One could easily come up with a list of a dozen or more
types of prayer, such as prayer of intercession or prayer of worship, public prayer and more. Traditionally the Catholic church has listed five basic types of prayer, from which any other type of prayer is derived, they are:
1. Blessing and Adoration (praising God)
2. Prayer of Petition (asking for what we need, including forgiveness, enlightenment, holiness)
3. Prayer of Intercession (asking for what others need)
will mediated this sin into virtue, clearing the way for the individual’s incorporation into the person of Christ. The point here concerning prayer is that it wil always require moral effort in this life. The body of Christ on earth is the Ongoing Christ, and is tasked with this remediation of sin into virtue.
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4. Prayer of Thanksgiving, for what God has given and done.
These first four types of prayer are effectively made by
anyone.
5. Prayer of Communion, in which union between the individual and God is made. Observe that his type of prayer is a mystical grade of prayer. Anyone may make any type of prayer; but we advance in any type of prayer according to our depth of participation in the prayer.
This evaluation of grade or “depth of prayer” involves some speculation and uncertainty. Participation in God through prayer is not a self satisfying, linear event. God does not usually offer a sort of exchange to us, rewarding us according to some ratio: 1:1, 1:10, 10:1. Even if he did, we may not even be aware of the ratio of exchange. We have constructed a general outline of the types of prayer, now we attempt to narrate the grades or quality of prayer…a task which is highly uncertain.