Prayer

Prayer is not an act of the appetitive power (thedesiring power, the will) but of the reason, that is, of the thinking mind which enlightens and guides the will. Prayer is basically a petition, a beseeching; it is an act of reason which,as Aristotle says, “exhorts us to do what is best.”

There are three musty errors about praying. One is that God does not rule things, and that the prayer of petition is useless. A second is that all things happen by fixed fate, and that consequently praying is a vain action. A third is that prayer attempts to make God change His providence, and is therefore foolish. We reject at once the first two of these errors as in manifest conflict with both reason and faith. As for the third, we say that we pray not to change providence, but to align ourselves with it. St. Gregory says, “By asking, men may deserve to receive what almighty God from eternity is disposed to give.”Hence, it is right and reasonable to pray.

It is a mistake to say that prayer, as petition, seeks something from God and is therefore not an act of honoring God, and consequently is not an act of religion. For we do honor God when we confess that we need him, and proclaim his almighty power to bestowblessings. We honor God so when we pray, and therefore prayer is a true act of religion.

We seek God’s help and blessing by prayer directly when we pray to God, and indirectly when we pray to the saints and angels to engage their cooperatingprayer. In the first case, we honor God in himself; in the second,we honor God through his blessed creatures. Both types of prayer are acts of religion.

We rightly pray for particular favors, and not merely for blessing in general. The clear-cut petition for particular blessings suits man’s nature, and stirs his devotion. Besides,when we pray, we always have the will to leave things in God’s hands; no matter how ardent are our special petitions,they are offered as subject to God’s love and wisdom. Thus, in making petition with all earnestness and desire, we still do not want God to give us what would work our hurt or cause our ruin.

We can lawfully pray for temporal goods, so long as wedo not attach to them inordinate importance, and make them theend-all and be-all of existence. For we may lawfully desire external goods, and what we may lawfully desire, we may lawfullypray for. Hence, it is not wrong, but very right, to ask God for temporal favors.

When we pray we should ask for what we lawfully desire,and also for what we ought to desire. Now, we ought to desire grace, and salvation, and all good things for others as well as for ourselves. Hence, we should pray for others.

As we are obliged to love our enemies, so we should pray for them. This prayer, like love itself, must be for enemies in general. It is a matter of perfection to love and pray for enemies individually.

The “Our Father,” or Lord’s Prayer is themost perfect of all prayers, not merely because Christ taught it,but because it includes in itself all that can be in a prayer. Inthis prayer, we ask for all that is to be desired, and in the orderin which the items of desire should be listed.

Prayer is proper to rational creatures, thatis, it belongs to such creatures exclusively. It is an act of reason “which exhorts us to do what is best.” Irrationalcreatures cannot pray. And God, who is non-creatural Reason, has no occasion to pray. Therefore only rational creatures have the right and the duty to pray.

The saints in heaven pray for us. For prayer for others is born of charity, and the saints have greater charity than we have. And the saints are closer to God than we are; hence, their prayers are more effective than ours.

Prayer should find expression in audible words as wellas in the silent language of the heart. Oral prayer is plainlynecessary for the common prayer offered by one in the name of many.If the priest praying with his congregation did not speak out, thepeople would have no knowledge of the prayer. And individual man isso made that he naturally tends to put his thoughts and affections into oral speech. Even when a man prays privately, he finds it useful to put his prayer into actual speech; for this helps him (a)to fix attention and arouse devotion; (b) to give his bodily powers opportunity of joining his spiritual powers in honoring their Creator; (c) to give natural, and useful, outlet to the overflowingaffection of heart and mind.

To be altogether perfect, oral prayer requires attention throughout. But even holy persons suffer from wandering of mind. If a person has the true intention of praying, his prayer is good and meritorious despite involuntary wanderings of mind. There are three types of attention in oral praying: attention tothe words as well pronounced; attention to the meaning of the wordsuttered; attention to God and the things prayed for. The third sortof attention is the most necessary.

The cause of prayer is charity (the grace, love, and friendship of God), which ought to be in us always. We shouldceaselessly have the virtual or implied intention of doing all for the glory of God. In this sense, prayer should be continuous. “And he [Christ] also told them … that they must always pray, and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Prayer,however, as actual petition to God cannot be continuous; we have many other things to consume our time; we must eat, and sleep, and attend to daily tasks, and chat with friends, and travel, and do a hundred other things. Prayer as actual and explicit petition is possible at many hours of the day; it is well that there be a few stated times for it. This actual and formal prayer ought to be long enough in time to stir fervor and desire for God and his blessings,but it ought not to be so long as to cause weariness.

Prayer, like any supernaturally virtuous act, proceeds from charity, and hence is meritorious. Good prayer is from charity through religion with the concurrence of humility, faith, and devotion. It is an act effective in meriting, as it is an act effective in obtaining favors from God.

Those who are in the state of sin can effectively beg God’s blessing, for God loves the sinner even as he hates the sin. In his divine mercy, God hears the prayers of a sinner whoearnestly and persever-ingly asks for himself what he needs to turn from sin and save his soul. St. Augustine says (Tract. xliv super Joan.): “If God were not to hear sinners,the publican would have vainly cried, ‘O Lord, be merciful tome, a sinner.’”

Prayer raises the mind adoringly to God, and begs his blessings, and, with appreciative or thankful spirit, it imploresdivine mercy on sinful man. Hence, prayer has parts: adoration, petition, thanksgiving, penitential supplication.