Definition
A word, silence, song or gesture addressed to a divinity, to an ultimate reality or lived as a spiritual relationship.
The forms range from collective liturgy to personal prayer. Some traditions set words, schedules and postures; others value spontaneity or silence.
To be retained
- Respect the forms of each tradition
- Distinguish prayer and technique
- Do not promise a result
- Maintaining the necessary care
Origin of the term and context
Prayer comes from the Latin precaria and precari, "ask, beg." She can also praise, thank, confess, recite, contemplate or simply stand in the presence.
Why does it matter?
Prayer can support sense, regulation and community bond among some believers. Studies do not establish that it replaces treatment or that a remote prayer reliably produces medical healing.
- Respect the forms of each tradition
- Distinguish prayer and technique
- Do not promise a result
- Maintaining the necessary care
How can it be explored or practised?
- Choosing a prayer from one's own tradition
- Alternate speech and silence
- Transforming demand into action
- Respect the choice of a person who does not wish to pray
Misconceptions and points of caution
- Lack of healing is not a lack of faith.
- Praying for someone sometimes requires their consent.
- Prayer does not replace medical emergency.
Perspectives from different traditions
- Islam: ritual and personal alāt.
- Christianity: liturgy, praise, intercession and contemplation.
- Hinduisms: pūjā, mantra and devotion according to currents.
To go further
- The Book of Psalms
- Words of a monk in prayer — contemplative traditions