What Was Jesus’ Prayer Life Like?

Jesus as a true man had all the forms of prayer that we can have. He engaged in vocal prayer, and he meditated using his imagination, and he prayed in quiet contemplation, and he had mystical experiences of the highest order. In this, he is like all the saints, and, indeed, is the source of all their graces of prayer. One kind of “prayer” or contemplation that he alone had in this life was the beatific vision, which is hardly ever given to anyone before he enters heaven. Moses and St. Paul and Our Lady may have had this, but only briefly. Our Lord had this continually. But this he did not allow it to overflow and impede the lower forms of prayer and contemplation.