Article II: On the Species of Prayer

S. Th. II-II, q. 83, a. 9, 12, 13, 17.

669. Prayer is one kind internal, another external and vocal. By reason of the mode in which it happens, prayer is distinguished into merely internal, which happens by the mind alone, and external, which is performed at once by mind and by an external act. This latter happens principally by the voice, and then is called vocal; and it is necessary on account of reasons similar to those for external worship (n. 652). Moreover, for the essence of vocal prayer three conditions are required: one exterior, the pronunciation of words; two interior, namely, intention on the part of the will, attention on the part of the intellect.

670. For vocal prayer, first there is required the pronunciation of words. The pronunciation of words requires two things:

1. That the words be truly pronounced by human speech, that is, be emitted by an articulate voice; hence he would not pray vocally who only read the words with his eyes or conceived them in his mind; nor he who, with mouth unmoved, emitted a sound from the throat; nor he who, without expiration or inspiration of air, moved only tongue or lips. And although vocal prayer by its nature is audible, nevertheless it is not required that in fact someone hear himself or be able to hear himself, because it can be so quiet that it is not perceived, and on the other hand the one praying can be certain that he is pronouncing by consciousness of his own inner sense.

2. That the words truly signify the desire of the one praying; hence he would not pray vocally who brought forth incoherent words.

671. For vocal prayer there is also required intention, or the purpose of praying. It is not enough to bring forth words even voluntarily, but there is required:

1. On the part of the end or object, a determinate intention: for vocal recitation is an indifferent action which can be done for diverse things, for study, curiosity, play, the worship of God, etc.; therefore that it may be an act of religion, it must be determined to the worship of God through the intention of praying. Yet with this intention and with the essence of prayer there can stand an evil secondary end, as if someone were at the same time to pray for the honor of God and for vain glory.

2. On the part of the subject: a) an actual intention had here and now is not required, but a virtual one suffices, by which someone from the force of a past intention begins or continues prayer;

b) Nor is an explicit intention required, by which someone says: I intend to pray to God; but an implicit one suffices, contained in another act, as if someone goes to church, or takes up the breviary according to custom, or takes up the rosary and recites in the manner of one praying, etc.: in these actions there is included the intention of praying and worshiping God.

672. For vocal prayer, attention is also required. Attention is an act of the mind applying itself to something. Although all attention, as an act of the intellect, is subjectively internal, nevertheless:

A. On the part of the object, a twofold attention is usually distinguished: internal and external.

1. External attention is when the mind is applied to avoiding external actions incompatible with prayer or with internal attention, such as talking, writing, attentively hearing others speaking, dressing oneself quickly, doing something with great application, etc.

2. Internal attention is when the mind is applied to something intrinsic to prayer: a) either to the right pronunciation of words, and then it is called superficial; b) or to perceiving the signification of the words, and then it is literal; c) or to God and divine things, and then it is spiritual.

B. On the part of the act or subject, attention is perfect, distinct, great, or intense, which is also reflexively perceived by consciousness; or imperfect, small, confused, or remiss, which man does not easily or in no way perceives in consciousness, so that he also attends to several things.

C. On the part of its own being, it can be according to essence or according to virtue. Now:

1. At least that attention is required which is necessary for the right pronunciation of words; for this cannot happen without some attention or application of mind so that the words may be duly pronounced; otherwise it will not be a human act: for the preceding intention does not exercise its force upon the subsequent prayer except through some application of mind.

2. The attention required for this is not only external but also internal, by which the mind is applied not only to removing those things which impede prayer, but also positively to the right pronunciation of words.

3. Yet this attention is not required to be great, intense, and distinct, but confused, remiss, and minimal attention suffices.

4. Indeed, it is not proved that during prayer more is required than virtual attention. Thus the older authors, who say that internal attention according to the essence of the act is necessary at the beginning, but in the course of prayer it suffices that attention remain according to virtue, insofar as it perdures unless it is removed by a contrary intention, or through an incompatible work there occurs so great a wandering of the mind that the force of the first intention wholly perishes, as St. Thomas has it, in IV Sent., d. 15, q. 4, a. 1, qc. 4. The reason is the general principle: when two or more powers concur for the same operation, it suffices that the influx of the moving power virtually remain while the action is exercised.

But if theologians who require only external attention and deny that internal attention is required intend only to exclude intense and conscious attention, or actual attention, in fact they agree with us; just as those who require actual attention continued during prayer, but unconscious and very remiss, do not differ much from us. In practice: as long as the first intention of praying and attending is not revoked, whether directly through a contrary intention, or indirectly through an act incompatible with attention, prayer perdures; indeed, he who has external attention is judged to have that minimal superficial attention which seems to be required for prayer; nor therefore should penitents examine themselves more scrupulously concerning this.

With the essence of prayer the following actions are compatible: walking; looking at fields, a hill, a river; making a bed; building a fire; preparing a pen for writing; gathering herbs, grapes, flowers; dressing not altogether quickly; combing the head; looking up psalms, lessons, etc.; likewise distractions even voluntary, provided they do not wholly remove the attentive pronunciation of words. But if these actions are placed together with prayer from a cause of necessity or utility, they are no sin, for example, if someone thinks about a matter to be retained, or if he wishes to pray while he must dress; if they are exercised idly, without reason, they are a venial sin against religion, because it is irreverence toward God during prayer to divide one's attention between prayer and idle acts, for example, if someone, while he prays, wishes to dress (a. 13, ad 3); finally, if someone places an action gravely evil while he truly prays, for example, a shameful desire, the irreverence will be greater, but it is not proved to be mortal.

673. Among vocal prayers, the Lord's Prayer is the most worthy, because it has Christ Himself as author, and the most perfect, because with the greatest brevity it embraces all things which can rightly be asked, in that order in which they are to be asked.

It is proved: first we ought to desire the end, then the means to the end, finally the removal of those things which impede the attainment of the end. Now the primary end, the glory of God, we ask by saying: Hallowed be Thy name; the secondary end, beatitude by which we enjoy the glory of God, by saying: Thy kingdom come. The means conducing to the end principally and directly, namely, merits which are acquired by the fulfillment of the commandments, we ask by saying: Thy will be done; temporal goods, which conduce to beatitude instrumentally and indirectly, we ask by saying: Give us this day our daily bread. Finally we ask that sin, which directly impedes the attainment of the end, be turned away from us, by saying: Forgive us our debts; temptation, which impedes indirectly by leading to sin: And lead us not into temptation; finally temporal evils, which impede altogether indirectly, by impeding the sufficiency of life, and to this pertains: Deliver us from evil (a. 9).

But if we have asked these things, nothing remains which ought further to be asked.

674. Private and public, solitary and common prayer. On the part of the one praying, prayer is divided into private or singular, which is made by private persons in their own name, and public or social and common, which is made by the whole community or by the ministers of the Church in the name of the whole community; thus the canonical hours. Moreover, prayer, whether private or public prayer of the ministers of the Church, can be made solitarily, by one person only, or in common, by several gathered together at the same time; in which case it is better and more efficacious, according to Christ, Mt. XVIII, 20: For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (a. 12).

675. Observation. Several parts of prayer can be distinguished, namely: obsecrations, prayers, postulations, thanksgivings. St. Thomas shows this in this way, a. 17:

"For prayer three things are required: of which the first is that the one praying approach God, whom he prays to; this is signified by the name of prayer, because prayer is the ascent of the intellect into God. The second thing required is petition, which is signified by the name of postulation: whether the petition is proposed determinately, which some properly name postulation; or indeterminately, as when someone asks to be helped by God, which they name supplication; or whether only the fact is narrated, according to that of John XI, 3: Behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick, which they call insinuation. The third thing required is the reason for obtaining what is sought; and this is either on the part of God, or on the part of the one asking: a) the reason for obtaining on the part of God is His holiness, on account of which we ask to be heard... and to this pertains obsecration, which is a sacred attestation, as when we say: By Thy Nativity, deliver us, O Lord. b) But the reason for obtaining on the part of the one asking is thanksgiving, by which, giving thanks for benefits received, we merit to receive greater ones...

"And therefore... in the Mass, obsecrations are those things which precede the consecration, in which certain sacred things are commemorated; prayers are in the consecration itself, in which the mind ought especially to be raised to God; postulations are in the petitions which follow; and thanksgivings are at the end."

1. Insofar as prayer is taken more strictly and is distinguished from the remaining parts, which all together constitute prayer taken commonly (ad 2).