On Prayer and The Contemplative Life Part 12

But though those who are in Purgatory are superior to us in that they cannot sin, yet are they our inferiors as regards the penalties they suffer; hence they are not in a state to pray for us, but rather we for them.

4. Once more: if the Saints in Heaven could pray for us it would follow that the prayers of the holiest Saints would be the most efficacious, and that consequently we ought not to ask the inferior Saints to pray for us, but only the greatest ones.

But G.o.d desires inferior things to be helped by all that are superior, and consequently we have to implore the aid of not only the chief Saints but also of the lesser; else it would follow that we ought to implore mercy from G.o.d alone. And it may sometimes happen that the pet.i.tion made to a lesser Saint is more efficacious, either because we ask him more devoutly, or because G.o.d wishes thus to show forth his sanct.i.ty.

5. Lastly, Peter's soul is not Peter. Consequently if the souls of the Saints could pray for us, we ought--as long as their souls are separated from their bodies--to appeal, not to Peter to help us, but to Peter's soul; whereas the Church does the contrary. From which it would seem that the Saints, at all events previous to the Resurrection, do not pray for us.

But since the Saints merited when alive that they should pray for us, we therefore call upon them by the names they bore when here below, and by which they are best known to us; and we do this, too, in order to show our faith in the Resurrection, in accordance with the words _I am the G.o.d of Abraham_.[197]

_Cajetan:_ The question arises: how could Jeremias, who in the days of the Maccabees was not yet in our Fatherland but still in the Limbo of the Fathers, pray for Jerusalem?

But if we carefully consider what it is at root which makes the prayers of the Saints in the Fatherland avail for us, we shall find that the same reason holds for the Saints who were in Limbo as for those who enjoy the Beatific Vision. For it is their charity in their state of absolute superiority to us which is the reason for their praying for us.

Hence, in the reply to the third difficulty, those who are in Purgatory are excluded from the number of those who pray for us because they are not altogether our superiors, but by reason of their sufferings are inferior to us, and need our prayers.

But the Fathers in Limbo were, it is clear, confirmed in charity and were incapable of sin, neither were they liable to any peculiar or fresh suffering. For while the pain of loss was common to them and to the sojourners on earth, the former were free from all pain of sense, hence they could pray for us. There is, however, this difference to be noted between them and the Saints in the Fatherland--viz., that whereas the former had it in common with the latter to pray for those sojourning on earth, it is given only to the Saints in the Fatherland to see the prayers of us sojourners addressed to them. Hence Jeremias is here said to pray, he is not said to have heard their prayers or supplications (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 11).

XII

Should Prayer be Vocal?

_I cried to the Lord with my voice, with my voice I made supplication to the Lord._[198]

Prayer is of two kinds: public and private. _Public_ or common prayer is that which is offered to G.o.d by the Church's ministers in the person of the whole body of the faithful. And it is necessary that such prayer should be known to the body of the faithful for whom it is offered; this, however, could not be unless it were vocal; consequently it is reasonably enacted that the Church's ministers should p.r.o.nounce such prayers in a loud voice so as to reach the ears of all.

_Private_ prayer, on the contrary, is that which is offered by private individuals, whether for themselves or for others; and its nature does not demand that it should be vocal. At the same time, we can use our voices in this kind of prayer, and this for three reasons: Firstly, in order to excite interior devotion whereby our minds may, when we pray, be lifted up to G.o.d; for men's minds are moved by external signs--whether words or acts--to understand, and, by consequence, also to feel. Wherefore S. Augustine says to Proba[199]: "By words and other signs we vehemently stir ourselves up so as to increase our holy desires." Hence in private prayer we must make such use of words and other signs as shall avail to rouse our minds interiorly. But if, on the other hand, such things only serve to distract the mind, or prove in any way a hindrance, then we must cease from them; this is especially the case with those whose minds are sufficiently prepared for devotion without such incentives. Thus the Psalmist says: _My heart hath said to Thee, My face hath sought Thee[200];_ and of Anna we are told that _she spoke within her heart_.[201]

And secondly, we make use of vocal prayer in payment, as it were, of a just debt--in order, that is, to serve G.o.d with the entirety of what we have received from Him; consequently not with our mind alone but with our body as well; and this, as the Prophet Osee says, is especially suitable to prayer considered as a satisfaction for our sins: _Take away all iniquity and receive the good, and we will render the calves of our lips_.[202]

And thirdly, we sometimes make use of vocal prayer because the soul overflows, as it were, on to the body by reason of the vehemence of our feelings, as it is written: _My heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced_.[203]

But it seems to some that prayer should not be vocal, thus:

1. Prayer is, as we have said, princ.i.p.ally directed to G.o.d, and G.o.d knows the heart's speech. Consequently to add vocal prayer is idle.

But vocal prayer is not employed in order to manifest to G.o.d something which He did not know, but to stir up the mind of him who prays, and of others, too, towards G.o.d.

2. Again, man's mind is meant to rise by prayer towards G.o.d; but words, and other things pertaining to the senses, keep back a man from the ascent of contemplation.

Words appertaining to other things than G.o.d do indeed distract the mind and hinder the devotion of him who prays; but devotional words stir up the mind, especially if it be less devout.

3. Lastly, prayer ought to be offered to G.o.d in secret, according to the words: _But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret_;[204] whereas to pray vocally means to publish it abroad.

But, as S. Chrysostom says[205]: "The Lord forbade us to pray in public with a view to being seen by the public. Consequently, when we pray we should do nothing novel to attract men's attention, whether by uttering cries which may be heard by them, or by openly beating our b.r.e.a.s.t.s, or by spreading out our hands, for the crowd to see us." While, on the other hand, as S.

Augustine remarks[206]: "To be seen by men is not wrong, but to do things to be seen by men."

_Cajetan:_ Note carefully, ye who murmur at the Church's services, these three points: the different kinds of vocal prayer, its necessity, and the conditions attaching to it. For vocal prayer is divided into that which is in common and that which is private or individual.

The general necessity of vocal prayer arises from the fact that it is offered in the person of the Church. For since the Church is composed of created beings dependent on the senses, prayer made through the medium of the senses--_i.e._, vocal prayer--must needs be offered by its ministers; else we should not know whether the wors.h.i.+p of prayer was being offered by G.o.d's ministers, nor should we be conscious of the gift to G.o.d which was being offered by them in prayer; for the Church only judges from the things that appear externally.

Our individual need of vocal prayer arises from the necessity of stirring up our own devotion, and preserving it.

The conditions of prayer in common are twofold: it must be vocal, and it must be out loud. Hence those who say private Ma.s.ses in such a low tone--and that consciously--as to be unintelligible to their hearers, appear to act unreasonably and are inexcusable, unless it should happen by accident that no one is present; in this case it is sufficient if they can be heard by the server who is close at hand. This will also show us what use we are to make of chant, or of recitation without chant, in prayer in common: it must be governed by our common devotion.

And in whatever fas.h.i.+on such prayer may be made this rule must always be observed: it must be said so intelligibly that the meaning of the words may be distinctly perceived both by the reciters and by others, that so the Church's devotion may be aroused.

And reason tells us what conditions attach to our private prayer: viz., our own private devotion. This shews, too, the error of those who, in order to complete the tale of a large number of private vocal prayers each day, lay aside meditation and mental prayer. They neglect the end for the means (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 12).

_S. Augustine:_ Oh! How I lifted up my voice to Thee, O Lord, when I sang the Psalms of David, those songs full of faith, those strains full of piety which soothed my swelling spirit! And I was then but uninstructed in Thy true love; a catechumen spending my leisure with Alypius, another catechumen. And my mother stayed with us: clad indeed in woman's garb, but with a man's faith, with a matron's calm, with a mother's love, with a Christian's piety. Oh! How I lifted up my voice in those Psalms! How they inflamed my heart! How I yearned to recite them, if I could, to the whole world--as an answer to the pride of the human race! Though, indeed, they are sung throughout the world, and none can hide himself from Thy heat! (_Confess._, IX. iv. 8).

_S. Augustine:_ Sometimes, indeed, through immoderate fear of this mistake I err by excessive severity; nay, sometimes, though it is but rarely, I could almost wish to shut out from my ears and even from the Church itself all those sweet-sounding melodies used in the accompaniment of David's Psalms. Sometimes it seems to me as though it would be safer to do as I have often heard that Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, did, for he made the reader of the Psalms so modulate his voice that he came to be rather speaking than singing. Yet, on the other hand, when I remember the tears which I shed when I heard the Church's chant in the early days of my regaining the faith, and when I notice that even now I am stirred--not so much by the chant as by the things that are chanted--when, that is, they are chanted with clear intonation and suitable modulation, then once more I recognize the great value of this appointed fas.h.i.+on (_Confess._, X. x.x.xiii. 50).

_S. Augustine: I have cried with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord!_[207]

Who can question but that when men pray their cry to the Lord is vain if it be nought but the sound of the corporeal voice and their heart be not intent upon G.o.d? But if their prayer come from the heart, then, even though the voice of the body be silent, it may be hidden from all men, yet not from G.o.d. Whether, then, we pray to G.o.d with our voice--at times when such prayer is necessary--or whether we pray in silence, it is our heart that must send forth the cry. But the heart's cry is the earnest application of our minds. And when this accompanies our prayer it expresses the deep affections of him who yearns and asks and so despairs not of his request. And further, a man cries _with his whole heart_ when he has no other thought. Such prayers with many are rare; with few are they frequent; I know not whether anyone's prayers are always so (_Enarr. in Ps._ cxviii., _Sermon_, xxix. 1).

"Incline Thy ear, O Lord, and hear me; for I am needy and poor.

Preserve my soul, for I am holy: save Thy servant, O my G.o.d, that trusteth in Thee. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to Thee all the day. Give joy to the soul of Thy servant, for to Thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. For Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild; and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon Thee."[208]

XIII

Must Prayer necessarily be Attentive?

That even holy men sometimes suffer distraction of mind when at prayer is clear from the words: _My heart hath forsaken me!_[209]

This question particularly concerns vocal prayer. And for its solution we must know that a thing is said to be necessary in two senses: firstly, in the sense that by it a certain end is _more readily_ attained, and in this sense attention is absolutely requisite in prayer.

But a thing is said to be necessary also because without it a certain thing cannot attain its object _at all_. Now the effect or object of prayer is threefold. Its first effect--an effect, indeed, which is common to all acts springing from charity--is _merit_; but to secure this effect it is not necessarily required that attention should be kept up throughout the prayer, but the initial intention with which a man comes to prayer renders the whole prayer meritorious, as, indeed, is the case in all other meritorious acts.

The second effect of prayer is peculiar to it, and that is to _obtain favours_; and for this, too, the primary intention suffices, and to it G.o.d princ.i.p.ally looks. But if the primary intention is wanting, prayer is not meritorious, neither can it win favours; for, as S. Gregory says, G.o.d hears not the prayer of a man who when he prays does not give heed to G.o.d.[210]

The third effect of prayer is that which it immediately and actually brings about, namely, the _spiritual refreshment of the soul_; and to attain this end attention is necessarily required in prayer. Whence it is said, _If I pray in a tongue my understanding is without fruit_.[211]

At the same time, we must remember that there is a threefold species of attention which may find place in our vocal prayer: one by which a man attends to the words he recites, and is careful to make no mistake in them; another by which he attends to the meaning of the words; and a third by which he attends to the end of all prayer--namely, G.o.d Himself--and to the object for which he is praying. And this species of attention is the most necessary of all, and one which even uninstructed folk can have; sometimes, indeed, the intensity with which the mind is borne towards G.o.d is, as says Hugh of S. Victor, so overwhelming that the mind is oblivious of all else.[212]

Some, however, argue that prayer must of necessity be attentive, thus:

1. It is said in S. John's Gospel[213]: _G.o.d is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in spirit and truth_. But inattentive prayer is not _in spirit_.

But he prays _in spirit and in truth_ who comes to pray moved by the impulse of the Spirit, even though, owing to human infirmity, his mind afterwards wanders.

2. But again, prayer is "the ascent of the mind towards G.o.d." But when prayer is inattentive the mind does not ascend towards G.o.d.

But the human mind cannot, owing to Nature's weakness, long remain on high, for the soul is dragged down to lower things by the weight of human infirmity; and hence it happens that when the mind of one who prays ascends towards G.o.d in contemplation it suddenly wanders away from Him owing to his infirmity.

3. Lastly, prayer must needs be without sin. But not without sin does a man suffer distraction of mind when he prays, for he seems to mock G.o.d, just as if one were to speak with his fellow-man and not attend to what he said. Consequently S. Basil says[214]: "The Divine a.s.sistance is to be implored, not remissly, nor with a mind that wanders here and there; for such a one not only will not obtain what he asks, but will rather be mocking G.o.d."