Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 132 (1/2)
Wherefore it is said of Christ (Heb. 7:25): ”Going to G.o.d by His own power ... to make intercession for us” [*Vulg.: 'He is able to save for ever them that come to G.o.d by Him, always living to make intercession for us.']. Hence Jerome says (Cont. Vigilant. 6): ”If the apostles and martyrs while yet in the body and having to be solicitous for themselves, can pray for others, how much more now that they have the crown of victory and triumph.”
Reply Obj. 1: The saints in heaven, since they are blessed, have no lack of bliss, save that of the body's glory, and for this they pray.
But they pray for us who lack the ultimate perfection of bliss: and their prayers are efficacious in impetrating through their previous merits and through G.o.d's acceptance.
Reply Obj. 2: The saints impetrate what ever G.o.d wishes to take place through their prayers: and they pray for that which they deem will be granted through their prayers according to G.o.d's will.
Reply Obj. 3: Those who are in Purgatory though they are above us on account of their impeccability, yet they are below us as to the pains which they suffer: and in this respect they are not in a condition to pray, but rather in a condition that requires us to pray for them.
Reply Obj. 4: It is G.o.d's will that inferior beings should be helped by all those that are above them, wherefore we ought to pray not only to the higher but also to the lower saints; else we should have to implore the mercy of G.o.d alone. Nevertheless it happens sometime that prayers addressed to a saint of lower degree are more efficacious, either because he is implored with greater devotion, or because G.o.d wishes to make known his sanct.i.ty.
Reply Obj. 5: It is because the saints while living merited to pray for us, that we invoke them under the names by which they were known in this life, and by which they are better known to us: and also in order to indicate our belief in the resurrection, according to the saying of Ex. 3:6, ”I am the G.o.d of Abraham,” etc.
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TWELFTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 83, Art. 12]
Whether Prayer Should Be Vocal?
Objection 1: It would seem that prayer ought not to be vocal. As stated above (A. 4), prayer is addressed chiefly to G.o.d. Now G.o.d knows the language of the heart. Therefore it is useless to employ vocal prayer.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer should lift man's mind to G.o.d, as stated above (A. 1, ad 2). But words, like other sensible objects, prevent man from ascending to G.o.d by contemplation. Therefore we should not use words in our prayers.
Obj. 3: Further, prayer should be offered to G.o.d in secret, according to Matt. 6:6, ”But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret.” But prayer loses its secrecy by being expressed vocally. Therefore prayer should not be vocal.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Ps. 141:2): ”I cried to the Lord with my voice, with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.”
_I answer that,_ Prayer is twofold, common and individual. Common prayer is that which is offered to G.o.d by the ministers of the Church representing the body of the faithful: wherefore such like prayer should come to the knowledge of the whole people for whom it is offered: and this would not be possible unless it were vocal prayer.
Therefore it is reasonably ordained that the ministers of the Church should say these prayers even in a loud voice, so that they may come to the knowledge of all.
On the other hand individual prayer is that which is offered by any single person, whether he pray for himself or for others; and it is not essential to such a prayer as this that it be vocal. And yet the voice is employed in such like prayers for three reasons. First, in order to excite interior devotion, whereby the mind of the person praying is raised to G.o.d, because by means of external signs, whether of words or of deeds, the human mind is moved as regards apprehension, and consequently also as regards the affections. Hence Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cx.x.x, 9) that ”by means of words and other signs we arouse ourselves more effectively to an increase of holy desires.” Hence then alone should we use words and such like signs when they help to excite the mind internally. But if they distract or in any way impede the mind we should abstain from them; and this happens chiefly to those whose mind is sufficiently prepared for devotion without having recourse to those signs. Wherefore the Psalmist (Ps. 26:8) said: ”My heart hath said to Thee: 'My face hath sought Thee,'” and we read of Anna (1 Kings 1:13) that ”she spoke in her heart.” Secondly, the voice is used in praying as though to pay a debt, so that man may serve G.o.d with all that he has from G.o.d, that is to say, not only with his mind, but also with his body: and this applies to prayer considered especially as satisfactory. Hence it is written (Osee 14:3): ”Take away all iniquity, and receive the good: and we will render the calves of our lips.” Thirdly, we have recourse to vocal prayer, through a certain overflow from the soul into the body, through excess of feeling, according to Ps. 15:9, ”My heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced.”
Reply Obj. 1: Vocal prayer is employed, not in order to tell G.o.d something He does not know, but in order to lift up the mind of the person praying or of other persons to G.o.d.
Reply Obj. 2: Words about other matters distract the mind and hinder the devotion of those who pray: but words signifying some object of devotion lift up the mind, especially one that is less devout.
Reply Obj. 3: As Chrysostom says [*Hom. xiii in the Opus Imperfectum falsely ascribed to St. John Chrysostom], ”Our Lord forbids one to pray in presence of others in order that one may be seen by others.
Hence when you pray, do nothing strange to draw men's attention, either by shouting so as to be heard by others, or by openly striking the heart, or extending the hands, so as to be seen by many. And yet, according to Augustine (De Serm. Dom. in Monte ii, 3), ”it is not wrong to be seen by men, but to do this or that in order to be seen by men.”
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THIRTEENTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 83, Art. 13]
Whether Attention Is a Necessary Condition of Prayer?
Objection 1: It would seem that attention is a necessary condition of prayer. It is written (John 4:24): ”G.o.d is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in spirit and in truth.” But prayer is not in spirit unless it be attentive. Therefore attention is a necessary condition of prayer.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer is ”the ascent of the mind to G.o.d”
[*Damascene, De Fide Orth. iii, 24]. But the mind does not ascend to G.o.d if the prayer is inattentive. Therefore attention is a necessary condition of prayer.
Obj. 3: Further, it is a necessary condition of prayer that it should be altogether sinless. Now if a man allows his mind to wander while praying he is not free of sin, for he seems to make light of G.o.d; even as if he were to speak to another man without attending to what he was saying. Hence Basil says [*De Const.i.t. Monach. i] that the ”Divine a.s.sistance is to be implored, not lightly, nor with a mind wandering hither and thither: because he that prays thus not only will not obtain what he asks, nay rather will he provoke G.o.d to anger.” Therefore it would seem a necessary condition of prayer that it should be attentive.
_On the contrary,_ Even holy men sometimes suffer from a wandering of the mind when they pray, according to Ps. 39:13, ”My heart hath forsaken me.”
_I answer that,_ This question applies chiefly to vocal prayer.