Christian prayer 

Prayer is both a personal and a communal activity in most religions. When Christians pray together they celebrate God's presence and care in their lives. Prayer is sacred. The sacred is that other level of reality that we catch glimpses of and yearn to know. Christians associate this experience or other level of inner knowing with God, with the divine. During prayer, Christians enter a space that we put aside, free from the distractions of ordinary affairs, where we can better get in touch with ‘the sacred’, with God. It is a place we reserve and furnish for the one purpose of celebrating God as our Creator and the One who cares for us.  

Sacred spaces 

When Christians speak of a sacred space they do not mean that God is there and not elsewhere, or even that God is especially there. Today, Christians recognise that all of creation is graced with God's presence. Hence there is a reluctance to speak of sacred places, persons and things as though the rest of creation is untouched by God. In the Christian tradition, a sacred space (be it in the home, classroom or church) might have an enthroned Bible, icons, candles, incense, music and similar symbols that draw one towards awareness of and communication with God. 

Ways to pray 

Prayer is the raising of mind and heart to God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2559) It is essentially a very personal activity, an expression of the relationship between an individual and God. There are no limits to how such prayerful communication can occur. It can range from being still in God's presence to singing God's praise and dancing, to quiet meditation. 

The Church has a rich tradition of prayer. Common prayers that cover many situations are used for communal prayer. When entrusted to memory, their familiarity allows a focus of attention. They also provide an important reservoir for personal prayer at times when creativity dries up or stress makes prayer difficult. The Rosary and the Psalms are examples.