RAPT Family Prayer

I picked up the acronym, RAPT, from Peter Kreeft in his lovely book Prayer for Beginners as a way to remember the four main parts of prayer (and Mass.) They are Repentance, Adoration, Petitions, and Thanksgiving.

On three evenings a week, our family joins together for our special Family Prayer. We make the sign of the cross together then we take turns saying something we are sorry for while sharing how we plan to make amends. We share a few minutes of silent Adoration. We read from our book of petitions where we have gathered prayer requests and we add our individual intentions. We end with taking turns sharing what we are thankful for.

Young children especially love this form of family prayer. They know what to expect yet there is enough freedom within the format to give them room for personal expression. Some of my most cherished times as a mother have been spent listening to my children share their honest prayers with us before God.