How We Pray

Prayer (salaat) is how we talk to God. We can pray anytime — when we're happy, when we're scared, when we're thankful, or when we need help. God always listens! In the Maronite tradition, we have a special way to start praying. First, we stand up straight and fold our hands. Then we make the sign of the cross. We touch our forehead, our chest, our left shoulder, then our right shoulder. As we do this, we say "Bismil-Aab, wal-Ibn, war-Ruuh al-Qudus" — "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." The most important prayer Jesus taught us is called the "Abaana" — the Our Father. We say "aameen" at the end of every prayer, which means "so be it" or "we believe." Let's practice together! Everyone stand up and follow me.