Lent is just a few weeks away, with March 5th just around the corner. As we know, if one fails to plan, one has undoubtedly planned to fail. So, this is a good time to prepare for the upcoming Lenten season.

How do we prepare? Lent has three main pillars: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. While we may not necessarily be called to fasting and almsgiving daily, we should, as a matter of having an intimate relationship with our heavenly father, pray not just daily but every day and throughout the day.

Recently, at least three people I have asked whether they pray responded that they do not know how to pray; they talk to God ‘in their own way.’ That brings us to the question of what prayer is.

Prayer is, according to St. John Damascene, "the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." The Catechism of the Catholic Church no 2556 citing St. Therese of Lisieux also describes prayer as “a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." From these descriptions, it means prayer must not be technical or esoteric; it is simply a conversation or dialogue with the Supreme.

So, if you are struggling with how do I pray? You may start by saying words out as you would to a friend or letting your mind speak the words and just expressing your feelings or thoughts as raw as possible.

 

The Church has also made this so easier by offering us different kinds of prayer. You may investigate any of this more and put it into practice in your prayer life, especially during the Lenten season.

 

The Rosary: This popular devotional prayer invites us to meditate on the saving mysteries of Jesus’ life and the faithful witness of Mary, our Mother in faith.

Lectio Divina: In this prayer of “divine reading,” we listen to how God speaks to us through slowly reading and contemplating Scripture or other texts.

Centering Prayer: We focus silently on a sacred word that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, in which we experience God’s presence.

Ignatian Contemplation: We use our imagination to place ourselves in a scene from Scripture using all our senses and notice how God may be speaking to us.

The Ignatian Examen: An opportunity for us to prayerfully review our day in the presence of God. (Source)

Remember, God always reaches out to us, while prayer should be our response.