Regarding Prayer

With, what seems-- increasing frequency I come across lay people who are daily praying The Liturgy of the Hours. That is required for priests and members of religious communities. The "daily office"-- as it is called, varies according to the traditions of some religious orders and in most communities is prayed in common or, as it is said, in choir. It is an encouraging thing that lay people-- and especially younger lay people, are taking up this spiritual discipline. And even more encouraging when they are able to pray the office with others, as in the family. I count it among the great blessings of my life that-- in my order we pray at least Evening Prayer together every day. Now granted I am not currently living within the community...but i do know when "Evening Prayer" is said and so make it a daily habit to join my brothers from afar.

Survey research regularly turns up the finding that Catholic clergy pray much more than Protestant clergy-- and sometimes folks wonder why that should be the case. The answer is not hard to find... The daily office is required.

It is estimated that about two thirds of the priests in our country keep to this requirement-- and one does feel sorry for the estimated one third who don’t. Because not only are they are failing in their obligation but-- most important, they are denying themselves and the Church a disciplined life of prayer.

At the core of the office are the psalms. An older priest once told me he had stopped saying the office many years ago because he couldn’t stomach the imprecatory psalms-- sometimes called the violent psalms or psalms of animosity. That is obviously among the failures of his theological formation. The saints had no hesitation in asking the Lord to smite the evildoers hip and thigh–always in the hope of their repentance, of course-- unless they have by their own free will precluded that possibility.

More commonly, one hears that the praying of the office has become routine-- as in rote. This is usually from people who are affectively greedy, rummaging through what Yeats called the "rag and bone shop of the heart" to see how their praying is affecting their own sensibilities. Prayer is liturgy, meaning the work of the people of "GOD". One does one’s duty when it is not pleasurable in the hope that it will happen-- as it does at times happen-- that one's duty becomes one's delight.

The disciples' request, "Teach us to pray," is our prayer until we draw our last breath. And always there is the wise counsel of saints beyond numbering... Pray as you can, not as you can't. None of us prays or believes or loves as we wish we could. Pray, believe, love as you can, not as you can't. And-- by "GOD'S" grace, we can more and more.

A few years ago the English edition of "Magnificat" was launched and it has caught on in a big way. It is a handsome little book sent monthly to subscribers and contains a simplified version of the daily office. There are now more than 200 thousand subscribers, and there should be 2 million. It can be carried conveniently in pocket or purse and provides a framework for a disciplined prayer life, keeping in mind that an undisciplined prayer life is almost no prayer life at all.

The basic prayers for Catholics, but not only for Catholics, are in the "Handbook of Prayers". It contains all the standards, in both English and Latin, and is put out by the Opus Dei folk at Scepter Publishers. Unfortunately, their website requires that you wade through mountains of other literature in order to get to this gem. It might be faster to write Scepter Publishers at P.O. Box 211, 8W 38th St. Suite 802, New York, N.Y. 10018.

It really is the case that there is nothing more important that we do in the course of a day than that we pray. At Mass, in the daily office, with the rosary, we pray--for the Church, for the world, for our friends, for our enemies, for the poor, the persecuted, for the unborn babies and their mothers. There is no end of needed prayer in the lacrimae rerum that veils this vale of tears. Then too-- we pray for ourselves, and, most importantly, we pray to the glory of "God". Recently, health issues seems to have goobled up much of my prayer time [as evidenced by the previous post on this site].

A student at Gonzaga once told me that his life had been a shambles, to the point of being terrified by serious thoughts of suicide. He dragged himself back to Mass. A friend loaned him her copy of "Magnificat". He started to pray. "I wish I could say everything has changed," he said. "But everything is changing" Exactly. Pray as you can-- not as you can’t. And discover that you can, more and more.

It is interesting to observe the affect my prayer and contemplative life has on little Yodi. He climbs up on the couch or jumps into my lap if I happen to be sitting in my old stuffed chair, whenever i talk to the Lord. Do dogs recognize the power of prayer? Or---do they sense the presence of "GOD" in a way similar to how they hear sounds we can't. I know Yodi is a very observant and aware little fellow. And---I do believe he has come to love the Lord as much as I. Two peas in a pod i guess.

So friends...you are more than welcome to join Yodi and myself in prayer tonight. And please locate a copy of "Handbook of Prayers". Also....I highly recommend "Magnificat". Both of these fit and feel as good as my new "Breachers" shirt. Enough advertising for tonight. Blessings to you all...form Yodi and me.