Deacon Dave said in his homily last week that there are four types of prayer: Petition, Contrition, Praise, and Thanksgiving. I wonder, is there a priority in these types? It seems the order I gave is the priority. We first ask for our needs, but upon deeper reflection confess our shortcomings. Our penance provokes praise for God's forgiveness, and thanksgiving for his love.
Another way to look at prayer is as a progress from using words to being present to God in silence. Someone asked Mother Teresa what she did when she prayed. She said, "I listen." They asked, what does God do? She replied, "He listens."
No comments:
Post a Comment