How do you learn to pray?

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17)

These are the words of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. But how do we pray? It can seem a daunting challenge. However, there are a few tips, which we'll look at below, to help us discover prayer and make it a real treasure for our daily lives. 

In addition to the various ways of getting started, there are a number of books available to help us familiarize ourselves with prayer

In prayer: no prerequisites

Prayer can seem really daunting. We can be easily distracted, and in this area we are all equal. There are no beginners and no experts. What's more, we can see that watching a movie, spending time on the phone or chatting with friends is far more entertaining. Just as appetite comes with eating, so does learning to pray.

The common goal for all of us is to set up a prayer routine so that we become familiar with it and realize that it can bring us many graces. During a time of prayer: we are in God's presence, and we need to realize that he is our heavenly Father, and thathe is always there to listen to us. 

3 tips to start praying

Start with a simple prayer

In the words of pape François:

"There is no better prayer than the one Jesus taught us. " The Le Notre-Père is an excellent way to start, at least we can be sure not to make any mistakes, and this prayer can be recited anywhere and at any time. What's more, we'll always have something to learn from it, like trusting God, forgiving and so many other things...  By reciting the Our Father with all our heart, we're perfectly in our place as children before our Father, who loves us so much and listens to us with great attention.

"Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

Amen."

(Another beautiful and simple way to pray is simply to make the sign of the cross: find out all that this gesture of faith par excellence symbolizes)

Setting a time in your day

As far back as the fourth century, the question of when to pray arose. We know this thanks to this quotation from a desert father by the name of Jean Cassien.

"It is not enough to pray, we must also fix times for prayer, so that the soul may be led to it as by a holy habit. " 

Man is like that: if he doesn't plan, he doesn't do anything. There's no need to feel guilty about this, because everyone faces the same difficulty. We can take a diary, or set a reminder on the phone to block off a daily prayer time.

There's no point in setting aside 1 hour or 30 minutes every day - that's far too much, especially if we're beginners. We can think of athletes who gradually increase the difficulty of their exercises so as not to injure themselves. It's the same with prayer: starting with 10 minutes is a victory.

(Discover tips for christian meditation)

Get help from a prayer site or app

Setting up a prayer routine is great, but it's even better when you have help. Hozana is a prayer app on which you can choose different prayer courses, follow a novena, find out about the saints.

Frequently asked questions about getting started in prayer

Can I learn to pray?

Yes, prayer is for everyone, beginners or not. The most important thing is to know that we're talking to God, and to do that we need to be natural. God is our Father. To stay faithful to prayer, it's possible to set up a routine, and there 's a simple method you can discover ici.

What phrase should I say when I pray?

There's no single phrase, but any phrase spoken from the heart and addressed to God becomes a prayer

• Jesus, I'm here!
• Jesus, I love you!
• Lord, hear my prayer.
• Simply say the Our Father.
• Praying in our own words

What books are there to help you learn to pray?
Here are 4 interesting and accessible books to help you learn to pray

• Comment prier chaque jour? : petite méthode pratique, Laurent Landete (Author)
• Prayers for every moment, Père Pierre Amar
• Prayer, a complete guide, Pope Francis
• Learn to pray to learn to love, Father Jacques Philippe

What are the basics of prayer?

The basics of prayer are simple and accessible to everyone: begin with a sign of the cross, feel like praying for a few minutes, stand a little apart in front of a cross or icon and light a small candle if you like. There's only one rule: follow your heart to speak to God.