An Apologetical Explanation of

Expressions of Prayer

What are the three expressions of Christian prayer?

Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart / be acceptable in thy sight,  O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  (Ps 19:15)

My mouth shall speak wisdom; / the mediation of my heart shall be understanding.  (Ps 49:4)

After [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone.  (Mt 14:23)

The Church speaks of three modes, or “expressions,” of prayer.  Our exemplar of prayer, Christ himself, taught vocal prayer to his disciples and also practiced meditative prayer and contemplative prayer.  All three forms are of great value in the life of a Christian.  (Cf. CCC 2701, 2721)

Vocal prayer is well suited in communal or liturgical prayer such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, or a blessing before a family meal.  It is essential for us because of our human need to integrate the activities of both body and soul, and vocal prayer allows us to express through our physical senses what we feel and believe internally, in the depths of our hearts; this is how we pray “with our whole being.”  Liturgical prayer, which is primarily based on Sacred Scripture, also forms us as a Christian community in the Word of God.  (Cf. CCC 2701-2704)

Meditative prayer is ordinarily grounded in spiritual reading.  It is a search for understanding and discernment of what God is calling us to do.  By engaging our mind and spirit, we draw closer to Christ.  Two popular forms of meditation are the Holy Rosary and lectio divina.  The Holy Rosary, which also utilizes vocal prayer, is a meditation on the events of the lives of Christ and his Mother.  Lectio divina is a meditative reading of Sacred Scripture or other edifying texts such as the spiritual writings of holy men and women.  (Cf. CCC 2705-2708)

In the silence of contemplative prayer, we experience intimacy with God as we share in his mystery and make ourselves attentive to his voice.  We approach God with great humility and seek complete union with him; it is sometimes described as a “gaze of faith” fixed upon Christ.  By gazing upon his mysteries, we open ourselves up to hearing the Word of God, illuminating our hearts, hearing the Father’s voice, and infusing all that we do with his love.  (Cf. CCC 2709-2719)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraphs 2722-2724.

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