Vocal Prayer

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For the past week or more, I've been reading about prayer and meditation in my Divine Intimacy. I've wanted to share, but haven't had time to sit and type what I've read. Today, however, I have a few minutes and I will start with last week's reading, on vocal prayer, and when I have time, I will add each day's meditation, which examines meditation and aridity of the soul -- very moving reading.

Vocal Prayer Divine Intimacy

When one of His disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk. 11:1), He taught them a very simple vocal prayer: the Our Father. It is certainly the most sublime formula possible and contains the whole essence of the most elevated mental prayer. However, Jesus gave it as a formula for vocal prayer: “When you pray, say...” (Lk. 11:2). This is enough to make us understand the value and importance of vocal prayer, which is within the reach of everyone – even children, the uneducated, the sick, the weary... . But we must realize that vocal prayer does not consist only in the repetition of a certain formula. If this were true, we should have a recitation but not a prayer, for prayer always requires a movement, an elevation of the soul toward God. In this sense, Jesus instructed His disciples: “When thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret. And when you are praying, speak not much as the heathens” (Mt. 6:6-7). It is interesting to note that in St. Matthew these prescriptions concerning the exterior and interior dispositions necessary for well-made prayer immediately precede the teaching of the Pater Noster.

Therefore in order that our vocal prayer be real prayer, we must first recollect ourselves in the presence of God, approach Him, and make contact with Him. Only when we have such dispositions will the words we pronounce with our lips express our interior devotion and be able to sustain and nourish it. Unfortunately, inclined as we are to grasp the material part of things instead of the spiritual, it is only too easy in our vocal prayer to content ourselves with a mechanical recitation, without taking care to direct our heart to God; hence we should always be vigilant and alert. Vocal prayer made only by the lips dissipates and wearies the soul instead of recollecting it in God; it cannot be said that this is a means of uniting us more closely to Him.

St. Teresa wanted to educate souls and to dispose them for intimate converse with God. Thus she orientates vocal prayer to this end by saying: “I shall always recommend you to join vocal prayer with mental prayer” (Way of Perfection, 22). She explains her idea in this way: “If while I am speaking with God, I have a clear realization that I am doing so, and if this is more real to me than the words I am uttering, then I am uniting mental prayer to vocal prayer” (ibid.). The Saint does not mean that we should disregard the care which is demanded by the recitation, and which is of great importance – especially in liturgical prayer like the Divine Office – but she does mean that the most important thing is to be always attentive to God. Especially when we are saying prayers of some length, it is almost impossible to give our attention to the meaning of all the words, but it is always possible to keep ourselves in the presence of God while reciting them. We can nourish the desire to praise God, or to unite ourselves to Him, to implore His help in general, or ask for a particular grace, each according to his own actual dispositions. A general thought about the meaning of the words might be sufficient, or a simple glance at God to whom we are addressing our prayer. In short, it is not only a question of reciting words, but also of being with God. This is why the Saint insists: “You should consider [before praying] who it is that you are addressing, and who you are, if only that you may speak to Him with respect...” (ibid.); and this, she concludes, is already to make mental prayer. This does not mean, of course, intense mental prayer, such as we make at the time devoted exclusively to this prayer, without any attempt to recite vocally. Still it is mental prayer in the sense that the mind and heart are orientated to God and that we are trying to get into close contact with Him by means of it.

Vocal prayer practiced in this way has great value: first, because it is made in a manner very becoming and respectful toward the majesty of God, and secondly, because it gradually accustoms the soul to mental prayer, to intimate converse with Him.

Colloquy

“Never permit it to be thought right, my God, that those who come to speak with You do it with their lips alone.”

“I must not be unmannerly because You are good, addressing You in the same careless way I might adopt speaking to a peasant. If only to show You my gratitude for enduring my foul odor and allowing one like myself to come near You, it is well that I should try to realize who You are... “

“O my Emperor, Supreme Power, Supreme Goodness, Wisdom itself, without beginning, without end, and without measure in Your works; infinite are these and incomprehensible, a fathomless ocean of wonders, O Beauty, containing within Yourself all beauties. O very Strength. God help me. Would that I could command all the eloquence of mortals and all wisdom, so as to understand, as far as is possible here below, that to know nothing is everything, and thus to describe some of the many things on which we may meditate in order to learn something of Your nature, my Lord and my God.”

“When we approach You, then, let us try to realize who You are with whom we are about to speak. If we had a thousand lives we should never fully understand what are Your merits, Lord, and how we should behave before You, before whom the angels tremble. ... We cannot approach a prince and address him in a careless way. Shall less respect be paid to You, my Spouse, than to men? ... I cannot distinguish mental prayer from vocal prayer when faithfully recited with a realization that it is You, O Lord, that we are addressing. Further, are we not under the obligation of trying to pray attentively?” (St. Teresa of Jesus, Way of Perfection, 22-24).

(St. Teresa of Jesus is St. Teresa of Avila)


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