CHAPTER III

OF THE PARTS AND DEGREES OF PRAYER

QUESTION I

Of the Parts of Christian Prayer

The necessity and advantage of Christian prayer being explained, the faithful people should also know, how many and what are the parts of which it is composed; for that this appertains to the perfection of this duty, we learn from the apostle, who, in his epistle to Timothy, exhorting to pious and holy prayer, carefully enumerates the parts of which it consists: I exhort, therefore, that first of all, says he, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men. Although the distinction between these different parts of prayer is somewhat refined; yet the pastor, should he deem its explanation useful to his people, will consult amongst others St. Hilary and St. Augustine.

QUESTION II

Of Petitions and Returning Thanks

But whereas there are principally two parts of prayer, petition and thanksgiving, from which as from their source all the others flow, it appeared to us that they should by no means be passed by. For we approach God, that offering to him the tribute of our worship and veneration, we may either obtain some favour, or return him thanks for the benefits with which his bounty every day adorns and enriches us; and both of these most necessary parts of prayer God him self mentioned by the mouth of David, in those words: Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee; and thou shalt glorify me.

Who, if he but consider the extreme destitution and misery of men, does not know how much we stand in need of the divine bounty and goodness?

QUESTION III

The Goodness and Beneficence of God to all Men is set forth

But all who have eyes to see, and understanding, will perceive how much the will of God inclines, and how liberal is his bounty, towards the human race. For wherever we cast our eyes, wherever we turn our thoughts, the admirable light of the divine beneficence and benignity beams upon us. What have men, that is not the gift of God’s bounty? And if all things are his gifts and the favours of his goodness, why should not all men, with all their might, celebrate the praises of, and return thanks to, this God of boundless beneficence? But each of these duties of petition and thanksgiving contains many degrees, one more exalted and perfect than another. To the end, therefore, that the faithful may not only pray, but also pray after the best manner, pastors will propose to them the most exalted and perfect mode of praying, and will exhort them to it with the utmost earnestness.

QUESTION IV

What is the Best Manner of Praying and the Highest Degree of Prayer

What then is the best manner and the most exalted degree of prayer? That, forsooth, which is made use of by pious and righteous men, who, resting on the solid foundation of true faith, rise successively from one degree of purity and fervour in prayer to another, until, at length, they reach that height, whence they can contemplate the infinite power, benignity, and wisdom of God; where, too, they attain the most assured hope, that they will obtain not only those blessings which they ask in this life, but also those unutterable rewards which God has promised to bestow on those who piously and from the heart implore the divine aid. Soaring towards heaven on these two wings as it were, the soul in fervent desire approaches the Deity; adores with all honour of praise and thanksgiving, him from whom she has received such supreme blessings; and, like an only child, animated with singular piety and profound veneration, confidently lays open to her dearest parent all her wants. This sort of prayer the sacred Scriptures express by the words, pouring out: says the prophet, I poured out my prayer before him, I showed before him my trouble. Here the words, pour out, have the force of saying, that he who goes to pray suppresses nought, conceals nought, but pours out all, flying with confidence into the bosom of God, his most loving Father. To this the sacred doctrine exhorts us in these words: Pour out your heart before him: and cast thy care upon the Lord. This is that degree of prayer to which St. Augustine alludes in his Enchiridion, when he says: What faith believes, that hope and charity implore.

QUESTION V

Of Another Kind of Prayer

Another degree of prayer is that of those who, pressed down by the weight of mortal sin, strive, however, with that faith which is called dead, to upraise themselves and ascend to God; but, in consequence of their half-dead state and the extreme weakness of their faith, they cannot upraise themselves from the earth. Impressed, however, with a just sense of their sins, and stung with remorse, they bow themselves down with humility, and, far as they are removed from him, they implore of God, in penitential sorrow, pardon and peace. The prayer of such persons is not rejected by God: they are heard by him; nay, such men God, in his mercy, most generously invites: Come to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Of their number was that publican, who, not daring to raise his eyes towards heaven, left the temple, as our Lord declares, justified rather than the Pharisee.

QUESTION VI

Who among those who pray occupy the Third Degree

A third degree of prayer is that of those who have not as yet received the light of faith; but who, whilst the divine goodness lights up [in their souls] the feeble glimmering of nature, are strongly excited to the desire and pursuit of truth, to arrive at the knowledge of which is the object of their most earnest prayers. If they persevere in such a disposition, God, in his mercy, will not reject their earnest desire, as we see verified by the example of Cornelius the Centurion; for against none who desire it sincerely are the doors of the divine benignity closed.

QUESTION VII

What Class of Petitioners are held down in the Last Degree

The last degree is that of those who, not only impenitent, but adding crime to crime, are yet not ashamed frequently to ask pardon of God for sins in which they intend to persevere. Under such circumstances they should not presume to ask pardon even of their fellow-man. To their prayer God turns a deaf ear, as it is written of Antiochus: This wicked person vowed also to the Lord, who now no more would have mercy upon him. Those who are in this grievous condition should therefore be strongly exhorted, that, having detached themselves from affection to sin, they turn to God in good earnest and from the heart.