Introduction/ Proposal for Paper
“We must remember God more often than we draw breath” – Saint Gregory of Nazianzus. In simplistic terms, we need God, and to acquire God, we must build a relationship with Him, which could be done through prayer. “Prayer is the act by which one enters into conscious, loving communion with God. Prayer acknowledges the existence of a relationship between God and humanity, and more specifically, that God relates to each human being with ongoing solitude and benevolence. All prayer is based on the underlying reality of personhood and the ability of persons to be present to one another. A divine person interacts with human persons who reach out to the one who sustains all creatures.”1 This shows that prayer is vital in everyday society. (There are essentially three types of prayer: vocal [associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart], meditation [prayerful reflection], and contemplative prayer [gaze upon God in silence and love]).2 Human beings are called to prayer, and practice prayer subconsciously; many people exhibit one or more of these three types of prayer. Prayer is essentially imperative and has been so since the dawn of time, therefore without it, humanity would have no faith or reassurance leading to subconscious destruction of oneself.
Bibliography
1. Appleton, George. “Prayers of Devotion”. The Oxford Book of Prayer.New York:
Oxford University Press. 1985.
2. Dossey, Larry M.D. Prayer is Good Medicine: How to Reap the Healing Benefits
of Prayer. New York. Harper Collins Publishers Inc. 1996.
3. Lewis, C.S. Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. New York: Harcourt, Brace
and World, Inc. 1964.
4. McBrien, Richard P. “Prayer”. Encyclopedia of Catholicism. First Edition. New
York: NY 1995
5. Sharma, Arvind. “Christianity”. Our Religions. New York: Harper San Francisco.
1993
6. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Christian Prayer”. Compendium:
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2006
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I don't get it. Why is prayer important? I get along fine without it.
Well to me, if you believe in God, prayer is essential to maintain a relationship with God. Just like any friendship, without communication the friendship will ultimately dissintegrate.