Part III, Section II — Prayer

414. What is prayer?

Prayer is a pious raising of the soul to God in order to know Him well, to adore Him, to thank Him, and to ask Him for what we need.

415. How many kinds of prayer are there?

There are two kinds of prayer: mental and vocal.

416. What is mental prayer?

Mental prayer is that which is made with the mind and the heart alone: such are the meditation of the Christian truths, and contemplation.

417. What is vocal prayer?

Vocal prayer, more commonly called simply "prayer," is that which is made with words accompanied by the mind and the heart.

418. How must we pray?

We must pray reflecting that we are in the presence of the infinite majesty of God, and that we are in need of His mercy; and therefore we must be humble, attentive, and devout.

419. Is it necessary to pray?

It is necessary to pray, and to pray often, because God commands it; and ordinarily it is only when one prays that He grants spiritual and temporal graces.

420. Why does God grant the graces we ask of Him?

God grants the graces we ask of Him because He, who is most faithful, has promised to hear us if we pray with confidence and perseverance in the name of Jesus Christ.

421. Why must we pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ?

We must pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ, because only through Him, His Son and the one Mediator between God and men, do our prayers and good works have value; for this reason the Church is accustomed to end her prayers with these or equivalent words: "through your Son Jesus Christ, Our Lord."

422. Why are we not always heard in our prayers?

We are not always heard in our prayers either because we pray badly, or because we ask for things not useful to our true good, that is, to our spiritual good.

423. What things must we ask of God?

We must ask of God His glory, and for ourselves eternal life and even temporal graces, as Jesus Christ has taught us in the Our Father.

424. What is the Our Father?

The Our Father is the prayer taught and recommended by Jesus Christ; it is therefore called the Lord's Prayer, and it is the most excellent of all prayers.

425. Why is the Our Father the most excellent prayer?

The Our Father is the most excellent prayer because it came forth from the mind and Heart of Jesus, and contains in seven brief petitions all that we must ask of God as His children and as brothers among ourselves.

426. What must we ask as good children of God?

As good children of God we must ask that throughout the world His name be known and honored, that His kingdom — the Church — be spread, and that His most holy will be fulfilled by all: this is what is asked in the first three petitions of the Our Father.

427. As brothers among ourselves, what must we ask?

As brothers among ourselves we must ask for bodily and spiritual nourishment, the forgiveness of sins, the defense from temptations, and the deliverance from evil: this is what is asked, for ourselves and for all human beings, in the last four petitions of the Our Father.

428. Why does Jesus Christ have us call upon God as "Our Father"?

Jesus Christ has us call upon God as "Our Father" to remind us that God is truly the Father of all, especially of us Christians who, in Baptism, were adopted by Him as His children; and to inspire in us a great love and confidence toward Him.

429. If God hears one who prays well, why do we also call upon Our Lady, the Angels, and the Saints?

We also call upon Our Lady, the Angels, and the Saints because, being dear to the Lord and merciful toward us, they may help us in our petitions by their powerful intercession.

430. Why are the Angels, the Saints, and Our Lady powerful intercessors before God?

The Angels and the Saints are powerful intercessors before God because they are His faithful servants, indeed His chosen friends; Our Lady is most powerful because she is the Mother of God and full of grace, and for this reason we call upon her so often, all the more since she was left to us as our Mother by Jesus Christ.

431. With what prayer especially do we call upon Our Lady?

We call upon Our Lady especially with the Hail Mary, or Angelic Salutation, so called because it begins with the greeting that the Archangel Gabriel made to her when announcing that she was chosen to be the Mother of God.

432. What do we ask of Our Lady in the Hail Mary?

In the Hail Mary we ask Our Lady for her motherly intercession for us in life and in death.

433. Does the invocation of Our Lady and of the Saints not perhaps show distrust in Jesus Christ, the one Mediator, as if His merits were not enough to obtain graces for us?

The invocation of Our Lady and of the Saints shows no distrust in Jesus Christ, the one Mediator; on the contrary, it shows a greater faith in His merits, so great and so efficacious that through them, and only through them, Our Lady and the Saints have from God grace, merits, and the power of intercession.