Catechism index

2641 V. Prayer of Praise "[Address] one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart." 124 Like the inspired writers of the New Testament, the first …
2642 V. Prayer of Praise The Revelation of "what must soon take place," the Apocalypse, is borne along by the songs of the heavenly liturgy 127 but also by the intercession of the "witnesses" (martyrs). 128 The …
2643 V. Prayer of Praise The Eucharist contains and expresses all forms of prayer: it is "the pure offering" of the whole Body of Christ to the glory of God's name 131 and, according to the traditions …
2644 IN BRIEF The Holy Spirit who teaches the Church and recalls to her all that Jesus said also instructs her in the life of prayer, inspiring new expressions of the same basic forms of …
2645 IN BRIEF Because God blesses the human heart, it can in return bless him who is the source of every blessing.
2646 IN BRIEF Forgiveness, the quest for the Kingdom, and every true need are objects of the prayer of petition.
2647 IN BRIEF Prayer of intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. It knows no boundaries and extends to one's enemies.
2648 IN BRIEF Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one's whole life: "Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess …
2649 IN BRIEF Prayer of praise is entirely disinterested and rises to God, lauds him, and gives him glory for his own sake, quite beyond what he has done, but simply because HE IS. Previous …
2650 THE TRADITION OF PRAYER Prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring of interior impulse: in order to pray, one must have the will to pray. Nor is it enough to know what the Scriptures reveal …
2651 THE TRADITION OF PRAYER The tradition of Christian prayer is one of the ways in which the tradition of faith takes shape and grows, especially through the contemplation and study of believers who treasure in their …
2652 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER The Holy Spirit is the living water "welling up to eternal life" 3 in the heart that prays. It is he who teaches us to accept it at its source: Christ. Indeed …
2653 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER The Church "forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn 'the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ' ( ⇒ Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures.... …
2654 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER The spiritual writers, paraphrasing Matthew 7:7, summarize in this way the dispositions of the heart nourished by the word of God in prayer "Seek in reading and you will find in meditating; …
2655 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER In the sacramental liturgy of the Church, the mission of Christ and of the Holy Spirit proclaims, makes present, and communicates the mystery of salvation, which is continued in the heart that …
2656 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER One enters into prayer as one enters into liturgy: by the narrow gate of faith. Through the signs of his presence, it is the Face of the Lord that we seek and …
2657 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER The Holy Spirit, who instructs us to celebrate the liturgy in expectation of Christ's return, teaches us - to pray in hope. Conversely, the prayer of the Church and personal prayer nourish …
2658 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER "Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." 10 Prayer, formed by the liturgical life, draws …
2659 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER We learn to pray at certain moments by hearing the Word of the Lord and sharing in his Paschal mystery, but his Spirit is offered us at all times, in the events …
2660 AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER Prayer in the events of each day and each moment is one of the secrets of the kingdom revealed to "little children," to the servants of Christ, to the poor of the …