Prayer in the Catholic Church is "the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." It is an act of the moral virtue of religion, which Catholic theologians identify as a part of the cardinal virtue of justice.
Prayer may be expressed vocally or mentally. Vocal prayer may be spoken or sung. Mental prayer can be either meditation or contemplation. The basic forms of prayer are adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication, abbreviated as A.C.T.S.
The Liturgy of the Hours of the Catholic Church is recited daily at fixed prayer times by the members of the consecrated life, the clergy and devout believers.
Daily prayer
In the Catholic Church, the laity are encouraged to join the prayer of the canonical hours. Clergy and members of the consecrated life are obligated to pray the daily office. Sources commonly used to pray the Liturgy of the Hours include the full four volume set of The Liturgy of the Hours, the one volume Christian Prayer book, and various apps on mobile devices.
Teachings on prayer
Roman Catholic teachings on the subject of prayer are contained in the Catechism, where quoting John of Damascus, prayer is defined as "… the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God". Thérèse of Lisieux describes prayer as "… a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."
By prayer one acknowledges God's power and goodness, and one's own neediness and dependence. It is therefore an act of the virtue of religion implying the deepest reverence for God and habituating a person to look to him for everything. Prayer presupposes faith in God and hope in his goodness. By both, God, to whom one prays, moves the individual to prayer.
Expressions of prayer
Vocal prayer
Prayer can be dinstinguished into vocal and mental. Vocal prayer is that which is made by using some approved form of words, read, sung or recited; such as the sign of the cross, the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office), the Angelus, grace before and after meals, etc. Mental prayer is that which is made without employing either words or formulas of any kind. Catholics are exhorted to beware of underrating the usefulness or necessity of vocal prayer. Common vocal prayers include the Lord's Prayer (Our Father, Pater Noster), the Hail Mary (Ave Maria, Angelical salutation), the Glory Be (Gloria Patri, Minor Doxology), and the Apostles' Creed (Symbolum Apostolorum).
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.
When two or more people gather together to pray, their prayer is called communal prayer. Examples of communal prayer are the rosary, devotional prayers including novenas and litanies, classroom prayers, and, most importantly, the Holy Mass.
Chanted prayer
Ambrose introduced in Milan antiphonal singing of the psalms "after the manner of the East".
Mental prayer
Mental prayer was defined by John A. Hardon in his Modern Catholic Dictionary as a form of prayer in which the sentiments expressed are one's own and not those of another person. Mental prayer is a form of prayer whereby one loves God through dialogue with him, meditating on his words, and contemplating him. It is a time of silence focused on God and one's relationship with him. It is distinguished from vocal prayers which use set prayers, although mental prayer can proceed by using vocal prayers in order to improve dialogue with God. Mental prayer can be divided into meditation, or active mental prayer; and contemplation, passive mental prayer.
Meditation
Meditation is a form of reflective prayer which engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. There are as many methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Ordinary or active mental prayer consists of two operations; one belongs to the thinking faculty which applies the imagination, memory, and understanding to consider some truth or mystery. The other operation is dependent on the will and compels one to love, desire, and ask for the good proposed by the mind, and make resolutions to arrive at it. According to Teresa of Ávila, the soul in this stage is like a gardener, who, with much labour, draws the water up from the depths of the well to water his plants and flowers.