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Catholics consider vocal prayer an essential element of the Christian life. Vocal prayer can be as simple and uplifting as "Thank you, God, for this beautiful morning", or as formal as a Mass celebrating a very special occasion. [7] When two or more people gather together to pray, their prayer is called communal prayer.
Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools, due to violation of the First Amendment. [1]
In Anglican liturgy (and Lutherans, in their Matins services) the Preces or Responses refer to the opening and closing versicles and responses of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer and other more modern service books. The two prayer services each begin with the following. Priest: O Lord, open thou our lips:
Prayer can take a variety of forms: it can be part of a set liturgy or ritual, and it can be performed alone or in groups. Prayer may take the form of a hymn, incantation, formal creedal statement, or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. The act of prayer is attested in written sources as early as five thousand years ago.
Jesus himself gives a prayer to be repeated in Matthew 6:9, and Matthew 26:44 is noted to be repeating a prayer himself. This verse is read as a condemnation of rote prayer without understanding of why one is praying. Protestants such as Martin Luther have used this verse to attack Catholic prayer practices such as the use of rosaries. [5]
Scholars however agree that there are two authentic ways of raising one's hands: when not in drastic conditions the palms of one's hands should be turned up facing the skies, whilst the back of one's hands are facing the ground, then the du'a can be "recited". One must also make sure to face the Qibla (direction of prayer), whilst making du'a.
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Pseudo-Chrysostom: "Solomon says, Before prayer, prepare thy soul.(Ecclus. 18:23. [6]) This he does who comes to prayer doing alms; for good works stir up the faith of the heart, and give the soul confidence in prayer to God.