Types of Prayer

Part 1: Synopsis of Types

The Christian tradition generally recognizes three types of prayer.

Verbal prayer is prayer that involves words (whether such words are pronounced aloud or not is irrelevant). This can be subdivided in two categories. In spontaneous verbal prayer, one speaks words that simply come to mind, as in most conversations between people. For this reason, spontaneous verbal prayer is inherently private: it is the prayer of one person (although others may find it edifying in various ways). Common verbal prayer, on the other hand, involves speaking words that one does not make up on the spot. For example, Christ commanded Christians to pray the "Our Father," which one reads or recites from memory. Likewise, the typical prayers offered before meals do not change from day to day unless one adds particular intentions to them. The Scriptures have always been a rich source of common verbal prayer. Since the earliest times, praying through the 150 Psalms has been a common practice (in a wonderfully beautiful and meaningful gesture, those who were illiterate and so could not pray the Psalms would often pray 150 repetitions of the "Our Father" instead).

Kataphatic prayer is prayer that does not consist in words. Also called "meditation," kataphatic prayer is prayer through the power of the imagination, intellect, and will. The Rosary is an excellent example of a kataphatic prayer practice. Although there is a verbal component, the central element of praying the Rosary involves meditating in turn upon a series of significant events in the life of Christ. In the "joyful mysteries," for example, which revolve around Christ's birth, one would consider Gabriel's annunciation of Christ's birth to Mary, Mary's visit to Elizabeth, the birth of Christ, his presentation in the temple, and his finding in the temple. One might, for instance, attempt to visualize these events, making them as concrete as possible so as to understand and undergo their significance. One might imagine one's own reactions, or contrast them with those of the Mother of God, etc. Through this process, one would communicate with the Lord by sharing one's thoughts and feelings and experience God's merciful and salvific love in a real way.

Finally, apophatic prayer moves beyond even the imagination and intellect. It is a form of prayer that dispenses with all thought and feeling, consisting only in the pure and direct apprehension of God. Apophatic prayer (also called "contemplation") provokes an experience of union with the Lord beyond conscious awareness, forgetting oneself and becoming totally absorbed in God's existence, as expressed in the phrase, "be still, and know that I am God." One rests in the joy of relationship with God, beyond even the categories of being. The great mystics of Christian history bear witness to the beatitude of this form of prayer.


Part 2: Assorted Reflections

• Growing up, spontaneous verbal prayer formed the vast majority of my experiences of prayer. If asked what prayer was, I probably would have responded in such a way as to more or less identify it with this type. It was not until I grew older that I began to realize that spontaneous verbal prayer is only a small part of prayer. In my personal life, I find that spontaneous verbal prayer has a role, but this role is a small one, since I have found there to be little that common verbal prayer cannot do more effectively.
• Common prayer is both a testament to and a source of great unity.
• Common prayer is an excellent exercise in humility. For a long time, I preferred spontaneous prayer for reasons of pride: I wanted to be different than everyone else, to think that my petitions and gratitude were too unique to be expressed in the words in which Christians have always expressed them, etc. Also, I wanted to feel like I was contributing something: prayer is something that comes from me. By praying the prayers that the Holy Spirit has seen fit to preserve through the ages and hand down to me as a member of the faithful, I am able to recognize that prayer, too, is solely a gift of God's grace.
• Kataphatic prayer is my preferred form of prayer. It will be of little surprise to anyone who knows me that I more frequently and fruitfully engage in intellectual, rather than sensorial, meditation. Frankly, sensorial forms of kataphatic prayer have hitherto been of little value to me, although I suspect that the reverse may be true for many people.
• Apophatic prayer, though I am inclined to view it as the highest type of prayer, is the one I most neglect to practice.