The Practice or Habitus of Prayer To paraphrase St. Thomas Aquinas, habitus matters. For when we practice something we become better at that something and then we become what we have practice, whether we are taking about a virtue or a vice.

When it comes to prayer, there is no time like the present.

And that is especially so in the season of Advent in which we anticipate a duality of “comings:” First, we memorialize the birth of Christ on every Christmas Day, and secondly, we also await (anticipate) Christ’s Second Coming on the Final Day. Prayer, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) tells us is “a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God,” is in fact a raising of one’s mind and heart to God! It is about a personal relationship with the Lord…that is developed by our response to His invitation to this dialogue. Our response, in the form of prayer, leads us into a deeper relationship and thus understanding of His Will for our lives. Prayer also shows us to whom we are to pray, for what we are to pray, and the “how” of praying.

Whether we are preparing for Christmas Day or for His Second Coming, let us take a look at five basic forms of prayer in our from the New Testament:

1 Adoration / Worship: In prayers of adoration or worship, we exalt the greatness of God, and we acknowledge our dependence on Him in all things. The Mass and the other liturgies of the Church are full of prayers of adoration or worship, such as the Gloria.

2 Petition: Outside of the Mass, prayers of petition are the type of prayer with which we are most familiar. In them, we ask God for things we need—primarily spiritual needs, but physical ones as well. Our prayers of petition should always include a statement of our willingness to accept God's Will, whether He directly answers our prayer or not.

3 Intercession: Prayers of intercession – praying for others – is another form of petition, but they are important enough to be considered their own type of prayer. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes (# 2634), "Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did." In a prayer of intercession, we're not concerned with our needs but with the needs of others.

4 Thanksgiving: Perhaps the most neglected type of prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving. While praying “Grace” before meals is a good example of a prayer of thanksgiving, we should get into the habit of thanking God throughout the day for all the good things that happen to us and others. Consider including the Grace After Meals prayer as an excellent practice. i.e., “We give Thee thanks, Almighty God, for all thy benefits, Who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.”

5 Praise: Prayers of praise acknowledge God for what He is. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (# 2639) notes, praise "lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory." The Psalms are perhaps the best-known example of prayers of praise.

Whatever form of prayer we practice, to from a habit, which science tells us take 21 days, begin by “scheduling” time to enter into prayer. We can do that at home in a quite space or during Mass or alone in church, to dialogue with God. Tell Him the “good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives.” God wants us to journey with Him in our joys, our sorrows, the trials and tribulations, and the gratitude of each day. The Lord wishes to a part of our lives and as God He SEEKS only the excellence for us. We come to know His Will as we dialogue with Him in prayer.