Notes:
The above model seeks to address the question of whether the common kinds of prayer naturally orient toward specific Persons of the Triune God. The most important “stuff” of the diagram are the kinds of prayer available to every person who seeks an existential relationship with God; that is to say, a person who seeks Being-with-God. Such a person is understood to be at the center of the diagram. We must emphasize, of course, that Being-with-God means Being-with-Trinity — the ‘three-in-one’ ultimate reality of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

To be-with-Trinity, we see commonly six kinds of prayer. Eucharist refers to Mass (weekly, if not more often). Divine Office refers to daily scripted prayer (e.g., Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer) such as in the Book of Common Prayer or the Liturgy of the Hours. Lectio Divina refers to prayerful immersion in texts (e.g., Holy Scripture, spiritual classics) for reflection and formation. Recollection refers to “actual recollection”; i.e., any number of short acts of prayer that practice the Presence of God. Education refers to any teacher-student setting; e.g., a theology class at a parish or school. Ministry refers to the variety of pastoral care, from community service volunteering to ordinary hospitality within a post-Mass coffee hour.

Each of these kinds of prayer manifest as either Corporate or Individual, and either Liturgical or Spontaneous. Corporate refers to people praying the same prayer together as a body, whereas Individual refers to prayer of content and style entirely at one’s personal choice and leisure. Liturgical refers to prayer that employs scripts produced by the Church, whereas Spontaneous means prayer that is script-free.

These six kinds of prayer orient toward the three available combinations of Corporate Liturgical, Corporate Spontaneous, and Individual Spontaneous (see * below). The specific kinds of prayer are placed intentionally around the Triune triangle (which transcends and includes the Platonic model of reality: truth, beauty, goodness). Each kind of prayer can be understood to primarily emphasize a particular Person of God and secondarily emphasize another Person (with the remaining Person least emphasized by that particular kind of prayer).

Corporate Liturgical
Eucharist is primarily Father, and secondarily Son.
meaning: we pray To The Father for His truth so as to serve others as the Hands Of Christ.

Divine Office is primarily Father, and secondarily Spirit.
meaning: we pray To The Father so as to enjoy the grace of peace given to us By The Spirit.

Corporate Spontaneous
Ministry is primarily Son, and secondarily Father.
meaning: we pray Through The Son so as to allow His goodness to bring others who are in need To The Father.

Education is primarily Son, and secondarily Spirit.
meaning: we pray Through The Son so as to perceive the myriad harmony manifested By The Spirit.

Individual Spontaneous
Lectio Divina is primarily Spirit, and secondarily Father.
meaning: we pray In The Spirit so as to unite creatively With The Father.

Recollection is primarily Spirit, and secondarily Son.
meaning: we pray In The Spirit so as to recognize in us and in others the holy beauty that is the Body Of Christ.

What this model does not suggest is that one must do all six kinds of prayer in order to be a Christian. The virtue of prayer — any prayer that is meaningful and from the heart — is that it gathers other prayer to itself (through the unity of the Holy Spirit in the world). But this model does present the possibilities available to any Christian who seeks a wider and deeper existential relationship with God. This model is in that scenario a kind of “touchstone” to point a way toward a more comprehensive and intentional relationship with the Triune God. If this model does nothing else but to suggest a new kind of prayer to try, then this model is a success. If, on the other hand, this model confuses rather than edifies, then by all means drop it and pray as the Spirit calls you to pray.

* Liturgical prayer is always corporate in its essence, even if done by a person alone. This is owing to the fact that liturgical prayer, by definition, employs a script. Therefore, a person who prays the Divine Office alone is nonetheless doing so corporately, because the Divine Office is a script ‘of the Church’.