to pray and some simple, quick prayers you can use when you need them, and there are some cards at the back you can print on card stock and cut out to put in random places or carry in your wallet.

See, prayer feels hard, especially if you're used to saying pre-written prayers. The prayers in the Book of Common Prayer and in the Book of Alternative Services are carefully crafted and use words from Scripture to help make points and express our need and our faith. But prayer doesn't need to be careful. It doesn't need to use special language. Jesus knows you inside and out already; He knows what you need and what you want. He knows the words you use, the way you talk. He's okay with that. Just... talk to Him. Tell Him your heart. If you can't find the words, sit in silence or sing. Music is often prayer. The point is, prayer is communication. It's how we communicate with God. That's why it's necessary, why it ought to be such an important part of our spiritual lives. (And why I side-eyed the person who said to me once that "it's great that you care so much about prayer, but some of us don't." I don't understand how you can say you're a Christian if you don't think prayer matters.)

I could go on forever but I would likely repeat myself a few times (or many times). So I will stop here and let you consider what I have said about prayer so far.

Peace & Blessings.