Chapter III: The Qualities of Prayer

To be an act of virtue and an effective means of grace, prayer must have the following qualities:

I. It must be worthy of God, i. e., it must be performed with a pure, or at least with a contrite, heart. This quality is called by some theologians pietas or dignitas orationis. The efficacy of prayer, it is true, does not necessarily depend upon one’s being in the state of grace; but its supernatural meritoriousness does. The sinner, too, can pray efficaciously, and is in duty bound to pray, because prayer is a necessary factor in the process of justification and an important element of Christian morality.¹ But the prayer of an impenitent sinner is an abomination in the eyes of God.²

¹ Cfr. Pius X’s Exhortation to the Clergy.

² Prov. XXVIII, 9; Luke XVIII, 13 sqq.—One of the condemned propositions taught by Quesnel (n. 50) read as follows: “In vain he cries to God, Father mine, if the spirit of charity is not he who cries.” Another (n. 59) ran thus: “The prayer of the impious is a new sin; and what God grants them is a new judgment upon them.” (Denzinger-Bannwart, Enchiridion, n. 1400, 1409).—“The holier and fuller of holy desire anyone is,” says St. Augustine (De Civ. Dei, XX, c. 17), “the more abundant he is in praying.” (Migne, P. L., XLI, 683). Cfr. the same Saint’s Retract., I, c. 3, n. 3 (P. L., XXXII, 589) and St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 83, art. 16.

II. Prayer, to be a truly virtuous act and an efficacious means of grace, must be performed with attention, i. e., the person who prays must direct his thoughts to the act he is performing.

1. Attention, according to St. Thomas, comprises three stages. In the first or lowest of these the mind reflects on the words pronounced. This is called attentio superficialis. In the second stage the mind adverts not merely to the words as such, but to their meaning. This is called attentio verbalis sive literalis. In the third stage, which is the highest, the mind is directed immediately to God and His eternal truths. This is called attentio spiritualis.³ Whenever a person has the intention to pray or to honor God by praying, any one of these species of attention is sufficient to constitute prayer a religious act, and hence to fulfil an obligation (Office, penance, etc.), though the third (attentio spiritualis) is, of course, the best and noblest.

³ St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 83, art. 13: “Threefold is the attention which can be applied to vocal prayer: one, indeed, by which one attends to the words, lest one err in them; a second, by which one attends to the sense of the words; a third, by which one attends to the end of prayer, namely to God and to the thing for which one prays. This indeed is especially necessary, and even simple persons can have it; and sometimes this intention, by which the mind is borne to God, so abounds that the mind forgets all other things.”

2. To pray with attention one must withdraw the mind from profane things. This can be done by appealing to the Holy Ghost for the right disposition, by placing oneself in the presence of God, by making a good intention,⁴ by paying due regard to ecclesiastical customs and liturgical precepts, by observing a definite rule of life and order of the day, by putting the body into the proper posture, by seeking solitude and places particularly adapted to devotion, by properly employing sacred images, prayer books, and formulas of devotion, and by participating in common practices of piety, such as processions and pilgrimages.⁵

⁴ Ecclus. XVIII, 23; Luke XI, 1; Rom. VIII, 15, 26.—St. Isidore, Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 3: “When anyone prays, he calls the Holy Spirit to himself. But whenever He comes, at once the temptations of demons, which thrust themselves into human minds, cannot endure His presence.” (Migne, P. L., LXXXIII, 672).—Catech. Rom., P. IV, c. 7, qu. 1 and 5.

⁵ Cfr. Ps. LIV, 17 sq.; Deut. VI, 10; Matt. II, 11; VI, 6; XIV, 23; XVIII, 19 sq.; XXI, 13; Mark I, 35; Acts III, 1; X, 9; XX, 36.—Among the condemned propositions of Michael de Molinos is the following (n. 18): “He who in prayer uses images, figures, species, and his own concepts, does not adore God in spirit and truth.” (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1238).—Saint Thomas says (Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 84, art. 2): “Through the signs of humility which we exhibit bodily, our affection is stirred to subject itself to God, because it is connatural to us to proceed through sensible things to intelligible things.”—IDEM, ibid., ad 2: “Genuflections signify our weakness in comparison with God; but when we prostrate ourselves, we profess that we are nothing of ourselves.”—IDEM, ibid., ad 3: “By the senses we cannot approach God; nevertheless through sensible signs our mind is stirred so that it may tend to God.”—IDEM, ibid., art. 3, ad 2: “A determinate place is chosen for worship, not for God’s sake, who, as He who is worshipped, is contained as if in a place, but for the sake of the worshippers themselves, and this for a threefold reason: first, because of the consecration of the place, from which a special devotion is conceived in those praying, so that they may be heard more readily, as is clear from Solomon’s prayer (1 Reg. VIII, 29); secondly because of the sacred mysteries and other signs of holiness which are contained there; thirdly because of the assembly of many worshippers, from which prayer is made more deserving of hearing (Mt. XVIII, 20).”

3. Opposed to attention is distraction (evagatio mentis sive spiritus), by which we mean the act of drawing off or diverting the mind from heavenly to earthly things.

Distraction may be involuntary or voluntary.

a) Involuntary distraction arises from human infirmity.⁶ It is not sinful and, so long as the right intention persists, does not render prayer inefficacious. When earnestly combatted, involuntary distraction even helps to make prayer more meritorious in proportion to the measure of self-denial involved. To pray entirely without distraction is a special grace which God gives only to holy persons as a reward for long practice.⁷

⁶ St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 83, art. 13, ad 1: “In spirit and truth he prays, who from the instinct of the Spirit proceeds to pray, even though afterward the mind wanders through some infirmity.”—IDEM, ibid., ad 2: “The human mind on account of the infirmity of nature cannot remain aloft for long, for by the weight of human infirmity the soul is pressed down to lower things; and therefore it happens that, when the mind of one praying ascends to God through contemplation, it suddenly wanders through a certain infirmity.”—Cfr. Hense, Die Versuchungen, 3rd ed., pp. 466 sqq.

⁷ Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer, pp. 126, 210. Cfr. St. Augustine, Enarr. in Ps., LXXXV, n. 7: “Let each person attend and see what happens in the human heart: how very often prayers are interrupted by vain thoughts, so that scarcely does the heart stand before its God, and wish to stand there, and in some manner flee from itself and does not find bars with which to enclose itself, or certain barriers with which to hold back its wandering and roving movements, and stand joyfully before its God. There is scarcely such a prayer among many prayers.”—IDEM, ibid., CXVIII, s. 29, n. 1: “Then indeed one cries with the whole heart when nothing else is thought. Such prayers are rare among many, but frequent among few; all, indeed, whether anyone, I do not know.” (Migne, P. L., XXXVII, 1086, 1585).—St. Isidore, Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 8: “Prayer is pure when cares of the world do not intervene in its time; but that man is far from God who in prayer is occupied with thoughts of the world. Therefore we truly pray when we think of nothing else. But very few are those who have such prayers. And granted that they are found among some, nevertheless it is difficult that they should always be such.” (P. L., LXXXIII, 673).

Canon Lejeune says truly that the trials arising from distraction would often be lessened if men took the trouble to ask God for this favor. “When,” he says, “shall we understand that the success of our prayers, the triumph over distractions, the inclination and facility for converse with God, depend first and foremost upon the frequency and fervor of our petitions? I wish that this simple question could be put to all who bewail their incessant distractions during prayer: ‘How many times a day do you ask God to free you from your distractions?’ Would not many persons be constrained to confess that they have never thought of making this request to God? And they are astonished that attention, recollection, and fervor do not descend upon them suddenly as soon as they begin to pray.”⁸

⁸ L’Oraison Rendue Facile, Paris 1904, P. III, ch. iii, p. 280; quoted by Poulain, op. cit., pp. 419 sq.

b) Distraction is voluntary when it is brought about or sustained by a free act of the will (evagatio mentis voluntaria in se), or when it owes its existence to some cause that the mind could remove if it would (evagatio mentis voluntaria in causa). Voluntary distraction consists chiefly in occupying the mind with thoughts which are incompatible with prayer. They render prayer a mere lip service (oratio labialis) and neutralize its effects.⁹ Such service does not honor God, but dishonors Him, and is therefore sinful.¹⁰ Who- ever prays with a voluntarily distracted mind is guilty of irreverence, even if the prayers which he recites are not obligatory. The fault thus incurred, however, is not a mortal sin unless it involves grave neglect of some important duty or unless the duty to pray itself obliges sub gravi and its fulfilment is essentially impaired.¹¹

⁹ St. Gregory the Great (Moral., l. XXXIII, c. 22, n. 43) says: “Although also by this, that words of power and composed for supplication are uttered, the emptiness of prayer is openly shown. For truly to pray is to resound with bitter groans in compunction and not with composed words.”

¹⁰ Is. XXIX, 13; Matt. XV, 7 sq.—St. Isidore, Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 4: “Prayer belongs to the heart, not to the lips. For God does not attend to the words of one supplicating, but looks upon the heart of one praying. But if the heart prays silently, and the voice is still, although it may be hidden from men, it cannot be hidden from God, who is present to the conscience. It is better, moreover, to pray in the heart with silence and without the sound of the voice, than with words alone without the attention of the mind.” (Migne, P. L., LXXXIII, 672).—St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 83, art. 13, ad 3: “If anyone intentionally wanders in mind in prayer, this is a sin and impedes the fruit of prayer. . . . But wandering of the mind which occurs apart from intention does not take away the fruit of prayer.”

¹¹ Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., I, n. 253: “It is asked, how does one who is voluntarily distracted in prayer sin? Answer: Of itself he sins venially whenever he is voluntarily distracted without a just reason, even if the prayer is made without obligation, because he offers some irreverence to God.” This view is not shared by all; cfr. Noldin (Vol. II, p. 152), Lehmkuhl, Sabetti, etc.—Cfr. Tillmann, Das Gebet, I, 402 sqq.

III. Prayer must furthermore be devout. Devotion is a sincere surrender of the will to God.¹² It is not merely a matter of the intellect (thinking of God), but also, nay mainly, of the will. Devotion may exist without any sensible emotion. All that is necessary for true devotion is that we have an earnest desire to please and serve God.¹³ Hence devotion can co-exist with insensibility or aridity of mind (ariditas mentis), whereas, on the other hand, it may be absent even though the heart overflows with emotion.

¹² St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 82, art. 1; Tillmann, Das Gebet, I, 386 sqq.; P. Birger, Unterweisungen über die christl. Vollkommenheit, 2nd ed., Freiburg 1905, pp. 457 sqq.

¹³ St. Augustine, Enarr. in Ps., CXVIII, s. 29, n. 1: “The cry to the Lord which is made by those praying, if it is made by the sound of the bodily voice while the heart is not intent upon God, who doubts that it is made in vain? But if it is made by the heart even while the bodily voice is silent, it can be hidden from any other man, but not from God. Therefore, whether with the voice of the flesh when that is needed, or with silence when we pray to God, we must cry out with the heart. Now the cry of the heart is a great intensity of thought; when this is present in prayer, it expresses the great affection of one desiring and asking, so that he does not despair of the effect.” (Migne, P. L., XXXVII, 1585).—IDEM, Serm., 56 (al. 48, de Div.), n. 5: “What you say with your actions, say in your hearts. Let there be the affection of one praying, and there will be the effect of One hearing.” (P. L., XXXVIII, 379).

Aridity is absence of emotion, or, more properly, desolation during prayer. It is a state in which, notwithstanding our efforts, we are unable to elicit either pious thoughts or right sentiments. The trial sometimes arises from purely natural causes, which it is in our power to remove or diminish, e. g., a dissipated life, which fills the imagination with frivolities; religious indifference; the lack of direct preparation for prayer; fatigue proceeding either from ill-health or too many occupations, etc.¹⁴ Sometimes aridity is a temptation or a punishment inflicted by God. But a man may pray efficaciously even during a state of aridity. It is the intention of the will, not emotion, that constitutes the value of prayer. To be sincerely sorry because one has no sensible devotion, is in itself a prayer.¹⁵ Hence it would be a serious mistake to omit one’s prayers because one feels no devotion.¹⁶ Fr. Poulain says we must pray to be delivered from this trial, “for otherwise we should not be making use of all the means within our power. The one that we neglect—prayer, is precisely the most powerful amongst them; still more, without it all the other remedies will generally be inefficacious, for consolation and success in prayer are graces. Now, God has ordained that prayer should be the almost necessary means of obtaining all graces.”¹⁷

¹⁴ Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer, pp. 423 sq.—Cfr. St. Gregory the Great, Moral., l. XXXIII, c. 22, n. 43: “For there are some within the holy Church who have lengthy prayers to the Lord, but do not have the life of those who pray; for they seek heavenly promises with petitions, but flee them by their works. They also sometimes receive tears in prayer, but when pride has struck their mind after the times of prayer, at once they swell up in the haughtiness of elation; when avarice incites, immediately they burn through the fires of greedy thought; when lust tempts, they straightway pant after unlawful desires; when anger persuades, immediately the flame of madness consumes the gentleness of the mind. Therefore, as we have said, they both begin weeping in prayer, and yet, when their prayers are finished and they are struck by the suggestion of vices, they in no way remember that they had wept from a desire for the eternal kingdom. . . . Prayer has no weight of virtue when the perseverance of continual love does not sustain it.” (Migne, P. L., LXXVI, 700).

¹⁵ St. Augustine, De Divers. Quaest. ad Simplic., l. I, n. 21: “Is not our prayer itself sometimes so lukewarm, or rather cold and almost nothing, indeed sometimes altogether so nothing, that we do not even notice this in ourselves with sorrow? For if we at least grieve over this, we are already praying.” (Migne, P. L., XL, 127).

¹⁶ Ps. XXXIII, 2; Jas. V, 13.—St. Augustine, Enarr. in Ps., XXXIII, s. 2, n. 3: “When the Lord gives these things, bless Him; and when He takes these things away, bless Him. For He gives, He takes away, but He does not take Himself away from one who blesses Him.” (Migne, P. L., XXXVI, 309).—Thomas à Kempis, Brevis Admonitio Spirit. Exerciti, “De Vigil. Matut.”: “If you do not have devotion in choir, sing with an even mind and await the grace of the Lord from heaven. Often the Lord gives at the end what He justly denied before. He wills that we labor, He wills that we wait patiently. He wills that what He has determined to give be pleasing and great to us. He wills us truly to recognize that we have nothing good from ourselves, but that the whole consists for us of His grace and mercy.” (Ed. Pohl, Vol. II, p. 424).

¹⁷ The Graces of Interior Prayer, p. 425.

According to St. Philip Neri, “The best remedy against aridity and against the torpor which paralyzes the soul, is to present ourselves before God and the saints like a poor little beggar, who humbly asks for spiritual alms.”¹⁸

¹⁸ Bolland., May 26, 2nd Life, No. 189, quoted by Poulain, l. c.

“This prayer for deliverance,” comments Fr. Poulain, “should, of course, be accompanied, like all others, by a complete abandonment to the divine will. While waiting to be heard, we must continue in a state of joyful resignation. St. Teresa says: ‘The soul which begins to walk in the way of mental prayer with resolution, and is determined not to care much, neither to rejoice nor to be greatly afflicted, whether sweetness and tenderness fail it or Our Lord grants them, has already travelled a great part of the road.’¹⁹ There are two opposite extremes to be avoided here: one, to desire so fervently that we lose our peace and conformity to God’s will; the other, to be so resigned that we no longer do anything ourselves or unite our own action to that of divine grace.”²⁰

¹⁹ Life, ch. XI, 20.

²⁰ Poulain, op. cit., p. 425.

Forcing oneself to pray when one is tired and feels no devotion, is a proof that one is well disposed, and the will power put into such an act renders it supernaturally meritorious. God never denies His aid to those who sincerely seek Him.

It is the constant teaching of the Church that the decisive factor of prayer, as in fact of all religious exercises, is resignation to the will of God. “God hears not the voice,” says St. Cyprian, “but the heart.”²¹ A famous fifteenth-century preacher, P. John Herolt, O.P., whom we have quoted several times before, says: “You must pray with sorrow for your sins and with devotion, because one Paternoster said devoutly and with a contrite heart, is more pleasing to God than ten thousand recited without devotion.”²² This is in perfect accord with the teaching of St. Thomas, that “the effect of prayer depends chiefly on devotion.”²³

²¹ De Dominica Orat., 4: “God is a hearer not of the voice, but of the heart.” (Corpus Script. Eccles. Lat. Vindob., III, I, 269).

²² Serm. de Tempore, 123: “You must pray with contrition and devotion, because one Paternoster said with a contrite heart and devoutly pleases God more than ten thousand Paternosters without devotion.”

²³ Summa Theol., 3a, Suppl., qu. 72, art. 2: “The effect of prayer depends chiefly on devotion.”

IV. Prayer must moreover be inspired by confidence (fiducia) in the omnipotence and goodness of God and the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and men, through whom we approach the Father, and in whose name alone we can be saved.²⁴ It is His express command that we should offer all our prayers to the Father in His name, i. e., with special reference to His merits and in the firm confidence that we shall be heard through Him and for His sake.²⁵

²⁴ Matt. IX, 28 sq.; Mark XI, 22, 24; Luke XI, 9 sq.; John XIV, 1; Acts IV, 12; Rom. V, 2; Eph. II, 18; III, 20; 1 Tim. II, 5; Heb. IV, 16; Jas. I, 6; V, 15.—St. Isidore, Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 15: “So great must be the affection of one praying toward God that he does not despair of the effect of the prayer. But we pray in vain if we do not have the confidence of hope. Therefore let each person ask, as the Apostle says, in faith, doubting nothing (Jas. i, 6), for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea which is borne and scattered by the wind.” (Migne, P. L., LXXXIII, 674).—St. Bernard, Serm. de Annunciat., III, n. 3: “With Thee hope alone obtains a place for mercy, nor dost Thou put the oil of mercy except in the vessel of confidence.” (P. L., CLXXXIII, 394).—IDEM, Serm. in Ct., XXXII, n. 8: “Great faith merits great things, and as far as thou shalt have extended the foot of confidence in the good things of the Lord, so far shalt thou possess.” (P. L., CLXXXIII, 950).—Tillmann, Das Gebet, I, 368 sqq.

²⁵ John XIV, 13 sq.; XVI, 23 sq.; Rom. V, 21.

In praying with confidence, therefore, we must not rely on our own merits. They do not give us a strict right to be heard, though, on the other hand, whatever merits we have will undoubtedly help to recommend our prayer to God. A life led in obedience to the divine commandments and a clear conscience justify a higher degree of confidence in God’s mercy. “If our heart do not reprehend us,” says St. John, “we have confidence towards God, and whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.”²⁶ Confidence based on “God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,”²⁷ and rooted in the theological virtues of faith and hope, gives to prayer great value and power, so that we may surely expect to obtain that for which we ask. It is “the confidence which we have towards Him [God], that, whatsoever we shall ask according to his will, he heareth us, and we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask: we know that we have the petitions which we request of him.”²⁸

²⁶ 1 John III, 21 sq.

²⁷ 1 Cor. I, 2 sq.; Gal. I, 3.

²⁸ 1 John V, 14 sq.

Opposed to confidence, in point of faith, is doubt and want of faith, and in point of hope, distrust and lack of courage.²⁹

²⁹ Matt. XIV, 31; XXI, 21; Mark XI, 22, 24; Jas. I, 6–8.

V. Prayer, to be pleasing to God, must proceed from an humble heart. Therefore we should pray with submission to the will of God and with a clear realization of our own poverty and unworthiness.³⁰ Humility excludes the sinful passions of pride, anger, violence, hatred, etc.³¹ Pride in particular, and the self-righteousness to which it gives rise, prevent prayer from being efficacious and render it sterile.³² “God resisteth the proud,” says Holy Writ, “and giveth grace to the humble.”³³ St. Isidore writes: “If one prays boastfully, desirous of human praise, his prayer not only does not wipe out sin, but is itself changed into sin.”³⁴ “When we have a favor to ask of the mighty,” says the Rule of St. Benedict, “we approach them humbly and reverently; how much more should we direct our supplications to God, the Lord of the world, with humility and with a pure, undivided devotion!”³⁵

³⁰ Gen. XVIII, 27; Ex. III, 5 sq.; Is. VI, 2; Luke XVIII, 9–14.—St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 83, art. 15, ad 2: “Humility is necessary on the part of the petitioner himself, because he recognizes his own need.”—St. Isidore, Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 20: “Culpably does he extend his hands to God who boastfully discloses his deeds while praying, just as the Pharisee prayed boastfully in the temple and wished himself rather than God to be praised for his just works.” (Migne, P. L., LXXXIII, 676).—Tillmann, Das Gebet, I, 377 sqq.

³¹ Matt. V, 23 sq.; VI, 10, 14 sq.; XVIII, 23 sqq.; XXVI, 39, 42; Mark XI, 25 sq.; Luke VI, 36 sq.; 1 Tim. II, 8.

³² Matt. VI, 5; Luke XVIII, 9–14.

³³ Jas. IV, 6, 10; 1 Pet. V, 5.

³⁴ Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 21: “The prayer of some is turned into sin, as is written of Judas the traitor (Ps. cviii, 7). For he who prays boastfully, seeking human praise, not only does not have his sin wiped out by his prayer, but the prayer itself is turned into sin.” (Migne, P. L., LXXXIII, 676).

³⁵ Regula S. Benedicti, c. 20.

VI. Prayer must, finally, be persevering, that is to say, we must pray persistently, with un- swerving purpose and unceasing effort. If we wish to be admitted to God’s presence, we must “continue knocking.”³⁶ We must pray always and never grow faint.³⁷ We must “pray without ceasing.”³⁸

³⁶ Luke XI, 5–10.

³⁷ Luke XVIII, 1 sqq.; XXI, 36; Rom. XII, 12; Eph. VI, 18; Col. IV, 2.

³⁸ 1 Thess. V, 17; cfr. Tillmann, Das Gebet, I, 442 sqq.

To repeat the same words frequently in praying is not identical with the practice of the Pharisees which our Lord censured, saying: “When you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens; for they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. . . . Woe to you . . . hypocrites, because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers.”³⁹ What Christ condemns is the heaping up of words without sense or meaning in the belief that “much speaking” is the essential thing.⁴⁰ “Our Lord first censured much speaking,” says St. Augustine, “lest you bring many words to God, as if you would teach Him by the use of many words. Therefore, when you pray, you must employ piety, not verbosity. . . . Do not speak much because God knows your needs.”⁴¹ And St. Isidore: “Not in much speaking are men heard by God, as if trying to persuade Him by means of many words; it is not the wordy speech of the man who prays that conciliates Him, but a pure and sincere intention.”⁴²

³⁹ Matt. VI, 7; XXIII, 14; cfr. Mark XII, 40.

⁴⁰ Cfr. Is. I, 12, 15; 1 Kings XVIII, 26 sq.; Ecclus. V, 1 sq., 6; Eccles. VII, 15.

⁴¹ Serm., 56 (al. 48, de div.), n. 4: “Our Lord first cut off much speaking, lest thou offer many words to God, as though thou wished by many words to teach God. Therefore when thou askest, there is need of piety, not verbosity. . . . Therefore do not speak much, because [God] knows what is necessary for you.” (Migne, P. L., XXXVIII, 378 sq.).

⁴² Sent., l. III, c. 7, n. 29: “Not in much speaking are men heard by God, as though by very many words they attempt to bend Him. For it is not the manifold speech of the one praying that conciliates Him, but the pure and sincere intention of prayer.” (P. L., LXXXIII, 678).

The correct view of the subject can be briefly stated in the words of St. Augustine, to wit: “Beware of much speaking when you pray, but pray much and with a fervent and constant intention.”⁴³ In laying down this rule the Saint points to the example of Christ, to which may be added that of the Apostolic Church.⁴⁴

⁴³ “Let much speaking be absent from prayer, but let not much praying be absent, if a fervent intention perseveres.” Epist., 130 (al. 121), c. 10, n. 19 sq.

⁴⁴ Acts I, 4, 13 sq.; XII, 5, 12; cfr. Luke XXIV, 49.

Opposed to perseverance in prayer is lack of confidence and, in particular, that lukewarmness which, according to Sacred Scripture, in certain circumstances is worse than sin itself.⁴⁵

⁴⁵ Apoc. III, 15 sq.; cfr. Tillmann, Das Gebet, I, 477 sqq.; Vol. II of this Handbook, p. 83.

The oft-quoted text, Ecclus. VIII, 15: “Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in prayer,” means according to the Hebrew original: “Do not engage in conversation in the presence of princes and repeat not the word in thy prayer.” The idea is not to warn against “vain repetitions” in praying, but against showing disrespect to God. This interpretation is confirmed by the manifest parallelism between the first and the second lines. The wise Preacher evidently wishes to say: The same respect that you would show in a meeting of princes, you must show towards God when you pray. The repetition of words is mentioned merely as a sign of inattention or distraction.⁴⁶

⁴⁶ See the Theol. Quartalschrift, of Tübingen, 1906, p. 623.

On the subject of “vain repetitions” Cardinal Newman says: “Prayer consists in the intercourse between the intelligent soul and Almighty God. It is essentially an act of the mind, and not of the body; except so far as the body supplies the organs by which the words of spoken prayers are framed. Words alone do not constitute prayer, nor are they necessary to prayer, which may exist without the intervention of any human language at all. And words without the direct action of the soul, speaking through them, are not prayer at all, but ‘vain repetitions.’ If Protestants imagine that Catholics believe that words uttered by the lips, and not accompanied by the actual aspirations of the heart to God, can possibly be acceptable as prayer, we have only to request them to put the question to any Catholic of any class or any country, and they will speedily be undeceived. Such a notion was never heard of in the Church. When Catholics are guilty of these ‘vain repetitions,’ they are not praying. You must pray from the heart, or you cannot pray at all.”⁴⁷

⁴⁷ J. H. Newman, Vain Repetitions, reprinted from The Rambler, Vol. IV, No. 21 (Sept., 1855), St. Louis 1910, pp. 13 sq.

All the properties of a good prayer are contained in the petition that is directed to God in the name of Jesus. “Whatever you shall ask the Father in my name,” says our Lord, “that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”⁴⁸ We pray in the name of Jesus when we address the Father according to the intention and in the spirit of Jesus, in conformity with His will and with reference to the kingdom of celestial charity and liberty established by Him. The fact that we belong to this kingdom, that we are citizens of Heaven, gives us a claim to be heard. Every prayer that is addressed to the Heavenly Father in the name of Christ is certain of being heard. But the very condition that we must pray in the name of Jesus limits the scope of our prayers. Whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus we shall receive; but there are many things for which we may not ask in His name. Hence there are prayers and petitions which of their very nature can not and will not be heard. In the name of Jesus, says St. Augustine,⁴⁹ we may not pray for anything that is opposed to salvation. All prayers that run counter to the spirit of Christ, or do not fully agree with that spirit, will remain unheard in the kingdom of Heaven.

⁴⁸ John XIV, 13 sq.; cfr. John XV, 7; XVI, 23; 1 John V, 14 sq.

⁴⁹ Tract. in Ioa., 73, n. 3; 102, n. 1 (Migne, P. L., XXXV, 1825, 1896).

Midway between the prayers that cannot be heard because of their very nature, and those that are certain of being heard, is a third class that hovers as it were between Heaven and earth, and may be addressed to God only in a conditional way, i. e., with due subordination of man’s earthly to his heavenly interests and with absolute submission to the divine will.⁵⁰

⁵⁰ Cfr. Odilo Rottmanner, O. S. B., Predigten und Ansprachen, Vol. II, 2nd ed., p. 217.

READINGS.—St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 83, art. 15.—Catechismus Romanus, P. IV, c. 1, qu. 2–4.—G. Tillmann, Das Gebet nach der Lehre der Heiligen, Vol. I, Freiburg 1874, pp. 366 sqq.—J. B. Wirthmüller, Die moralische Tugend der Religion, Freiburg 1881, pp. 65 sqq.—Th. H. Simar, Lehrbuch der Moraltheologie, 3rd ed., pp. 251 sqq.—Cardinal Newman, “Vain Repetitions,” Reprinted from Vol. IV, No. 21, of The Rambler, St. Louis 1910.