Vocal Prayer Difficulties
Last week we described vocal prayer as simply “speaking” (out loud, mentally, or by writing) to God in words. Today we look at some difficulties that can sometimes arise with vocal prayer.
Jesus tells us to not pray before people for the sake of gaining their respect (Mt 6:-5-6). Obviously there are times we physically are necessarily praying with others so it would seem on one level that He is only talking about personal prayer times. That’s why He says, go shut the door. But the underlying issue isn’t so much as where our bodies are as to where our hearts are. Are we posturing ourselves for show? Are we trying to impress someone, or even God, with our piety? We can find ourselves doing this at home, at Mass, or in a huge arena with thousands. It’s not that we don’t want to look devout in order to not be showing off, that’s not it. We should be devout, natural, and joyful in the Lord. It’s a matter of what are we seeking: admiration from others? (Or avoiding ridicule of others?) Or seeking God alone?
Jesus addresses this question also in what He says next about not heaping up “empty phrases” – words and more words – thinking “that they will be heard.” As if our many words (our show) will earn us a hearing with God. Ridiculous! Jesus says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” – God’s already listening! (Mt 6:7.) And it's not an admonition about repeatedly praying, nor about praying very earnestly from our hearts. Our words are never empty if they are filled with our hearts and minds seeking God (not ourselves). And Jesus urges us to pray repeatedly, to ask, seek, and knock (Mt 7:7; Lk 11:9). A more complete translation of Greek here would be to “ask and keep on asking,” “seek and keep on seeking.” This call for persistence is emphasized in Luke’s Gospel by the preceding parable of the man banging and banging on the door until he gets a response (Lk 11:5-8).
Few prayers with devotion are better than many with little care or rushing. Both St. Theresa of Avila (1515-1582) and St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) said that it is better to say one Our Father or Hail Mary (a prayer requesting her intercession) with inner attention and love than to say many with scattered minds and tepid hearts.
The Rosary is a wonderful prayer which combines simple vocal prayers (the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be) with meditation on the life of Jesus and Mary from the Gospels, all the while physically fingering the beads to keep us on track and free up our minds to place our hearts in God. The repetition of the prayers are not “empty phrases” unless one makes them so by rote rushing, inattention, or tepidity of heart.
Sometimes we need vocal prayers to help us to pray and stay focused, or to help us through a temporary dry patch, in a crisis, or just to express what we want to say to God. But sometimes we can feel tired going through a long daily list of vocal prayers. That sense of tiredness, not always, but especially if it is persistent, can be an indication that we need to cut down on the number of vocal prayers. They may be wearing our soul because we are actually resisting the Holy Spirit. Probably we need instead to give more time to meditation (mental prayer).
Vocal prayer can sometimes lead one into meditation and/or contemplation. But many people find it very hard to let go of their vocal prayers. It can be our attachment to our own way of praying our wanting control (an illusion of assurance we're doing it "right") rather than surrender to the Holy Spirit. Have I really prayed the Rosary if I stop the words? Yes, if the Holy Spirit leads you to a different form of prayer. And there's no need to finish the words. God is bringing you deeper today. Is this really the Holy Spirit drawing me, or does it come from myself? If it’s the Holy Spirit, you will be engaged in fruitful meditation or contemplation as soon as you gently let go of the steady vocalizing and let your heart follow His lead. If it’s not, you’ll just find yourself with a distracted mind. Then you just gently turn back to the vocal prayers and go on, thankful for the lesson in discernment of what is the Holy Spirit's guidance and what is not.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located in California City, CA. Visit our website at ollcalcity.org.
Last week we described vocal prayer as simply “speaking” (out loud, mentally, or by writing) to God in words. Today we look at some difficulties that can sometimes arise with vocal prayer.
Jesus addresses this question also in what He says next about not heaping up “empty phrases” – words and more words – thinking “that they will be heard.” As if our many words (our show) will earn us a hearing with God. Ridiculous! Jesus says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” – God’s already listening! (Mt 6:7.) And it's not an admonition about repeatedly praying, nor about praying very earnestly from our hearts. Our words are never empty if they are filled with our hearts and minds seeking God (not ourselves). And Jesus urges us to pray repeatedly, to ask, seek, and knock (Mt 7:7; Lk 11:9). A more complete translation of Greek here would be to “ask and keep on asking,” “seek and keep on seeking.” This call for persistence is emphasized in Luke’s Gospel by the preceding parable of the man banging and banging on the door until he gets a response (Lk 11:5-8).
Few prayers with devotion are better than many with little care or rushing. Both St. Theresa of Avila (1515-1582) and St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) said that it is better to say one Our Father or Hail Mary (a prayer requesting her intercession) with inner attention and love than to say many with scattered minds and tepid hearts.
The Rosary is a wonderful prayer which combines simple vocal prayers (the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be) with meditation on the life of Jesus and Mary from the Gospels, all the while physically fingering the beads to keep us on track and free up our minds to place our hearts in God. The repetition of the prayers are not “empty phrases” unless one makes them so by rote rushing, inattention, or tepidity of heart.
Sometimes we need vocal prayers to help us to pray and stay focused, or to help us through a temporary dry patch, in a crisis, or just to express what we want to say to God. But sometimes we can feel tired going through a long daily list of vocal prayers. That sense of tiredness, not always, but especially if it is persistent, can be an indication that we need to cut down on the number of vocal prayers. They may be wearing our soul because we are actually resisting the Holy Spirit. Probably we need instead to give more time to meditation (mental prayer).
Vocal prayer can sometimes lead one into meditation and/or contemplation. But many people find it very hard to let go of their vocal prayers. It can be our attachment to our own way of praying our wanting control (an illusion of assurance we're doing it "right") rather than surrender to the Holy Spirit. Have I really prayed the Rosary if I stop the words? Yes, if the Holy Spirit leads you to a different form of prayer. And there's no need to finish the words. God is bringing you deeper today. Is this really the Holy Spirit drawing me, or does it come from myself? If it’s the Holy Spirit, you will be engaged in fruitful meditation or contemplation as soon as you gently let go of the steady vocalizing and let your heart follow His lead. If it’s not, you’ll just find yourself with a distracted mind. Then you just gently turn back to the vocal prayers and go on, thankful for the lesson in discernment of what is the Holy Spirit's guidance and what is not.
Dibby Green
Originally published in the print edition of the Mojave Desert News on November 28, 2019.Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located in California City, CA. Visit our website at ollcalcity.org.