Regular prayer is conversation with our loving God and is part of every believer’s life and the life of the Church. Daily prayer and devotions, the liturgy of the hours, and the Sunday Eucharist all offer ways of celebrating and praising God. Growth in our prayer life is nourished by taking every opportunity to listen to and speak with God as individual believers and as members of the Christian community.

In Christian tradition we find three major expressions or models of prayer—vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation. Vocal prayer can be a recitation of formal prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer. It includes personal and spontaneous prayers. Meditation engages the mind, imagination, and emotions by focusing on a particular subject (a psalm, a Scripture passage, God’s creation, or the life of a saint). Contemplative prayer is attentiveness to God. Done in silence, it is active listening to the Word of God. There is no preferred way to pray. God leads each person according to his or her needs.

Devotions are prayers or pious practices used to demonstrate reverence for Jesus Christ, Mary, or a particular saint. Catholics may light candles, say certain prayers, observe certain traditions, or make offerings as part of these devotions. The Way of the Cross and the Rosary are two of the greatest Catholic devotions. It is important to recall that, though Mary and the saints may be reverenced, they may never be worshipped. The purpose of all devotional practices is to deepen one’s love of God, who alone is worshipped.

The Rosary is a devotion honoring Mary. It is a prayer that has been prayed since the Middle Ages to draw one closer to Mary, and through her, to her son, Jesus. By praying the Rosary, we repeat the Hail Mary over and over to show love and respect for Mary, Mother of God and our mother. As we pray, we reflect upon the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious events in the lives of Mary and Jesus. The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.

The Way of the Cross, or Stations of the Cross, is a devotion that recounts the story of Jesus Christ’s journey from death to new life again. The Stations mark his condemnation to death by Pontius Pilate, the journey to Calvary, Jesus’ crucifixion and death on Good Friday, and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, fourteen visual images known as stations depict incidents in the last day of Jesus’ life, ending with the burial of Jesus. In contemporary celebrations of the Stations, however, many churches include a fifteenth station – the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, thereby completing the meditation on the mystery of salvation. The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the heart of Jesus. Through the Way of the Cross, Christian prayer follows in the Savior’s steps.

Meditation is a method of prayer that begins with listening to God. We think about God and how to respond to God’s presence in our lives. We might read from Scripture, look at a sacred object or image, such as a crucifix, or listen to soft music during meditative prayer. We might reflect on God’s teachings and ask help to live according to the Gospels. In silence we can concentrate on listening to God through our feelings, imagination and thoughts.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that when we pray, we are to be inclusive and mindful of the fact that we are connected to one another. It is the prayer of the community. The Lord’s Prayer also teaches us that first we are to praise and adore God and then petition God for nourishment and healing. Since apostolic times, this prayer has been considered the most important prayer for the Christian community.