The Spirit prompted me to send you this reminder on how to pray and ask you to contemplate the gift of prayer.
As we step into Lent Wednesday, the Church invites us not simply to pray more, but to rediscover what prayer actually is. It’s easy to think prayer is something we do—words we say, needs we present, rituals we follow. But the Catechism reminds us that prayer is first a gift. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to pray, who brings to life in us the same movements of prayer that shaped Jesus’ own heart.
The Spirit draws us into five simple, ancient forms of prayer, each one a doorway into relationship.
Blessing
We bless God because God has first blessed us. When we recognize every breath, every moment, every grace as gift, our hearts naturally rise in blessing. Prayer begins here: with a heart awakened to God’s generosity.
Petition
In petition, we bring our needs honestly before God—our longing for forgiveness, our desire for the Kingdom, our hunger for what is true and good. Petition is not selfish; it is the humble acknowledgment that we depend on God for everything.
Intercession
Intercession widens our hearts. We pray on behalf of others—friends, strangers, even enemies—because love refuses to draw boundaries around compassion. When we intercede, we join Christ’s own prayer for the world.
Thanksgiving
Every joy and every sorrow, every ordinary moment and every unexpected grace can become an offering of thanks. The Catechism reminds us that thanksgiving should fill our whole life. It is the quiet practice of noticing God’s presence in all circumstances.
Praise
Praise is the most “disinterested” prayer—not because we are uninterested, but because we ask for nothing. We simply turn toward God for God’s own sake. Praise is pure gift, rising from a heart that knows it is loved.
Lent is a season that gently asks: Do you truly know how to pray? Not perfectly, not completely, but honestly, humbly, and with a heart open to the Spirit who prays within you.
Smitten With Goodness 