The Little Book of Prayers

By Chronicle Books

A collection of more than seventy-five classic Christian prayers accompanied by beautiful vintage illustrations.

Full of wisdom, hope, and opportunities for contemplation, this elegant little book features more than seventy-five classic Christian prayers paired with beautiful illustrations taken from vintage missals and prayer books.

Gorgeous representations of holy figures are accompanied by beloved litanies—including the Lord’s Prayer, Gloria, Prayer of Saint Francis, and the Apostle’s Creed—to recite in moments of celebration or times of need.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Feb 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781452163314

Chronicle Books

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Book preview

PRAYER: TO TALK TO GOD

For believers, prayer is a way to be in intimate communication with God, to express gratitude, joy, and sorrow. When one prays to God, one can reveal one’s heart and ask for help and direction. Thus prayer is the expression of a living relationship that the believer cultivates with God, a way to strengthen faith and inner peace.

Jesus and Prayer

Christians learned their oldest forms of prayer from Jesus. The Gospels record three kinds of prayer uttered by Christ himself; each is characterized by simplicity, sincerity, and total surrender to God. Jesus offered prayers to the glory of God. Shortly before his sacrifice, he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he expressed his longing that his Father would take away the chalice of his torture to come, yet he prayed submitting himself to divine will. On the Cross, he asked God to forgive his executioners. These three facets of the life of Christ became the foundation for all Christian prayers: prayers of thanks and gratitude, those of trust and acceptance, and prayers of intercession for others, or asking for forgiveness for them. And it is to Jesus that we owe the first among Christian prayers, the Our Father. Jesus turned to prayer before every deep decision, such as when he chose the twelve Apostles. The Gospel tells that he withdrew to the mountain and passed the entire night praying to God (Luke 6:12).

Forms of Prayer

Among the principal forms of prayer, adoration of God is of great importance, for it exalts divine glory and expresses reverence for God, such as in the prayer known as the Gloria. Prayers of thanks are also vital, to express gratitude for the goodness of God and for Christ’s redeeming sacrifice. The third form of prayer, a request, is expressed with repentance and submission to God; the believer can make prayers asking for intercession for those in need of divine help. In essence, praise of God proclaims the authority and glory of God. All of the traditional Christian prayers take one or more of these forms.

Just as a relationship between two people must be sustained and nurtured to last, a Christian is called on to strive to pray constantly. Christ himself encouraged his disciples to pray frequently. According to him, to say prayers is key to approaching God: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you. . . . If you then, being fallen, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from Heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:9, 13).

To Whom Do We Pray?

Prayer to God the Father is central to the Christian faith. Catholics believe in the Trinity: the formula "in the name of the Father, and of