PRAYER
347
PRAYER
does not care whether one be heard or not, or should
as hef not receive as receive; on the contrary, true
resignation to God's will is possible only after we have
desired and earnestly expressed our desire in prayer
for such things as seem needful to do God's will.
This earnestness is the element which makes the
persevering prayer so well described in such parables
as the Friend at Midnight (Luke, xi, 5-8), or, the
Widow and the Unjust Judge (Luke, x\'iii, 2-5),
and which ultimately obtains the precious gift of
perseverance in grace.
Attention in Prayer. — Finally, attention is of the very essence of prayer. As an expression of senti- ment emanating from our intellectual faculties prayer requires their appUcation, i. e. attention. As soon as thi.s attention ceases, prayer ceases. To begin praying and allow the mind to be wholly diverted or distracted to some other occupation or thought necessarily terminates the prayer, which is resumed only when the mind is withdra's\Ti from the object of distraction. To admit distraction is WTong when one is obliged to apply oneself to prayer: when there is no such obligation, one is at liberty to pass from the subject of prayer, provided it be done without irreverence, to any other proper subject. This is all very simple when applied to mental prayer; but does vocal prayer require the same attention as men- tal, — in other words, when praying vocally must one attend to the meaning of words, and if one should cease to do so, would one by that very fact cease to pray? Vocal prayer differs from mental precisely in this that mental prayer is not possible without attention to the thoughts that are conceived and ex- pressed whether internally or externally. Neither is it possible to pray •nithout attending to thought and words when we attempt to express our sentiments in our o%\Ti words; whereas all that is needed for vocal prayer proper is the repetition of certain words, usually a set form with the intention of using them in prayer. So long as this intention lasts, i. e. so long as nothing is done to terminate it or wholly incon.sistent with it, so long as one continues to re- peat the form of prayer, mth proper reverence in dis- position and outward manner, with onlj' this general purpose of praying according to the prescribed form, so long one continues to pray and no thought or ex- ternal act can be considered a distraction unless it terminate our intention, or by levity or irreverence be wholly inconsistent with the prayer. Thus one may pray in the crowded streets where it is impossible to avoid sights and sounds and consequent imagina- tions and thoughts.
Provided one repeats the words of the prayer and avoids wilful distractions of mind to things in no way pertaining to prayer, one may through mental infirmity or inadvertence admit numerous thoughts not connected with the subject of the prayer, without irreverence. It is true, this amount of attention does not enable one to derive from prayer the full spiritual advantage it should bring; nay, to be satisfied with it as a rule would result in admitting distractions quite freely and wrongfully. For this reason it is afh'isable not only to keep the mind bent on praying but also to think of the purport of the prayer, and as far as possible to think of the meaning of some at least of the sentiments or expressions of the prayer. As a means of cultivating the habit, it is recommended, notably in the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, often to recite certain familiar prayers, the Lord's Prayer, the Angelical Salutation, the Creed, the Confiteor, slowly enough to admit the interval of a breath be- tween the princii)a! words or sentences, so as to have time to think of their meaning, and to feel in one's heart the appropriate emotions. Another practice strongly reconuncmied by the same author is to take each sentence of these prayers as a subject of re- flection, not delaying too long on any one of them un-
less one finds in it some suggestion or helpful thought
or sentiment, but then stopping to reflect as long aa
one finds proper food for thought or emotion, and,
when one has dwelt sufficiently on any passage,
finishing the prayer without further deliberate re-
flection (see D1STR.4.CT10N).
Necessity of Prayer. — Prayer is necessary for sal- vation. It is a distinct precept of Christ in the Gospels (JMatt., vi, 9; vii, 7; Luke, xi, 9; John, x-vi, 26; Col., iv, 2; Rom., xii, 12; I Pet., iv, 7). The precept imposes on us only what is really necessary as a means of salvation. Without prayer we cannot resist temptation, nor obtain God's grace, nor grow and persevere in it. This necessity is incumbent on all according to their different states in life, especially on those who by virtue of their office, of priesthood, for instance, or other special religious obligations, should in a special manner pray for their own welfare and for others. The obligation to pray is incumbent on us at all times. "And he spoke also a parable, to them that we ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke, x%'iii, 1); but it is especially pressing when we are in great need of prayer, when without it we cannot overcome some obstacle or perform some obligation; when, to fulfil various obligations of charity, we should pray for others; and when it is specially implied in some obligation imposed by the Church, such as attendance at Mass, and the ob- servance of Sundays and feast-days. This is true of vocal prayer, and as regards mental prayer, or meditation, this, too, is necessary so far as we may need to apply our mind to the study of Divine things in order to acquire a knowledge of the truths necessary for salvation.
The obligation to pray is incumbent on us at all times, not that prayer should be our sole occupation, as the Euchites, or Messalians (q. v.), and similar heretical sects professed to believe. The texts of Scripture bidding us to pray without ceasing mean that we must pray whenever it is necessary, as it so frequently is necessary; that we must continue to pray until we shall have obtained what we need. Some writers speak of a virtuous life as an uninter- rupted prayer, and appeal to the adage "to toil is to pray " (laborare est orare). This does not mean that virtue or labour replaces the duty of prayer, since it is not possible either to practise virtue or to labour properly without frequent use of prayer. The Wyclifites and Waldenses, according to Suarez, advocated what they called vital prayer, consisting in good works, to the exclusion even of all vocal prayer except the Our Father. For this reason Suarez does not approve of the ex-pression, though St. Francis de Sales uses it to mean prayer reinforced by work, or rather work which is inspired by prayer. The practice of the Chm-ch, devoutly followed by the faithful, is to begin and end the day with prayer; and though morning and e\'ening prayer is not of strict obligation, the practice of it so well satisfies our sense of the need of prayer that neglect of it, especially for a long time, is regarded as more or less sinful, according to the cau.se of the neglect, which is commonly some form of sloth.
Vocal Prayer. — Prayer may be classified as vocal or mental, ])rivate or public. In vocal prayer some outward action, usually verbal expression, accom- panies the internal act implied in every form of prayer. This external action not only helps to keep us at- tentive to the prayer, but it also adds to its intensity. Exam]iles of it occur in the prayer of the Israelites in cajjtivity (Ex., ii, 23); again after their idolatry among the Chanaanites (Judges, iii, 9); the Lord's Prayer (Matt., vi, 9); Christ's own prayer after re- suscitating Lazarus (John, xi, 41); and the testimonies in Ileb., v, 7, and xiii, 15, and frequently we are rec- ommended to use hymns, canticles, and other vocal forms of prayer. It has been common in the Church
