On Prayer and The Contemplative Life Part 8

But the will moves the reason to its end or object. Hence there is nothing to prevent the reason, under the direction of the will, from tending to the goal of charity, which is union with G.o.d. Prayer, however, tends towards G.o.d--moved, that is, by the will, which itself is motived by charity--in two ways: in one way by reason of that which is asked for, since in prayer we have particularly to ask that we may be united with G.o.d, according to those words: _One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life._[106] And in another way prayer tends towards G.o.d--by reason, namely, of the pet.i.tioner himself; for such a one must approach him from whom he asks something, and this either bodily, as when he draws nigh to a man, or mentally, as when he draws nigh to G.o.d.

Hence the same Denis says: "When we invoke G.o.d in prayer we are before Him with our minds laid bare." In the same sense S. John Damascene says: "Prayer is the ascent of the mind towards G.o.d."

_Cajetan:_ Prayer demands of the pet.i.tioner a twofold union with G.o.d: the one is general--the union, that is, of friendship--and is produced by charity, so that further on[107] we shall find the friendship arising from charity enumerated among the conditions for infallibly efficacious prayer. The second kind of union may be termed substantial union; it is the effect of prayer itself. It is that union of application by which the mind offers itself and all it has to G.o.d in service--viz., by devout affections, by meditations, and by external acts. By such union as this a man who prays is inseparable from G.o.d in his worship and service, just as when one man serves another he is inseparable from him in his service (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 1).

"And now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, and we are clay: and Thou art our Maker, and we are all the works of Thy hands. Be not very angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity: behold, see we are all Thy people."[108]

II

Is It Fitting To Pray?

In S. Luke's Gospel we read: _We ought always to pray and not to faint._[109]

A threefold error regarding prayer existed amongst the ancients; for some maintained that human affairs were not directed by Divine Providence; whence it followed that it was altogether vain to pray or to worship G.o.d; of such we read: _You have said, he laboureth in vain that serveth G.o.d_.[110] A second opinion was that all things, even human affairs, happened of necessity--whether from the immutability of Divine Providence, or from a necessity imposed by the stars, or from the connection of causes; and this opinion, of course, excluded all utility from prayer. A third opinion was that human affairs were indeed directed by Divine Providence, and that human affairs did not happen of necessity, but that Divine Providence was changeable, and that consequently its dispositions were changed by our prayers and by other acts of religious worship. These views, however, have elsewhere been shown to be wrong.

Consequently we have so to set forth the utility of prayer as neither to make things happen of necessity because subject to Divine Providence, nor to suggest that the arrangements of Divine Providence are subject to change.

To bring this out clearly we must consider that Divine Providence not merely arranges what effects shall take place, but also from what causes they shall proceed, and in what order.

But amongst other causes human acts are causes of certain effects. Hence men must do certain things, not so that their acts may change the Divine arrangement, but that by their acts they may bring about certain effects according to the order arranged by G.o.d; and it is the same with natural causes. It is the same, too, in the case of prayer. For we do not pray in order to change the Divine arrangements, but in order to win that which G.o.d arranged should be fulfilled by means of prayers; or, in S.

Gregory's words: "Men by pet.i.tioning may merit to receive what Almighty G.o.d arranged before the ages to give them."[111]

Some, however, maintain that prayer is futile, thus:

1. Prayer seems to be necessary in order that we may bring our wants to the notice of Him to Whom we make the pet.i.tion. But our Lord says: _Your Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things._[112]

But it is not necessary for us to set forth our pet.i.tions before G.o.d in order to make known to Him our needs or desires, but rather that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is needful to have recourse to the Divine a.s.sistance.

2. Again, by prayer the mind of him to whom it is made is prevailed upon to grant what is asked of him; but the mind of G.o.d is unchangeable and inflexible: _The Triumpher in Israel will not spare, and will not be moved to repentance; for He is not a man that He should repent._[113]

Consequently it is unavailing to pray to G.o.d.

But our prayers do not aim at changing the Divine arrangements, but at obtaining by our prayers what G.o.d has arranged to give us.

3. Lastly, it is more generous to give to one who does not ask than to one who asks, for, as Seneca remarks: "Nothing is bought at a dearer price than what is bought with prayers."[114] Whereas G.o.d is most generous.

G.o.d, indeed, bestows on us many things out of His generosity, even things for which we do not ask; but He wishes to grant us some things on the supposition that we ask for them. And this is for our advantage, for it is intended to beget in us a certain confidence in having recourse to G.o.d, as well as to make us recognize that He is the Author of all good to us. Hence S.

Chrysostom says: "Reflect what great happiness is bestowed upon you, what glory is given you, namely, to converse in your prayers with G.o.d, to join in colloquy with Christ, and to beg for what you wish or desire."[115]

_Cajetan:_ Notice how foolish are some Christians who, when desirous of reaching certain ends attainable by nature or art, are most careful to apply such means, and would rightly regard their hopes as vain unless they applied them; and yet at the same time they have quite false notions of the fruits to be derived from prayer: as though prayer were no cause at all, or at least but a remote one! Whence it comes to pa.s.s that, having false ideas about the causes, they fail to reap any fruit (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 2).

_S. Augustine:_ But some may say: It is not so much a question whether we are to pray by words or deeds as whether we are to pray at all if G.o.d already knows what is needful for us. Yet the very giving ourselves to prayer has the effect of soothing our minds and purifying them; it makes us more fit to receive the Divine gifts which are spiritually poured out upon us. For G.o.d does not hear us because of a display of prayer on our part; He is always ready, indeed, to give us His light, not, indeed, His visible light, but the light of the intellect and the spirit. It is we who are not always prepared to receive it, and this because we are preoccupied with other things and swallowed up in the darkness resulting from desire of the things of earth. When we pray, then, our hearts must turn to G.o.d, Who is ever ready to give if only we will take what He gives. And in so turning to Him we must purify the eye of our mind by shutting out all thought for the things of time, that so--with single-minded gaze--we may be able to bear that simple light that shines divinely, and neither sets nor changes. And not merely to bear it, but even to abide in it; and this not simply without strain, but with a certain unspeakable joy. In this joy the life of the Blessed is truly and really perfected (_On the Sermon on the Mount_, II. iii. 14).

_S. Augustine:_ He could have bestowed these things on us even without our prayers; but He wished that by our prayers we should be taught from Whom these benefits come. For from whom do we receive them if not from Him from Whom we are bidden to ask them? a.s.suredly in this matter the Church does not demand laborious disputations; but note Her daily prayers: She prays that unbelievers may believe: G.o.d then brings them to the Faith. She prays that the faithful may persevere: G.o.d gives them perseverance to the end. And G.o.d foreknew that He would do these things.

For this is the predestination of the Saints whom _He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world_[116] (_Of the Gift of Perseverance_, vii. 15).

"Thou hast taught me, O G.o.d, from my youth; and till now I will declare Thy wonderful works. And unto old age and grey hairs, O G.o.d, forsake me not, until I shew forth Thy arm to all the generation that is to come."[117]

III

Is Prayer an Act of the Virtue of Religion?

In Ps. cxl. 2 we read: _Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight_, and on these words the Gloss remarks: "According to this figure, in the Old Law incense was said to be offered as an odour of sweetness to the Lord." And this comes under the virtue of religion. Therefore prayer is an act of religion.

It properly belongs to the virtue of religion to give due reverence and honour to G.o.d, and hence all those things by which such reverence is shown to G.o.d come under religion. By prayer, however, a man shows reverence to G.o.d inasmuch as he submits himself to Him and, by praying, acknowledges that he needs G.o.d as the Author of all his good. Whence it is clear that prayer is properly an act of religion.

Some, however, maintain that prayer is not an act of the virtue of religion, thus:

1. Prayer is rather the exercise of the Gift of Understanding than of the virtue of religion. For the virtue of religion comes under Justice; it is therefore resident in the will. But prayer belongs to the intellectual faculties, as we have shown above.

But we must remember that the will moves the other faculties of the soul to their objects or ends, and that consequently the virtue of religion, which is in the will, directs the acts of the other faculties in the reverence they show towards G.o.d. Now amongst these other faculties of the soul the intellect is the n.o.blest and the most nigh to the will; consequently, next to devotion, which belongs to the will itself, prayer, which belongs to the intellective part, is the chief act of religion, for by it religion moves a man's understanding towards G.o.d.

2. Again, acts of worship fall under precept, whereas prayer seems to fall under no precept, but to proceed simply from the mere wish to pray; for prayer is merely asking for what we want; consequently prayer is not an act of the virtue of religion.

Yet not only to ask for what we desire, but to desire rightly, falls under precept; to desire, indeed, falls under the precept of charity, but to ask falls under the precept of religion--the precept which is laid down in the words: _Ask and ye shall receive_.[118]

3. Lastly, the virtue of religion embraces due worship and ceremonial offered to the Divinity; prayer, however, offers G.o.d nothing, but only seeks to obtain things from Him.

In prayer a man offers to G.o.d his mind, which he subjects to Him in reverence, and which he, in some sort, lays bare before Him--as we have just seen in S. Denis's words. Hence, since the human mind is superior to all the other exterior or bodily members, and also to all exterior things which have place in the Divine worship, it follows that prayer, too, is pre-eminent among the acts of the virtue of religion.

_Cajetan:_ In prayer or pet.i.tion there are three things to be considered: the thing pet.i.tioned for, the actual pet.i.tion, and the pet.i.tioner. As far, then, as the thing pet.i.tioned for is concerned, we give nothing to G.o.d when we pray; rather we ask Him to give us something. But if we consider the actual pet.i.tion, then we do offer something to G.o.d when we pray. For the very act of pet.i.tioning is an act of subjection; it is an acknowledgment of G.o.d's power. And the proof of this is that proud men would prefer to submit to want rather than humble themselves by asking anything of others. Further, the pet.i.tioner, by the very fact that he pet.i.tions, acknowledges that he whom he pet.i.tions has the power to a.s.sist him, and is merciful, or just, or provident; it is for this reason that he hopes to be heard. Hence pet.i.tion or prayer is regarded as an act of the virtue of religion, the object of which is to give honour to G.o.d. For we honour G.o.d by asking things of Him, and this by so much the more as--whether from our manner of asking or from the nature of what we ask for--we acknowledge Him to be above all things, to be our Creator, our Provider, our Redeemer, etc. And this is what S.

Thomas points out in the body of the Article. But if we consider the pet.i.tioner: then, since man pet.i.tions with his mind--for pet.i.tion is an act of the mind--and since the mind is the n.o.blest thing in man, it follows that by pet.i.tioning we submit to G.o.d that which is n.o.blest in us, since we use it to ask things of Him, and thereby do Him honour.

Thus by prayer we offer our minds in sacrifice to G.o.d; so, too, by bending the knee to Him we offer to Him and sacrifice to Him our knees, by using them to His honour (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 3).

_S. Augustine:_ I stand as a beggar at the gate, He sleepeth not on Whom I call! Oh, may He give me those three loaves! For you remember the Gospel? Ah! see how good a thing it is to know G.o.d's word; those of you who have read it are stirred within yourselves! For you remember how a needy man came to his friend's house and asked for three loaves. And He says that he sleepily replied to him: "I am resting, and my children are with me asleep." But he persevered in his request, and wrung from him by his importunity what his deserts could not get. But G.o.d wishes to give; yet only to those who ask--lest He should give to those who understand not. He does not wish to be stirred up by your weariness! For when you pray you are not being troublesome to one who sleeps; _He slumbereth not nor sleeps that keepeth Israel._[119] ... He, then, sleeps not; see you that your faith sleeps not! (_Enarr. in Ps._ cii. 10).

_S. Augustine:_ Some there are who either do not pray at all, or pray but tepidly; and this because, forsooth, they have learnt from the Lord Himself[120] that G.o.d knows, even before we ask Him, what is necessary for us. But because of such folk are we to say that these words are not true and therefore to be blotted out of the Gospel? Nay, rather, since it is clear that G.o.d gives some things even to those who do not ask--as, for instance, the beginnings of faith--and has prepared other things for those only who pray for them--as, for instance, final perseverance--it is evident that he who fancies he has this latter of himself does not pray to have it (_Of the Gift of Perseverance_, xvi. 39).

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my G.o.d while I have my being. Let my speech be acceptable to Him; but I will take delight in the Lord."[121]

IV

Ought We To Pray To G.o.d Alone?

In Job v. 1 we read: _Call, now, if there be any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the Saints._

Prayer is addressed to a person in two ways: in one way as a pet.i.tion to be granted by him; in another way as a pet.i.tion to be forwarded by him.

In the former way we only pray to G.o.d, for all our prayers ought to be directed to the attaining of grace and glory, and these G.o.d alone gives: _The Lord will give grace and glory._[122] But in the latter way we set forth our prayers both to the holy Angels and to men; and this, not that through their intervention G.o.d may know our pet.i.tions, but rather that by their prayers and merits our pet.i.tions may gain their end. Hence it is said in the Apocalypse: _And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the Saints ascended up before G.o.d from the hand of the Angel._[123]

And this is clearly shown, too, from the style adopted by the Church in her prayers: for of the Holy Trinity we pray that mercy may be shown us; but of all the Saints, whomsoever they may be, we pray that they may intercede for us.

Some, however, maintain that we ought to pray to G.o.d alone, thus:

1. Prayer is an act of the virtue of religion. But only G.o.d is to be worshipped by the virtue of religion. Consequently it is to Him alone that we should pray.

But in our prayers we only show religious worship to Him from Whom we hope to obtain what we ask, for by so doing we confess Him to be the Author of all our goods; but we do not show religious worship to those whom we seek to have as intercessors with us before G.o.d.