Personal Prayer can Best Suit a Gathering or an Occasion

PRAYING AT BIRTHDAY PARTY.
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The fourth significance of Personal prayer is that you can use it to perfectly suit the present gathering or occasion. Of course there are various prayers that have been tailor-fitted for us to use for various and diverse occasions and gatherings, with many of them having been composed by some Saints or taken from the Holy Bible.

But these may only have general application and doesn't really exactly fit each and every particular gathering or occasion. For even liturgical prayers, such as the various prayers during the celebration of the Holy Mass have been specially made for diverse celebrations. 

So for gatherings and occasions which do not require official or liturgical prayers, the best prayers are those that are based on the nature, purpose and audience of the gathering or occasion. Applying what Cardinal Arinze mentioned in his talk, though the Hail Mary is a truly revered prayer especially by us Catholics, it might not be perfect if the gathering or occasion involves people who are not comfortable about us mentioning Hail Mary, Mother of God such as a birthday party of a person who is known to be a non-Catholic with many non-Catholic guests and visitors. 

According to the Cardinal,

"There are also occasions when a prayer composed on the spot to suit the people present is to be advised. At the beginning of a meeting attended by Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists and Muslims, it is not best for the person who leads in prayer to compose a prayer which would be acceptable to all the people present? If a Catholic is to lead in such a prayer, can he/she not see that it is not the place to recite "Our Father and Hail Mary"?

So it is truly best to say a personal prayer. It doesn't mean one has to be perfectly extemporaneous. One may have prepared prayers memorized and ready at hand when needed. But at the moment of delivery or prayer, it must be truly personal, that is, exactly prayed as much as possible in accordance with the gathering or occasion. Example, one may already have formulated and memorized a personal prayer for a birthday celebration. It can be more personal if at the time of prayer, the name of the one celebrating the birthday is mentioned, maybe included also are some particular wishes for him or her especially those about the state of life, current work or profession, etc., and many others.