Prayer
The lifting of mind and heart to God — in adoration, asking, thanks, and praise
Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God, encompassing adoration, petition, thanksgiving, and praise. Christians take the Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus, as its model and pattern. Early teachers such as Origen, in his treatise On Prayer, and Tertullian reflected deeply on how and why believers pray. At its heart, prayer is communion with God rather than mere recitation of words.
How it traveled
- JamesJerusalem · 62applies
- MatthewAntioch · 80explains
- ActsRome · 84applies
- LukeRome · 84explains
- JohnEphesus · 100explains
- On Prayer.— · 220explains
- The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- Life of Antony. (Vita Antoni.)Alexandria · 373explains
- The LettersCaesarea (Cappadocia) · 379explains
- Select Orations of Saint Gregory NazianzenNazianzus · 390explains
- Select Letters of Saint Gregory NazianzenNazianzus · 390applies
- A Commentary on the Acts of the ApostlesConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and ThessaloniansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies on the Statues to the People of AntiochConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on Second CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and PhilemonConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the RomansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and EphesiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Letters of St. JeromeBethlehem · 420explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- The ConfessionsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Predestination of the SaintsHippo Regius · 430applies
- Our Lord’s Sermon on the MountHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-XMarseille · 435explains
- The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of TheodoretCyrrhus · 458applies
- The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the GreatRome · 604explains
- Selected Epistles of Gregory the GreatRome · 604applies
- Internal ConsolationZwolle · 1471explains
- Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the SoulZwolle · 1471applies
- Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from ItGeneva · 1564explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758applies
- Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New EnglandNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Fifteen Sermons. On Various SubjectsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Narrative of Surprising ConversionsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758applies
- Seven Sermons. On Important SubjectsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
On Heaven and Earth · Pope Francis
Journal of a Soul · Pope St. John XXIII
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux · Thérèse of Lisieux
New Seeds of Contemplation · Thomas Merton
Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
51. Perseverance in prayer especially recommended, both by precept and example. Condemnatory of those who assign to God a time and mode of hearing. 52. Of the dignity of faith, through which we alway
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The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X · John Cassian
Introduction to the Conference. What was promised in the second book of the Institutes See the Institutes Book II. c. ix. Isaac was, as we gathered from c. xxxi., a disciple of St. Antony, and is m
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Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament · Augustine of Hippo
Sermon XI. [LXI. Ben.] On the words of the Gospel, Matt. vii. 7, “Ask, and it shall be given you;” etc. An exhortation to alms-deeds. 1. In the lesson of the Holy Gospel the Lord hath exhorted us t
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A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles · John Chrysostom
Here indeed my discourse is for both men and women. Bend thy knees, send forth groans, beseech thy Master to be merciful: He is more moved by prayers in the night, when thou makest the time for rest a
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A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles · John Chrysostom
And (even) this (He seeks), only that we may not become unprofitable, since even without this He could have freed us from them: but like as we (with the same view) devise and arrange many things for o
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Chapter XXX. For we offer prayer for the safety of our princes to the eternal, the true, the living God, whose favour, beyond all others, they must themselves desire. They know from whom they have ob
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Book Second.—Commandments · The Pastor of Hermas
He says to me, “Put away doubting from you and do not hesitate to ask of the Lord, saying to yourself, ‘How can I ask of the Lord and receive from Him, seeing I have sinned so much against Him? ‘Do no
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
OF PRAYER—A PERPETUAL EXERCISE OF FAITH. THE DAILY BENEFITS DERIVED FROM IT. The principal divisions of this chapter are,—I. Connection of the subject of prayer with the previous chapters. The nature
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
15. Here, by way of objection, several questions are raised. Scripture relates that God sometimes complied with certain prayers which had been dictated by minds not duly calmed or regulated. It is tru
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
16. It is also of importance to observe, that the four laws of prayer of which I have treated are not so rigorously enforced, as that God rejects the prayers in which he does not find perfect faith or
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
26. But some seem to be moved by the fact, that the prayers of Ps. 22:5). Let us also pray after their example, that like them we too may be heard. Those men, on the contrary, absurdly argue that none
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
28. But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For th
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
29. This assiduity in prayer, though it specially refers to the peculiar private prayers of individuals, extends also in some measure to the public prayers of the Church. These, it may be said, cannot
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
22. Monstrous errors resulting from this fiction. Refutation. Exception by the advocates of this fiction. Answer. 23. Arguments of the Papists for the intercession of saints. 1. From the duty and off
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
30. As God in his word enjoins common prayer, so public temples are the places destined for the performance of them, and hence those who refuse to join with the people of God in this observance have n
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
French, “Qui est-ce donc qui se pourra assez esmerveiller d’une audace tant tent et brayent de langue estrange et inconnue, en laquelle le plus souvent ils n’entendent pas eux mesmes une syllabe, et n
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up Prayer. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- Thérèse of LisieuxStory of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux(1898)View on Amazon→
- Thomas MertonNew Seeds of Contemplation(1961)View on Amazon→
- Pope St. John XXIIIJournal of a Soul(1965)View on Amazon→
- Pope FrancisOn Heaven and Earth(2010)View on Amazon→