Prayer is a cornerstone of the Christian life, but how to pray is not self-evident. “It is necessary to learn how to pray,” Benedict XVI said. “Even those who are very advanced in spiritual life always feel the need to learn from Jesus, to learn how to pray authentically.”
Prayer can never be taken for granted. It requires perseverance, effort, and regularity.
In this year of 2024 dedicated to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee in 2025, Pope Francis invites the faithful to rediscover “the great value and absolute need for prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.” In particular, he urges them to “intensify their prayers.”
To help us learn and remember some key steps of prayer, we can use the acronym SPIRITUS. It’s an excellent guideline for dense, rich prayer. In Latin, “spiritus” means “breath” or “soul,” and often refers to the Holy Spirit.
S for Silence
Remaining in silence is the first step towards prayer. Prayer is born of silence, for we need silence to hear God's voice amid the multitude of everyday noises: worries, temptations, doubts ...
P for Presence
The next step is to put ourselves in God's presence, to become aware of God's presence with us. God is there, God is always there, and it's up to each of us to open the door of our hearts to Him.
I for Invocation
Prayer is first and foremost a gift from God. It's a good idea to start your prayer by invoking the Holy Spirit, in order to receive the gift of prayer. It's also a way of being filled with the inspiration (literally “breathing into”) of the Spirit as you pray.
R as in Reviewing
Carefully reviewing your day or week during prayer provides a very concrete opportunity to thank God for the graces he has given you, and to ask forgiveness for moments of weakness. It's also a way of identifying the signs of God's presence in your life. This is known as an examination of conscience.
I for Intentions
It's a good idea to broaden your prayer with intentions that concern loved ones, the world, the Church, the Pope ... It's possible to entrust living people to the Lord, or also as the deceased, so that they may be welcomed into God's presence.
T for Texts
The Word of God is an essential element of prayer. It nourishes prayer. It's a good idea to support your prayer with a text of the day or a passage from the Bible. By reading it slowly, meditating on it, and retaining a phrase, we can make Christ's words our own and let them work in us.
U for Union with God
Prayer is a time of heart-to-heart conversation with God. A peaceful moment, attentive to God's presence within us and to his Word. A time of surrender and love: to love and let yourself be loved.
S for Sign of the Cross
At the end of prayer, it's time to thank God for this time of prayer and ask for his blessing. It's a good idea to close your prayer with the sign of the cross, the distinctive Christian sign of Christ's love for mankind.
