What is the (need for) importance of prayer?

 Prayer is LOVE in words, the expression of our love and trust in God, to speak with God and to listen to him. Usually, we pray when we cannot do anymore... but prayer must be the breathing of our spiritual life, the ; the putting og God first in our lives, the continous aspirations of the heart of our soul and the most important and easiest way to be with him, to listen to him, to let him guide us and take over our lives...

Prayer is also the means for obtaining of the gifts of the gifts of God necessary for our sanctification and salvation. the goods which direct us to eternal life are of two kinds spiritual goods, which lead us to it directly; and temporal goods, which can be indirectly useful to salvation. Spiritual goods are habitual and actual grace , the virtues, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and merits, the fruits of the virtues and of the gifts. Temporal goods are our daily bread, health, strenght, and the success of our enterprises. Prayer can obtain everything, on condition that over and above all else we ask God for greater love of him. " Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all thse things shall be added unto you".(Mt 6:33).We are so poor that we lack everything; but if we pray we are no longer poor, for God is "rich unto all who call upon him." (Rom 10:12). At the same time, "He who has God, lacks nothing, only God is enough" said St. Teresa of Avila.

St. Alfhonsus Liguori said, "Whoever prays is certainly saved. He who does not is certainly damed. All the blesse4d (except infants) have been saved by prayer. All the damned have been lost through not praying. If theyhad prayed they would not have been lost. And this is, and will be their torment in hell: to think how easily they might have been saved, just by asking God  for his grace, but that now it is too late- their time of prayer is gone". Thus, the sinner may, by prayer, obtain the grace of conversation. By prayer, the justman obtains graces such as final perseverance and the efficacious graces which lead to it.

Why do we need to pray for redemption when Jesus Christ died for our sins and redeemed us all!

 Jesus died for our sins and did redeem us all (see Mathew 26). He brought us salvation, "being the first to love us" and waiting for any good works of ours (see Titus 3:5).But this was / is the initial salvation: Yet, since human beings are free, they are the ones who can accept or reject this salvation. The road of salvation is, the faith in Christ , keeping the commandments and other good work summarized in love for God and for the neighbor.

Rejecting with faith and/or good works is actually refusing salvation and redemption. And since we are weak, we pray that we always accept Redemption and act accordingly, and ask constantly for the forgiveness of our sins and atone for them . Rightly St. Augustine wrote: "God who created us without our consent cannot save us without our consent". It depends on our free will. It would have been disastrous if - as some denominations claim- we are allowed to commit all sorts of sins, not avoiding evil and not regretting  any transgression, under the pretext that "Christ redeemed us". NO! Jesus wants to redeem us constantly from our selfishness and evil. He never approves sin and does not want to justify or to strengthen it!

To save ones soul without prayer is most difficult; without prayer it is impossible to resist temptations, to practice virtues and to keep the commandments. We must ask for graces necessary for salvation. Prayer teaches us to judge of things in a holy manner, to look at them in the light of truth, which dissipates their false splendor and their spurious charms.

Many times we assure our prayers to friends who don't belong to our religion (like Hindus and Muslims), and when we do pray for them will our prayer be answered (since they don't belong to our religion)?

God is Father of all. Every person is created in the image of God. He sends his love and His Spirit to every one It is good and correct to pray for everyone.

Where does prayer come from?

 Whether prayer is expressed in words of gestures, it is the whole man who prays, But in naming the sourece of prayer, Scriptures speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart ( more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of our prayers are in vain. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayers appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this "drama" engages the heart. [ See CCC 2562, 2567 ]

How is prayer revealed in the Old Testament?

 The prayer Abraham and Jacob is presented as a battle of faith marked by trust in God's faithfulness and by certitude in the victory promised to perseverance. The prayer of Moses responds to the living God's initiative for the salvation of his people. It foreshadows the prayer of intercession of the unique mediator,  Jesus Christ. The prayer of the People of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God' presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and the prophets. The prophets summoned the people to conversion of heart and, while zealously seeking the face of God, like Elijah, they interceded for the people. The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament, They present two inseparable qualities: the personal and the communal. They extend to all dimensions of history, recalling God's promises already fulfilled and looking for the coming of the Messiah. Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time. [ See CCC 2592-2597]

How is prayer revealed in the New Testament?

Jesus' filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Jesus often prayed in solitude and in secret. His prayer began with thanksgiving to the Father. The Gospel according to St. Luke emphasises the action of the Holy Spirit and the meaning of prayer in Christ's ministry. Jesus prayed before the decisive moments of his mission. He also prayed before the decisive moments involving the mission of his Apostles. He included all men in his prayer, for he had taken on humanity in his Incarnation. He sympathized with there weaknesses inorder to free them. Jesus' prayer before his death on the cross was a humble and trusting commitment of his human will to the loving will of the Father. 

The prayer of Jesus teaches us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope, and 

charity) of our prayer to God. Jesus told parables about the need to be persistent in prayer. From the Sermon on the Mount onwards, Jesus insists on conversion of heart. Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a child-like adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. In his teaching, Jesus taught his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith and with filial boldness. He called them to vigilance ; only by keeping watch in prayer could one avoid falling into temptation and invited them to present their petitions to God in his name . Jesus Christ himself answered every prayer addressed to him. The prayer of faith consists not only in saying "Lord, Lord," but in disposing the heart to do the will of the Father.Thus, Jesus calls hi disciples to bring into their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan. 

The Gospel of St. Luke focusses on three important characters of prayer. 

1) The urgency of prayer: "Knock, and it will be opened to you." To the one who prays like this, the heavenly Father will give whatever he needs.

2) The necessity to pray without ceasing and with the patience of faith, and 

3) The importance of humility of the heart that prays : "God, be merciful to me a dinner!"

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. Mary's principal prayer was prayer of the heart, prayer in the heart, prayer with the heart.

Tradition tells us she was at prayer when the Angel appeared to her to tell her she was chosen to become the Mother of God. She contemplated  God's divine plan that she kept in her heart. Her prayers, in her Fiat: to be wholly God's, and in her Magnificat: the song of thanksgiving to God for the fullness of graces poured out upon her, are characterized by the generous offering of her whole being in faith.[ See CCC 2600-2622 ]

 

What are the essential forms of prayer?

The basic forms of prayer: blessing, adoration, petition, atonement,  reparation,love,intercession.thanksgiving and praise.

Blessings come to us by the grace of the Holy Spirit that descends through Christ from the Father. Because God blesses the human heart, it can return, (praise and adore) him who is the source of every blessing. Through blessing, our prayer ascends in the Holy Spirit through Christ to the Father.

Through adoration, we exult the greatness of the Lord who made us and the Almighty power of the Saviour who sets us free from evil. It is a respectful silence in the presence of the "ever great" God.

By prayers of petition we express awareness of our relationship with God. We are creatures ever in need God.We are sinners who have turned away from our Father. Our petition is already a turn back to him. The first movement of the prayer of petition is to ask for forgiveness: "God be merciful to me a sinner!" It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A trusting humility brings us back communion with God and our neighbor, so that we receive from God whatever we ask.

In a prayer of expiation or contrition, we acknowledge our sinfulness and ask God for his forgiveness and mercy. The Confiteor or Penitential Rite at the beginning of  Mass, and the Agnus Dei (or Lamb of God) before Communion, are prayers of expiation, as in the Act of Contrition.

A prayer of reparation is one that aims to repair the sins of others and the outrages and many offenses and sacrilages committed against the Holy Trinity and the Immaculate Heart of Mary . A "Holy Hour of Reparation" before the Blessed Sacrament and the five first Saturdays devotion" is an example of this form of prayer/devotion.

Prayers of love or charity are expressions of our love for God, the source and object of of all love. The act of charity is perhaps the best example of a prayer of love.

Prayer of intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. In intercession , he who prays looks "not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do him harm. The intercession of Christians recognizes no boundaries: for all men , for Kings and all who are in high positions, for persecutors and for the salvation of those who reject the Gospel.

Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church. Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one's life: "Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess 5:18).

Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God.

It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them towards God. The Eucharist contains and expresses all forms of prayer: it is "the pure offering" of the whole Body of Christ, it is the sacrifice of praise."

[ See CCC 2623-2649]

 

What is the importance of Tradition in regard to prayer?

In the Church it is through living Tradition that the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God how to pray. In fact prayer cannot be reduced to a spontaneous outpouring; rather it implies contemplation, study and a grasp of the spiritual realities one experiences.

The sources of prayer are:
1) The Word of God which gives us "the surpassing knowledge" of Christ (Philippians 3:8); Prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture,so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read Sacred Scripture.
2) The Liturgy of the Church that proclaims, makes present and communicates the mystery of salvation which is continued in the heart that prays. Even when it is lived out in secret, prayer is always prayer of the Church; it is a Communion with the Holy Trinity.
3) The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity by which we seek to know, love and serve God.
4) Everyday situations because in them we can encounter God. ( See CCC 2650-2662)

What are the different types of Catholic prayers?

Apart from the prayers that we recite in Church or as part of our daily offering,there are other kinds of prayers that the Catholic recite.
A novena is a series of prayers that are said for nine straight days.
The novena to the Holy Spirit is a novena of the Church to prepare for the feast of Pentecost.
 Novenas are also said in invocation to the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary to commemorate her different feasts. A litanyis a special prayer, usually intended to be recited in a group, with a Priest or other leader reciting the verses,while the faithful respond, such as the Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Litanies may be recited as part of one's private devotion.
 Chaplets are forms of prayer which use prayer beads, such as the Divine Mercy Consecration prayers are prayers of dedication or submission,such as Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Invocations take the form of an ejaculation or an aspiration,a short prayer meant to be repeated throughout the day,such as,"Blessed be the name of Jesus"and "Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner!"Indulgence prayers assist us in overcoming temptation, and they allow us to gain indulgences either for ourselves or for the poor souls in purgatory.
They also allow us to make acts of reputation for those who offered God, to pray for the conversion of many souls, and to help us remember we are to sacrifice for sinners.
The Liturgy of the Hours (known as the Divine Office) is the richest single prayer resource of the Church.It provides prayers,Psalms and meditation for every hour of every day. It has existed from the earliest times, to fulfill the Lord's command to pray without ceasing.

Hymns are prayers or Psalms that are sung.St. Augustine said: "He who sings prays twice."

Why do we have to learn prayers? Why can't we say our spontaneous prayers?

The important things is not to just express words but to speak to God from your heart. If you prefer to express yourself in your own words,you are free to do so.However, you will discover that knowing prayers by heart helps you in moments when you don't have the inclination or ability to say your own prayer.

What is the way of prayer?
Prayer is primarily addressed to the Father. Prayer is directed to God our Father but reaches only when we pray - at least implicitly- in the name of Jesus. Our prayer is efficacious when it is united in faith with the prayer of Jesus. Jesus said, "If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it" (Jn 14: 14). Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and men. His humanity is in effect the only way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to our Father. Therefore liturgical prayers conclude with the formula: "Through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Prayer can also be directed toward Jesus, particularly by the invocation of his Holy Name: "Lord Jesus Christ,Son of God,have mercy on us sinners." By this prayer the heart opens up human wretchedness to the Saviour's mercy. Jesus always prays for us.All our petitions were gathered up, once for all,in his cry on the Cross and, in his Resurrection, heard by the Father. This is why he never ceases to intercede for us with the Father. If our prayer is resolutely united with that of Jesus, in trust and boldness as children, we obtain all that we ask in his name, even more than any particular thing: the Holy Spirit himself, who contains all gifts.

"No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1Cor 12:3). The Church invites us to invoke the Holy Spirit as the interior Teacher of Christian prayer. Since he teaches us to pray by recalling Christ, how could we not pray to the Spirit too? That is why the Church invites us to call the Holy Spirit every day, especially at the beginning and at the end of every action. The simplest and most direct prayer is the traditional,"Come Holy Spirit!" It is in the communion of the Holy Spirit that Christian prayer is prayer to the Church.

Mary,Jesus'mother and ours "shows the way", and is herself "the sign" of the way of prayer. Because of Mary's singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit. the Church loves to entrust her supplications to the Virgin Mary and pray in communion with her. The Church also joins her prayers with those of all the saints who have been pleasing to the Lord because they willed his will alone. [See CCC 2663- 2682]

Father Dominic. in his sermons, tells us to always have the name of Jesus on our lips. What is the reason?

The name Jesus in Hebrew means: "God saves." The name of Jesus fully manifests the supreme power of the "name which is above every name" (Cf. Jn 12:28)."There is no salvation through anyone else, nor there is other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved"(Acts 4:12). The evil Spirits fear his name;In his name his disciples perform miracles, for the Father grants all they ask in this name(Cf. Acts 16:16-18;19:13-16; Mk 16:17; Jn 16:16). The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian Prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the words "through our Lord Jesus Christ". The Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words "blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus." The Eastern prayer of the heart,the Jesus Prayer, says: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,a sinner." Many Christians such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word "Jesus" on their lips.

The invocation of the Holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying.When the  the Holy Name is repeated often by a humble and attentive heart,the prayer is not lost by heaping up empty phrases, but holds fast to the word and brings forth fruit with patience. This prayer is possible at all times because it is the only occupation: that of loving God, which animates and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus. So, its one of the best things you can do to humbly repeat the name of Jesus at all times.[See CCC 430-435,2668]   

What is the Origin of the "Hail Mary"?

The first part of the "Hail Mary" is taken entirely from the Gospel. Read  Luke 1:28 and Luke 1:42. The second part is a text formulated by the Church during its history.

Hail Mary [or Rejoice,Mary]:the greeting of the angel Gabriel opens this prayer. It is God himself who, through his angel as an intermediary, greets Mary. Our prayer dares to take up this greeting to Mary with the regard God had  for the        lowliness of his humble servant and to exult in the joy he finds in her.

Full of grace,the Lord is with thee: These two phrases of the angel's greeting shed light on one another. Mary is full of grace because the Lord is with her.
The grace with which she is filled is the presence of him who is the source of all grace. "Rejoice... O Daughter of Jerusalem... the Lord your God is in your midst."Mary in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant.The place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is "the dwelling of God...with men." Full of grace, Mary is wholly given over to him who has come to dwell in her and whom she is about to give to the world.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus: After the angel's greeting, we make Elizabeth's greeting our own. "Filled with the Holy Spirit," Elizabeth is the long succession of generations who have called Mary "blessed." "Blessed is she who believed..." Mary is "blessed among women" because she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord's word. Abraham, because of his faith, became a blessing for all the nations of the earth. Mary, because of her faith became the mother of believers, through whom all nations of the earth receive him who is God 's own blessing: Jesus the "fruit of thy womb."

Holy Mary, mother of God: With Elizabeth we marvel, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Because she gives us Jesus, her Son, Mary is Mother of God and our mother, we can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us she prayed for herself: "Let it be  to me according to your word." By entrusting ourselves to her prayer, we abandon ourselves to the will of God together with her: "Thy will be done."

Pray for the sinners, now and at the hour of our death: By asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the "Mother of Mercy," the holy one. We give ourselves over to her now, in the today of our lives. And our trust broadens further, already at the present moment, to surrender "the hour of our death" wholly to her care. May she be there as she was at her son's death on the cross.May she welcome at the hour of our passing to lead us to her son, Jesus, in paradise. [ See CCC 2676- 2677 ]

"What is the devotion of the "Three Hail Marys"

The three Hail Marys are recited in honor of the three great priviledges bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary by the most Blessed Trinity - the Power of the Father, the Wisdom of the Son, and the Merciful Tenderness of the Holy Spirit.

When reciting the Rosary, why do we say five decades of the Hail Marys,  Joyful Mysteries,Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries, it is a perfect number or is it a reminder of the 150 Psalms? What is the history of the Rosary?

There is a connection with Mary's Psalter (the Rosary) and the recitation of the 150 Psalm (psalter) of the Bible, as in ancient times, monks and clergy used to recite the entire psalter every day. But, as many people in that day were either illiterate or could not afford a psalter, the practice of saying one hundred and fifty Pater Nosters (Our Fathers in Latin)developed as an alternative to remind them of the 150 Psalms.

Now coming to the Rosary, according to tradition, it was St. Dominic de Guzman (in the 12th century) to whom Our Lady revealed the praying of the 150 Hail Marys along with his preaching of the salvation mysteries to combat the great heresy of his day. (The Dominicans were preachers). Saint Dominic though of the "Rosary"as a crown of roses on the head of the heavenly Queen. With the introduction of the Rosary, a new kind of psalter- the Marian Psalter - the Rosary - came into being. Rosary Beads usually contain 50 beads in groups of ten (the decades), with an additional large bead before each decade. These numbers were chosen to match the 150 Psalms, therefore 159 Hail Marys (the 15 Mysteries

When Greece was threatened by the Turks, back in 1571, the Italian navigators prayed the Rosary. They attributed the victory of the Battle of Lepanto (today Navpaktos) on October 7, 1571to our Lady. Then, in the sixteenth century, the feast of "Our Last of Victory" which was later the feast of "Our Lady of the Rosary" on 7th October was established by Saint (Pope) Pius V to commemorate that victory. The Pope, then, himself a Dominican, issued an apostolic letter establishing the twenty Mystery form of the Holy Rosary as the official, Church-authorized version. This was the prescribed format for the next four centuries. In the year 2002, Pope Jonh Paul II published an apostolic letter that added five more Mysteries (The Luminous Mysteries), making a total of twenty authorized Mysteries.

The Rosary is an "epitome of the whole Gospel." It is a contemplative prayer, and it has great intercessory power and every Catholic should pray it regularly. The Rosary - in Arabic- "misbahah", "praise tool", is NOT at all meant to "praise the Virgin, as if she were a goddess", but to praise the Lord through and with Mary who had sung: "My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour." As a master of fact, the "Hail Marys" are preceded by the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father") and always followed by the "Glory" - not to Mary - but to the triun One God. The Muslim world has also a "misbahah", for the praise of Allah, with 33 beads - which, multiplied by three, reach the number of 99, the traditional "best names of Allah" (al-assmaa' al-husana). This is an opportunity to clarify that the Church never worshipped- not ever advocated the woeship of the Virgin Mary as a goddess, though , we might find among individuals, sometimes, some exaggerations in popular devotion, contrary to the Scriptures and also according to the Church directives. [ See CCC 2678 ]

Where are the prayers and Mysteries of the Rosary mentioned in the Bible?

The Rosary is composed of biblical prayers - and meditates mainly on                   biblical events,with the  exception of the Assumption and the Coronation of Our Lady which is accepted by Catholic - Orthodox and even Anglican creeds and traditions. The prayers are:

- The Our Father (Matthew 6)
- The Glory is a wonderful doxology. One finds often similar formulas at the beginning  of Pauline Letters.
- The Hail Mary - the first part of which is taken from the greetings of the Angel Gabriel and of Elizabeth.  

Is the Rosary simply a repetitive prayer?

The repetition of the Hail Mary is not meant to awaken a sleeping god but rather to express our love and devotion, to God and Mary, for how can we forget that the Lord has done mighty things for her? Like the beloved disciples we welcome Jesus' mother into our homes by praying the Rosary. Repetition of prayer is not wrong. The Lord himself repeated the same prayer thrice at Gethsemane. Psalm 136 (135 according to the Greek) repeats "Because eternal is his love (or mercy)"26 times. When bishop Fulton Sheen was asked by a young fiancee: "Why do we repeat the Hail Mary so often?" The Bishop asked him: "How many times do you tell your fiancee that you love her?" Let us not forget that the Rosary is a popular prayer, but not an official one we find in the Holy Mass or in the Breviary. 

By praying the Rosary,doesn't it seem that we are placing Mother Mary higher than God. since the 'Hail Mary' far outnumbers the 'Our Father'and 'Glory Be'?

Of course, our devotion must be to God the Father through Jesus Christ. However, the intercession of our Mother Mary is to take us to Jesus Christ and to God the Father. As John Paul II said,"To Jesus to Mary". Her intercession is not independent of Jesus Christ,like in the normal family the role of the mother is not separated(or should not be) from the one of the father.We venerate the  Virgin Mary (we don't adore her, we adore only God) because she is the Mother of God and she wants us to be with him. Besides, the prayer "Hail Mary" is almost all taken from the Gospel,which, along with the tradition of the Church, is the    source of Jesus Christ's teaching, and we glorify her for the (fruit of thine womb 'Jesus, who is the center of this prayer. Ask the Virgin  Mary to help you to know Jesus Christ better and  she will do it.         

During the season of Lent should we say the Sorrowful Mysteries every day?Or we can say all the mysteries like we normally do?

During Lent we can either recite only the Sorrowful Mysteries or as usual all the Mysteries.The Rosary is a private prayer,so there is no official rule from the Church about it. Personally, I prefer to say all the Mysteries as usual because we have to contemplate on the whole life of Jesus and not only on    one part of it. Even during Lent, we should meditate on his birth and other aspects of his life.The mystery of Jesus has to be concentrated in complete vision, with the help of all the mysteries and at all times of the year.

How are the Saints guide for Prayer?

The saints are our models for prayer by the example of their lives, their writings, and their intense prayer life.Even now in heaven, they contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.Their intercession is their most exalted service to God 's plan. In the communion of saints, throughout the history of the Church, there have developed different types of spiritualities that teach us how to live and to practice the way of prayer.[See CCC 2683-2684]

It is said in the Bible, do not worship or bow before any idols or images,then isn't taking a bow or kissing images going against the Word of God?

As for venerating, not worshipping, of idols and images, the coming of Christ made all the difference in how we worship God. When you read in the Old Testament, the promised people weren't supposed to worship idols because it inspired in them false ideas of what God looked like. For example, they worshipped Baal, an image of a bull and considered it as the god of fertility. The second council of Nicaea defined this matter by stating "Images aren't adored (worshipped in the strict sense), but they are honored, with the honor passing to the One represented. The same is true of images of the Saints, with the lesser honor due to them." This is like the love we express for our near and dear ones when we place photographs

WHO ARE THE SERVANTS (EDUCATORS) OF PRAYER?

All of us who believe , pray and lead others to pray are indeed "servants of prayer". The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer where children learn to pray "as the Church" and  to persevere in prayer. Ordained ministers (Priests and Deacons) are also responsible for the formation in prayer of their brothers and sisters in Christ. They lead the People of God to the living waters of prayer: the Word of God , the liturgy, the theological life (the life of faith, hope, and charity). Many have consecrated their whole lives to prayer. Hermits, monks, and nuns, since the time of the desert fathers, have devoted their time to praising God and interceding for his people.The Catechesis for children, young people, and adults aims at teaching them to meditate on The Word of God in personal prayer, practicing it in liturgical prayer, and internalizing it at all times in order to bear fruit in a new life.
Prayer groups, indeed "schools of prayer." are today one of the signs and one of the driving fources of  renewal of prayer in the Church. Above all, it is the Holy Spirit who guides and animates the believer in prayer.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN PRAYER?

Since the Holy Spirit is the interior Master of Christian prayer and "we do not know how to pray as we ought" (Romans 8:26), the Church exhorts us to invoke him and  implore him on every occasion: "Come, Holy Spirit!" The Holy Spirit gives sweetness in believing (faith) and leads us into a personal communion with God. He guides us and teaches us how to pray. [ See CCC 2690]


Please explain the 'the gifts of knowledge' and if it is okay to allow who has this goft to pray over you and give you the message he receives.

The gifts of knowledge is not a gift for scientific civil studies of mathematics, or languages, or any other subject. It is only "to know" , i.e., to understand better the Word of God and its implication in our present life.It is a gift that is linked with anothr gift, the gift of Wisdom. Anybody can pray over you or over me or over any other person. But, we should be very skiptical about "the message they receive". Many times the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with that the person seems or assumes to receive from  him. Even though the the Holy Spirit can speak to somebody in many ways, even by private inspiration, the Holy Spirit normally conveys his messages through the Church (by Word of God, through the Sacraments, Liturgy, and prayer).When somebody tells you that his message comes from the Holy Spirit, please don't readily believe it.A discernment of the spirit is always necessary in these cases. [ See CCC 2690]