Part 8 (2/2)

Is Prayer an Act of the Virtue of Religion?

In Ps. cxl. 2 we read: _Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight_, and on these words the Gloss remarks: ”According to this figure, in the Old Law incense was said to be offered as an odour of sweetness to the Lord.” And this comes under the virtue of religion. Therefore prayer is an act of religion.

It properly belongs to the virtue of religion to give due reverence and honour to G.o.d, and hence all those things by which such reverence is shown to G.o.d come under religion. By prayer, however, a man shows reverence to G.o.d inasmuch as he submits himself to Him and, by praying, acknowledges that he needs G.o.d as the Author of all his good. Whence it is clear that prayer is properly an act of religion.

Some, however, maintain that prayer is not an act of the virtue of religion, thus:

1. Prayer is rather the exercise of the Gift of Understanding than of the virtue of religion. For the virtue of religion comes under Justice; it is therefore resident in the will. But prayer belongs to the intellectual faculties, as we have shown above.

But we must remember that the will moves the other faculties of the soul to their objects or ends, and that consequently the virtue of religion, which is in the will, directs the acts of the other faculties in the reverence they show towards G.o.d. Now amongst these other faculties of the soul the intellect is the n.o.blest and the most nigh to the will; consequently, next to devotion, which belongs to the will itself, prayer, which belongs to the intellective part, is the chief act of religion, for by it religion moves a man's understanding towards G.o.d.

2. Again, acts of wors.h.i.+p fall under precept, whereas prayer seems to fall under no precept, but to proceed simply from the mere wish to pray; for prayer is merely asking for what we want; consequently prayer is not an act of the virtue of religion.

Yet not only to ask for what we desire, but to desire rightly, falls under precept; to desire, indeed, falls under the precept of charity, but to ask falls under the precept of religion--the precept which is laid down in the words: _Ask and ye shall receive_.[118]

3. Lastly, the virtue of religion embraces due wors.h.i.+p and ceremonial offered to the Divinity; prayer, however, offers G.o.d nothing, but only seeks to obtain things from Him.

In prayer a man offers to G.o.d his mind, which he subjects to Him in reverence, and which he, in some sort, lays bare before Him--as we have just seen in S. Denis's words. Hence, since the human mind is superior to all the other exterior or bodily members, and also to all exterior things which have place in the Divine wors.h.i.+p, it follows that prayer, too, is pre-eminent among the acts of the virtue of religion.

_Cajetan:_ In prayer or pet.i.tion there are three things to be considered: the thing pet.i.tioned for, the actual pet.i.tion, and the pet.i.tioner. As far, then, as the thing pet.i.tioned for is concerned, we give nothing to G.o.d when we pray; rather we ask Him to give us something. But if we consider the actual pet.i.tion, then we do offer something to G.o.d when we pray. For the very act of pet.i.tioning is an act of subjection; it is an acknowledgment of G.o.d's power. And the proof of this is that proud men would prefer to submit to want rather than humble themselves by asking anything of others. Further, the pet.i.tioner, by the very fact that he pet.i.tions, acknowledges that he whom he pet.i.tions has the power to a.s.sist him, and is merciful, or just, or provident; it is for this reason that he hopes to be heard. Hence pet.i.tion or prayer is regarded as an act of the virtue of religion, the object of which is to give honour to G.o.d. For we honour G.o.d by asking things of Him, and this by so much the more as--whether from our manner of asking or from the nature of what we ask for--we acknowledge Him to be above all things, to be our Creator, our Provider, our Redeemer, etc. And this is what S.

Thomas points out in the body of the Article. But if we consider the pet.i.tioner: then, since man pet.i.tions with his mind--for pet.i.tion is an act of the mind--and since the mind is the n.o.blest thing in man, it follows that by pet.i.tioning we submit to G.o.d that which is n.o.blest in us, since we use it to ask things of Him, and thereby do Him honour.

Thus by prayer we offer our minds in sacrifice to G.o.d; so, too, by bending the knee to Him we offer to Him and sacrifice to Him our knees, by using them to His honour (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 3).

_S. Augustine:_ I stand as a beggar at the gate, He sleepeth not on Whom I call! Oh, may He give me those three loaves! For you remember the Gospel? Ah! see how good a thing it is to know G.o.d's word; those of you who have read it are stirred within yourselves! For you remember how a needy man came to his friend's house and asked for three loaves. And He says that he sleepily replied to him: ”I am resting, and my children are with me asleep.” But he persevered in his request, and wrung from him by his importunity what his deserts could not get. But G.o.d wishes to give; yet only to those who ask--lest He should give to those who understand not. He does not wish to be stirred up by your weariness! For when you pray you are not being troublesome to one who sleeps; _He slumbereth not nor sleeps that keepeth Israel._[119] ... He, then, sleeps not; see you that your faith sleeps not! (_Enarr. in Ps._ cii. 10).

_S. Augustine:_ Some there are who either do not pray at all, or pray but tepidly; and this because, forsooth, they have learnt from the Lord Himself[120] that G.o.d knows, even before we ask Him, what is necessary for us. But because of such folk are we to say that these words are not true and therefore to be blotted out of the Gospel? Nay, rather, since it is clear that G.o.d gives some things even to those who do not ask--as, for instance, the beginnings of faith--and has prepared other things for those only who pray for them--as, for instance, final perseverance--it is evident that he who fancies he has this latter of himself does not pray to have it (_Of the Gift of Perseverance_, xvi. 39).

”I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my G.o.d while I have my being. Let my speech be acceptable to Him; but I will take delight in the Lord.”[121]

IV

Ought We To Pray To G.o.d Alone?

In Job v. 1 we read: _Call, now, if there be any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the Saints._

Prayer is addressed to a person in two ways: in one way as a pet.i.tion to be granted by him; in another way as a pet.i.tion to be forwarded by him.

In the former way we only pray to G.o.d, for all our prayers ought to be directed to the attaining of grace and glory, and these G.o.d alone gives: _The Lord will give grace and glory._[122] But in the latter way we set forth our prayers both to the holy Angels and to men; and this, not that through their intervention G.o.d may know our pet.i.tions, but rather that by their prayers and merits our pet.i.tions may gain their end. Hence it is said in the Apocalypse: _And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the Saints ascended up before G.o.d from the hand of the Angel._[123]

And this is clearly shown, too, from the style adopted by the Church in her prayers: for of the Holy Trinity we pray that mercy may be shown us; but of all the Saints, whomsoever they may be, we pray that they may intercede for us.

Some, however, maintain that we ought to pray to G.o.d alone, thus:

1. Prayer is an act of the virtue of religion. But only G.o.d is to be wors.h.i.+pped by the virtue of religion. Consequently it is to Him alone that we should pray.

But in our prayers we only show religious wors.h.i.+p to Him from Whom we hope to obtain what we ask, for by so doing we confess Him to be the Author of all our goods; but we do not show religious wors.h.i.+p to those whom we seek to have as intercessors with us before G.o.d.

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