We now come to the last part of our exploration--prayer. By way of a summary of what we have taken, we can make use of the words that then Cardinal Ratzinger used to introduce the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCCC no 10).
The first part, entitled "The Profession of Faith", contains a synthesis of the LEX CREDENDI, the faith professed by the Catholic Church, as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed which is further elaborated by the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. In the liturgical profession of the Creed, the Christian assembly keeps the principal truths of the faith alive in memory.
The second part, entitled "The Celebration of the Christian Mystery", presents the essential elements of the LEX CELEBRANDI. The proclamation of the Gospel finds its authentic response in the sacramental life, through which Christians experience and witness, in every moment of their existence, the saving power of the paschal mystery by which Christ has accomplished our redemption.
The third part, entitled "Life in Christ", recalls the LEX VIVENDI, through which the baptized manifest their commitment to the faith they have professed and celebrated, through their actions and ethical choices. The Christian faithful are called by the Lord Jesus to act in a way which befits their dignity as children of the Father in the charity of the Holy Spirit.
The fourth part, entitled "Christian Prayer", summarizes the LEX ORANDI, the life of prayer. Following the example of Jesus, the perfect model of one who prays, the Christian too is called to the dialogue with God in prayer. A privileged expression of prayer is the "Our Father," the prayer that Jesus has taught us.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2558) summarises the above explanation and introduces prayer as follows:
The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.
1.1 What is prayer?
The CCCC (no 534; CCC 2558-2565, 2590)) defines prayer from several angles:
Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God, or the petition of good things from him in accord with his will. It is always the gift of God who comes to encounter man. Christian prayer is the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is infinitely good, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit who dwells in their hearts.
First of all, it says it is the RAISING OF ONE'S MIND AND HEART TO GOD. This definition says a lot, because it means that when I pray, I am not attempting to bring God down to my level, but instead am trying to elevate myself, with God's help, to His level, the supernatural level. I am not making God adjust His thinking to mine--I am adjusting my thinking to God's thoughts, and aligning my desires to the desires of His Sacred Heart. I am not trying to explain my side, because He already knows all of it--"your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8). I am letting Him speak, so that I can know His side.
Secondly, the CCCC points out the common understanding of prayer, which is a PETITION OF GOOD THINGS from God ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL. The second part of this sentence is of great importance and is the part of the definition that we often forget. Most often we do not see the big picture, we don't know the whole story, so we don't really know what will turn out best for us in the long run. But God does, because he knows everything. This reminds me of a poem called "The Weaver" that goes:
My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
forget He sees the upper but I the under side.
Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,
shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needed in the Weaver's skillful hand,
as threads of gold and silver in the pattern life has planned.
(Benjamin Malachi Franklin, 1882-1965)
Thirdly, it points out that prayer is actually a GIFT OF GOD. "He first loved us," St John says in his First Letter (I John 4:19). When we were literally nothing, He was the one who thought about us, created us, and sought us out. When we pray, we are simply responding to His goodness. The CCCC (no 535) points out:
It is God first of all, however, who ceaselessly draws every person to the mysterious encounter known as prayer.
And finally, it explains that prayer is the PERSONAL AND LIVING RELATIONSHIP of the CHILDREN of God with their FATHER, with his SON, and with the HOLY SPIRIT. This relationship calls for a CONVERSATION, a constant interchange, which does not always need words.
1.2 Why is everyone called to pray?
Man feels the need to pray because God made him in such a way that he longs for the infinite, and only God can address this longing. Blessed Pope John Paul II said, "There is an abyss in the heart of man satisfied only by prayer." He also remarked, "Prayer is the yearning of man's heart for God." This is why prayer is present in every culture. (Cf CCCC 535). In his first catechesis on prayer, delivered on 4 May 2011, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI elaborated on this point by showing that different ancient cultures (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome) have a tradition of prayer. At the end of his discourse, the Holy Father concluded:
In the examples of prayer of the various cultures which we have considered, we can see a testimony of the religious dimension and of the desire for God engraved on the heart of every human being, which receives fulfilment and full expression in the Old and in the New Testament. The Revelation, is in fact purifying and brings to its fullness man’s original yearning for God, offering to him, in prayer, the possibility of a deeper relationship with the heavenly Father.
Throughout the history of salvation, we find models of prayer. The CCCC points out examples of Abraham (no 536), Moses (no 537), King David (no 538), the prophets (no 539), the Psalms (no 540), our Lady (no 546), and the first Christian community (no 548).
ABRAHAM is a model of prayer because he walked in the presence of God, heard and obeyed him. His prayer was a battle of faith because he continued to believe in the fidelity of God even in times of trial. Besides, after having received in his own tent the visit of the Lord who confided his plan to him, Abraham dared to intercede for sinners with bold confidence.
The prayer of MOSES was typical of contemplative prayer. God, who called to Moses from the burning bush, lingered in conversation with him often and at length, "face to face, like a man with his friend" (Exodus 33:11). In this intimacy with God, Moses attained the strength to intercede tenaciously for his people: his prayer thus prefigured the intercession of the one mediator, Christ Jesus.
The prayer of the People of God developed in the shadow of the dwelling place of God – the Ark of the Covenant, then the Temple – under the guidance of their shepherds. Among them there was DAVID, the King "after God’s own heart," the shepherd who prayed for his people. His prayer was a model for the prayer of the people because it involved clinging to the divine promise and a trust filled with love for the One who is the only King and Lord.
The PROPHETS drew from prayer the light and strength to exhort the people to faith and to conversion of heart. They entered into great intimacy with God and interceded for their brothers and sisters to whom they proclaimed what they had seen and heard from the Lord. Elijah was the father of the prophets, of those who sought the face of God. On Mount Carmel he achieved the return of the people to the faith, thanks to the intervention of God to whom he prayed: "Answer me, O Lord, answer me!" (1 Kings 18:37).
The PSALMS are the summit of prayer in the Old Testament: the Word of God become the prayer of man. Inseparably both personal and communal, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, this prayer sings of God’s marvelous deeds in creation and in the history of salvation. Christ prayed the Psalms and brought them to fulfillment. Thus they remain an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church suited to people of every condition and time.
MARY’s prayer was characterized by faith and by the generous offering of her whole being to God. The Mother of Jesus is also the new Eve, the "Mother of all the living". She prays to Jesus for the needs of all people.
At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles it is written that in the first COMMUNITY of Jerusalem, educated in the life of prayer by the Holy Spirit, the faithful "devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers" (Acts 2:42).
The best example of prayer for us is that of JESUS. He is the best teacher of prayer because he is the eternal Son of God, and He is the one who teaches us how to unite ourselves to the Father (cf CCCC 541), how to lift our minds and hearts to God and make them one with Him. CCCC 543 highlights Jesus' prayer during His Passion:
The prayer of Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemani and his last words on the cross reveal the depth of his filial prayer. Jesus brings to completion the loving plan of the Father and takes upon himself all the anguish of humanity and all the petitions and intercessions of the history of salvation. He presents them to the Father who accepts them and answers them beyond all hope by raising his Son from the dead.
Since prayer involves a conversation, the topics for this conversation can vary, depending on the circumstances or our needs. Traditionally, the Church has divided these topics or forms of prayer into four, which is summarised in the acronym PACT: petition, adoration, contrition, thanksgiving. The CCC speaks of six forms: blessing, adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. CCCC nos 551-556 describes them as follows:
2.1 Blessing
The prayer of blessing is man’s response to God’s gifts: we bless the Almighty who first blesses us and fills us with his gifts.
2.2 Adoration
Adoration is the humble acknowledgement by human beings that they are creatures of the thrice-holy Creator.
2.3 Petition
It can be a petition for pardon or also a humble and trusting petition for all our needs either spiritual or material. The first thing to ask for, however, is the coming of the Kingdom.
2.4 Intercession
Intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. It conforms us and unites us to the prayer of Jesus who intercedes with the Father for all, especially sinners. Intercession must extend even to one’s enemies.
2.5 Thanksgiving
The Church gives thanks to God unceasingly, above all in celebrating the Eucharist in which Christ allows her to participate in his own thanksgiving to the Father. For the Christian every event becomes a reason for giving thanks.
2.6 Praise
Praise is that form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It is a completely disinterested prayer: it sings God’s praise for his own sake and gives him glory simply because he is.
3.1 Where do I get ideas for prayer?
The CCCC (no 558; cf CCC 2652-2662) points out the fountains from which we can draw.
They are: the WORD OF GOD which gives us "the surpassing knowledge" of Christ (Philippians 3:8); the LITURGY OF THE CHURCH that proclaims, makes present and communicates the mystery of salvation; the THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES; and EVERYDAY SITUATIONS because in them we can encounter God.
Regarding the LITURGY as a source of prayer, Saint Josemaria wrote in The Way (no 86) the following advice:
Your prayer should be liturgical. How I would like to see you using the psalms and prayers from the missal, rather than private prayers of your own choice.
And when we don't seem to be able to get started with our prayer, he advised (The Way 90):
You say that you don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of God, and once you have said, 'Lord, I don't know how to pray!' rest assured that you have begun to do so.
3.2 Christ in our prayer
The CCCC (no 560; cf CCC 2680-2681) asks: What is the way of our prayer? And it replies:
The way of our prayer is Christ because prayer is directed to God our Father but reaches him only if we pray -- at least implicitly -- in the name of Jesus. His humanity is in effect the only way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to our Father. Therefore liturgical prayers conclude with the formula: "Through our Lord Jesus Christ."
3.3 How about the Holy Spirit?
Point 561 (cf CCC 2670-2672; 2680-2681) explains:
Since the Holy Spirit is the interior Master of Christian prayer and "we do not know how to pray as we ought" (Romans 8:26), the Church exhorts us to invoke him and implore him on every occasion: "Come, Holy Spirit!"
Saint Paul confirms this in the Letter to the Romans (8:26), where he says
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.
3.4 And Mary?
The CCCC (562; CCC 2673-2679; 2682) says:
Because of her singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray to Mary and with Mary, the perfect 'pray-er', and to "magnify" and invoke the Lord with her. Mary in effect shows us the "Way" who is her Son, the one and only Mediator.
In fact, all the saints are models of prayer for us. Moreover, they are our intercessors. (Cf CCCC 564).
Our first steps in prayer are taken in the family. The CCCC (565; cf CCC 2685-2690, 2694-2695) tells us:
The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Daily family prayer is particularly recommended because it is the first witness to the life of prayer in the Church. Catechesis, prayer groups, and “spiritual direction” constitute a school of and a help to prayer.
3.5 Where to pray
This is what the CCCC (566; cf CCC 2691, 2696) has to say.
One can pray anywhere but the choice of an appropriate place is not a matter of indifference when it comes to prayer. The church is the proper place for liturgical prayer and Eucharistic adoration. Other places also help one to pray, such as a "prayer corner" at home, a monastery or a shrine.
Our Lord Jesus Christ advised his followers (Matthew 6:5-6):
5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The "room" that our Lord speaks about does not have to be a physical room. What He really wants us to do is to retreat into the silence of our heart, where we can be alone with God (cf CCC 2710). We can GATHER all our senses--both external (especially the sight and the hearing) and internal (the imagination and the memory)--together with our mind and our will, and thus shut out everything else. We can do this even when we are in the middle of the street, on the train or the bus, when in the marketplace or in our place of work. Any place can become a place of prayer, as long as we know how to RECOLLECT ourselves. Saint Josemaria said in his homily "Passionately Loving the World":
Everyday life is the true setting for your lives as Christians. Your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are. There you have your daily encounter with Christ. It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind.
3.6 When to pray
The CCCC (567; cf CCC 2697-2698, 2720) teaches:
Any time is suitable for prayer but the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer: morning and evening prayer, prayer before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the Rosary, and feasts of the liturgical year.
"We must remember God more often than we draw breath." (Saint Gregory of Nazianzus)
Jesus showed us and taught us that it is not only POSSIBLE but NECESSARY to PRAY ALWAYS (cf Luke 18:1) The CCCC (no 542) tells us:
The Gospel often shows Jesus at prayer. We see him draw apart to pray in solitude, even at night. He prays before the decisive moments of his mission or that of his apostles. In fact, all his life is a prayer because he is in a constant communion of love with the Father.
The CCCC (576) quotes Saint John Chrysostom, who said:
It is possible to offer frequent and fervent prayer even at the market place or strolling alone. It is possible also in your place of business, while buying or selling, or even while cooking. (Saint John Chrysostom)
We are like electrical gadgets that need to be plugged to the source of electricity to function. Even those that may have batteries will still need to recharge now and then, because one cannot run forever on reserves. Prayer is the "contact point" that makes it possible for us to receive power from on high.
Furthermore, CCC 2710 tells us:
The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a DETERMINED WILL, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one MAKES TIME for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter.
By making time for the Lord, we express in a very specific way the fact that we are His subjects and He is truly Lord for us. Imagine if a chauffer were to tell his employer that he will drive for him only when he (the chauffer) feels like! When a person depends solely on his feelings, he is not serving God. He is only serving himself.
The CCCC (568; cf CCC 2697-2699) describes three ways of praying.
Christian tradition has preserved three forms for expressing and living prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer. The feature common to all of them is the RECOLLECTION OF THE HEART.
4.1 Vocal Prayer
The CCC reminds us that we do not only pray with our heart. We need to pray with our lips and in fact, with our whole body as well. When the Apostles saw Jesus praying, they asked him to teach them how to pray. And our Lord teaches them the Our Father. Furthermore, the CCC (2701) adds that Jesus
not only prayed aloud the liturgical prayers of the synagogue but, as the Gospels show, he raised his voice to express his personal prayer, from exultant blessing of the Father to the agony of Gesthemani.
The CCC (2702) explains that external forms of prayer are important because we are not pure spirit. We also have a body, and we need to express our prayer also through the body.
The need to involve the senses in interior prayer corresponds to a requirement of our human nature. We are body and spirit, and we experience the need to translate our feelings externally. We must pray with our whole being to give all power possible to our supplication.
Moreover, God himself wants us to do so. It is proper, it is just, that we express our inner thoughts and desires in a visible way. The CCC (2703) explains:
This need also corresponds to a divine requirement. God seeks worshippers in Spirit and in Truth, and consequently living prayer that rises from the depths of the soul. He also wants the external expression that associates the body with interior prayer, for it renders him that perfect homage which is his due.
We should not belittle the importance of vocal prayer, because it is the beginning of contemplative prayer (cf CCC (2704). As Saint Josemaria says in his homily "Towards Holiness" (Friends of God 296):
We start with vocal prayers which many of us have been saying since we were children. They are made up of simple, ardent phrases addressed to God and to his Mother, who is our Mother as well. I still renew, morning and evening, and not just occasionally but habitually, the offering I learned from my parents: 'O my Lady, my Mother! I offer myself entirely to you, and in proof of my filial love, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my tongue, my heart...' Is this not, in some way, a beginning of contemplation, an evident expression of trusting self-abandonment? What do lovers say when they meet? How do they behave? They sacrifice themselves and all their possessions for the person they love.
First one brief aspiration, then another, and another... till our fervour seems insufficient, because words are too poor...: then this gives way to intimacy with God, looking at God without needing rest or feeling tired. We begin to live as captives, as prisoners. And while we carry out as perfectly as we can (with all our mistakes and limitations) the tasks allotted to us by our situation and duties, our soul longs to escape. It is drawn towards God like iron drawn by a magnet. One begins to love Jesus, in a more effective way, with the sweet and gentle surprise of his encounter.
We have mentioned in a previous lesson the importance of KNEELING, and quoted the following passage in then Cardinal Ratzinger's the Spirit of the Liturgy
The man who learns to believe learns also to kneel, and a faith or a liturgy no longer familiar with kneeling would be sick at the core. Where it has been lost, kneeling must be rediscovered, so that, in our prayer, we remain in fellowship with the apostles and martyrs, in fellowship with the whole cosmos, indeed in union with Jesus Christ Himself.
To illustrate his point, he cites a little story from the Desert Fathers:
The devil was compelled by God to show himself to a certain Abba Apollo. He looked black and ugly, with frighteningly thin limbs, but, most strikingly, he had NO KNEES. The inability to kneel is seen as the very essence of the diabolical.
4.2 Meditation (Mental Prayer)
The CCCC 570 describes meditation as follows:
Meditation is a prayerful reflection that begins above all in the Word of God in the Bible. Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion and desire in order to deepen our faith, convert our heart and fortify our will to follow Christ. It is a first step toward the union of love with our Lord.
What can aid us in this prayerful reflection? We can draw from many spiritual books (cf CCC 2705), but also draw from the book of life (cf CCC 2706) because God our loving Father is interested in the things that happen to us. Saint Josemaria gives a very practical advice that could help improve one's meditation (The Way 97):
You don't know what to say to our Lord in your prayer. You can't think of anything, and yet you would like to consult him on many things. Look: make some notes during the day of whatever you want to consider in the presence of God. And then take these notes with you to pray.
4.3 Contemplative Prayer
Contemplative prayer is described in the CCCC (571; cf CCC 2709-2719, 2724, 2739-2741) as follows:
Contemplative prayer is a simple gaze upon God in silence and love. It is a gift of God, a moment of pure faith during which the one praying seeks Christ, surrenders himself to the loving will of the Father, and places his being under the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila defines contemplative prayer as the intimate sharing of friendship, "in which time is frequently taken to be alone with God who we know loves us."
The CCC (2710) also explains:
One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state.
This means that contemplation is for everybody, not only for special people. Everyone is called to be a contemplative, because everyone is called to share intimately in the friendship of Jesus.
Prayer is a battle, because the devil tries his best to disconnect us from the source of our life. This is why the CCCC (572) says that progress in the spiritual life depends on the struggle to pray. Furthermore, we find obstacles in our own selves. The CCCC (574; cf CCC 2729-2733, 2754-2755) points out three of these:
DISTRACTION is a habitual difficulty in our prayer. It takes our attention away from God and can also reveal what we are attached to. Our heart therefore must humbly turn to the Lord. Prayer is often affected by DRYNESS. Overcoming this difficulty allows us to cling to the Lord in faith, even without any feeling of consolation. ACEDIA is a form of spiritual laziness due to relaxed vigilance and a lack of custody of the heart.
What weapons do we need to win this battle? The CCC points out several:
We can cite the following as fruits of prayer