Praying means establishing communication with a divinity.
Pray is a term in our language that comes from the Latin word recitāre, a verb that is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts: the prefix re- , which is used to indicate a reiteration; and the verb citare , which is synonymous with "name someone" or "cite."
This action consists of communicating with a divinity through religious prayers and certain rites . For example: "I'm going to pray a lot so that you do well in your exams" , "The only thing we can do is pray" , "Every morning I go to church to pray" .
When praying, a person can thank the divinity or make a request . It is also, sometimes, a tribute paid to God as a sign of respect and submission to his commands.
Ways to pray
There are different ways to pray. It is possible to pray in silence , in a private act that takes place anywhere (a home, a vehicle, etc.). In other cases, the prayer is done out loud and according to the instructions of the religious leader.
The action of praying may involve certain body movements or postures . In Catholicism , it is common for the prayer to begin with the sign of the cross (a symbolic and ritual gesture) and then for the person to join their palms . If it is inside a church , it is likely that the subject will also kneel before the altar or in front of an image. At the end of praying, he will make the sign of the cross again.
The practice of praying involves the development of different rituals depending on the religion.
The term in Islam
In Islam it is necessary to follow a series of fundamental steps to pray, which all its faithful must follow strictly:
- Clean the space where the prayer is going to proceed.
- People must undertake ablution , which consists of washing, especially hands and feet, so that they are free of impurities.
- It is necessary that certain parts of the body be covered, such as the space between the navel and the knees for men.
- You must place a rug or mat on the floor on which you are going to pray.
- It is vital that the people who are going to pray stand on that textile facing the Qibla .
- They have to perform five prayers a day and at the established times: at dawn, after noon, in the middle of the afternoon, at sunset and at dusk.
Formulas to pray
Praying can consist of thinking or uttering certain ideas that are intended to be transmitted to God . In this case, prayer is a kind of dialogue, where receiving the eventual response from divinity is a matter of faith . Prayer can also consist of repeating an already established prayer , such as the Lord's Prayer .
In the same way, you can also choose to pray the holy rosary . This is made up, among other things, of the prayer of the Lord's Prayer, several Hail Marys, the Glory and the relevant mysteries, which correspond to different days of the week. Thus, there are the joyful mysteries, the painful ones, the glorious ones or the luminous ones.