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Sometimes Christians think that prayer must be something vocal and based on words that were written down.
In this sense, for some, Christians prayer only occurs on Sunday mornings when they go to church.
However, prayer is much more than reciting a set of particular prayers. It should be part of our very being.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this concept in its section on prayer:
Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart "We must remember God more often than we draw breath."
In this sense, prayer includes every time that we even think of God.
Prayer certainly involves memorizing words, or attending Mass, but it should also include the simple thought of God, thinking about and loving our Creator.
While this type of prayer can occur constantly, we also need to set aside specific times for prayer, as the Catechism reminds us, "But we cannot pray 'at all times' if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration" (CCC 2697).
As we examine our own prayer lives, we should consider how much we think of God throughout the day, but also the specific times when we stop to pray to God.
