|
|
Archbishop Stylianos of Australia
On Prayer
It has been correctly said that the greatest privilege, but
also the greatest problem for the faithful, is prayer.
The truth of this observation is clear, since it has to do
with the most unequal and unheard of "relationship", namely
communication between created human beings and the uncreated
God. This form of communication is first of all impossible
and inconceivable, since there is an unbridgeable gap
between the corruptible substance of the human person and
the supersubstantial and inaccessible God. Yet that which is
not possible according to essence, God makes possible and
achievable according to His grace and love for humanity.
Whithin the phrase "that whίch is impossible for man is
possible for God", we must also include prayer. This means
that prayer is not a matter for every person, but rather of
the faithful person. There are unfortunately many people
who, although they do not directly and categorically reject
the existence of God, nonetheless are incapable of accepting
any kind of communication with Him, or else the need for and
value of such communication. Therefore we do not only have
the atheists but also the so-called rationalists who from
the outset reject prayer. For this reason, what we shall
present here is mainly, if not exclusively, addressed to the
faithful. If, in spite of this, it has some influence upon
someone who has little faith, or who is a rationalist or
atheist, this would of course be due purely to the grace of
God, who "does not want the death of sinners, but rather
that they should return and live" (cf. Ez. 18:23).
Following this brief introduction, we shall speak here
concerning prayer by attempting to present the major points
of an enquiry in the context always of Orthodox spiritual
life and Tradition.
These points must be presented and looked at in the
following order:
1) The term "prayer".
If there is one topic which has not left any conscientious
member of the Church disinterested, regardless of the period
or conditions in which he or she lives, it is prayer. And
this comes as no great suprise, if one considers the
relationship of Christ Himself with prayer. Ιn other words,
how He exercised it throughout His life on earth, but also
how He spoke of the need and value of prayer. Ιn the Old
Testament, also, prayer is the "backbone" which keeps the
people of God upright and mobile, either as a whole or as
individuals, each in their own specialised responsibility
and function. Ιn principle, we could say that both the
anatomy and physiology of the people of God -as a whole or
as individuals- is literally built upon the notion or power
of prayer. This is why the entire people and each faithful
are made and named "the temple of the living God" (Ι Cor
6:19 and 2 Cor 6:16). Precisely because they are "built" as
"temples" where God shall dwell, all the people of God are
called, through the mouth of Isaiah, to dialogue and
communion with God: "Come now, let us argue it out, says the
Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like
snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become
like wool" (Is 1:8).
All people of God spoke or wrote about prayer, no matter
where or when they lived. They either spoke among each
other, exchanging opinions and experiences, or with God
Himself seeking more direct and valid insights.
The name which each people gave to prayer in their own
language of course varies, yet the meaning is always
basically the same: a "conversatιon" between God and the
human person. Still, the terms used for prayer vary in
accuracy and expressiveness according to the spiritual
cultivation of each people and the degree of development of
its linguistic tool. Ιn the sacred Greek language of the New
Testament, the most common. is "prayer" (πρoσευχή). Yet in
the language of the Fathers, particularly in monasticism, it
appears that the term was used in its more simple form, i.e.
"wish" (ευχή). Most writings in Church literature are titled
"On the wish", while the commentaries and analysis on the
example which Christ gave us to refer to our heavenly Father
are entitled "On the Lord's prayer".
Today, however, "wish" and "prayer" have become radically
differentiated one from the other in our spoken language.
Thus, "wish" has come to mean simply a strong desire or the
expression of kind sentiments, in the hope that they will be
fulfilled either for ourselves or for others. We say, for
example, "Ι wish that I could pass my exams" or "Ι wish you
all the best", "Ι send you my best wishes". So the only
constant name for our communication and conversing with God
is now "prayer".
Ιn analysing the Greek term for prayer in both its parts, we
have on the one hand the prefix "towards" (πρoς), and on the
other the noun "wish" (ευχή). Thus to say that "Ι pray"
means that my good desire and hope and wish is not expressed
vaguely and "blindly". Rather, Ι express this "towards" the
one who is able to bless and realise this, namely God. "Let
my prayer come before you as incense" (Psalm 141:2).
The prefix "towards" must therefore always move in the
spirit of the verticle (towards that which is above) and not
in the horizontal (sideways), in order to be prayer.
Whatever moves horizontally is of this world, and it cannot
give a solution to our various problems in this world. The
word of God clearly warns us against this: "Do not put your
trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help" (Ps
146:3).
The phrase "let us lift up our hearts" used in the Divine
Liturgy is not therefore a rhetorical form used in worship,
but rather an ingredient or a substantial element of prayer.
2) The sense of the need and value of prayer.
It would no doubt sound strange and perhaps unbelievable,
but it must be said -because it is true- that the power and
value of prayer are already given and in essence brought
together even before one begins to pray. From the moment
that one simply senses the need to pray, a mystical law
begins to operate, thereby placing the human person in
direct communion with God, and it is precisely on that point
that the sincerity and authenticity of prayer is found.
If we look carefully at the passage from the first Epistle
of Peter which we have placed immediately under the heading
of this text, we shall see that, before giving the salvific
exhortation: "be serious and watchful in your prayers", the
Apostle places the categoric statement: "the end of all
things is near". This statement is the summarised evaluation
of the faithful person who sees with great anxiety how
quickly the "form" of this world passes by. All things come
to an end in this world, and very quickly at that. Ιn the
midst of such instability and general changeability, it is
only natural that people should want to "grab hold" of
something. There is a wise saying in Greek which expresses
precisely this need for support in one tragic phrase: "a
drowning man grabs on to his hair". The urge for self
preservation and survival is so intense, that even one
drowning, who no longer has any hope of being rescued, will
grab onto his own hair!
We must however confess that the sense of changeability in
this world is not enough to create the need for prayer. From
the instability and transient nature of the world one could
have the same likelihood of being led to complete
desperation, or even to suicide. This is why it is necessary
to have basic faith in the existence of God, so that one can
feel the possibility of "refuge", if not the "call from
above" to address one's Creator. The need for prayer is then
born out of the changeability of the world only when one
knows and recognises that the "constant" called God is
always available.
Here we must add that the person of faith, in the face of
the instability and transient nature of this world, suddenly
feels that the time remaining to take care of one's
salvation has been "mutilated". This is why the prayerful
request to God is firstly that He may "make haste" to save
us. Especially when we call upon the intercessions of the
Virgin Μary, the feeling of the brevity of time is expressed
more urgently. Thus, in the well- known hymn "Unashamed
protection of Chrίstians", three intense verbs in the form
of optative-imperatives are used to emphasise the need for a
speedy intervention: "Come quickly in your goodness", "be
swift to intercede" and "make haste to supplicate". The same
feeling is expressed in the characterisation "Swift to hear"
used in reference to the Virgin Mary.
One could consider both elements, namely the insecurity
brought by the changeability of the world and the security
which is found by faith in the existence of God, as being
"presuppositions" of prayer. Ιn actual fact, however, it is
only the motivating factor. Simply feeling the need to pray
does not mean that you already have the secure
presuppositions for your deep spiritual request to function
properly. These presuppositions are ensured only by a
conscientious activation of all our psychosomatic powers
simultaneously, as we shall see in the next part.
3) The
presuppositions and atmosphere for prayer
When the Apostle Peter exhorts us to be "watchful in
prayer", he gives us the key to avoid all the hazards which
we may face at the outset of the sacred "adventure" of
prayer. To be "watchful", that is to be attentive with eyes
wide open, is imperative at every moment of our relationship
with God and His world. And in our special and direct
relationship with Him, which we call prayer, this is
particularly the case. Before we even begin to pray there is
the danger that we may fall into the trap of "loνe of self".
Was this not also the cause of original sin?
When we do not direct ourselves towards the mercy of God,
humbled and purified by the awe which the sense of God's
immediate presence in the world inspires within us -even if
this is invisible- but instead admire ourselves impiously
and narcissistically, then our spiritual demise is
inevitable. A classic example of a tragic and abominable
"shipwreck" at the very hour of prayer (a shipwreck in the
middle of the harbour!) is that of the Tax-collector praying
together with the Pharisee, found in the well-known
narrative of the Gospel (Luke 18:9-14). The condition
conveyed to us by the Tax- collector who, beating his
breast, did not dare to look up towards heaven, but only
stuttered with tears "God have merry on me a sinner", is
equalled by the disappointment and shame, if not the
indignation, with which the profane behaviour of the
Pharisee fills us. He essentially did not pray to God, but
to himself. The words of the sacred text point this out with
the distinctive observation that "the Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself...".
One can avoid the deadly hazard of "self love" and self
complacency by continually remembering one's mortalίty. "As
for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a
flower of the field" (Ps. 103:15).
"Remembrance of death" was a feature of the more reflective
and mystical East, even before the time of Christ, which was
spread and maintained in the Christian West up until the
Middle Ages, particularly in the Monasteries. The well-known
phrase "memento moriu was, compared with any other precept
or rule of moral behaviour, the most imperative spiritual
slogan. Yet because the "remembrance of death" always
involves an element of fear -consciously or sub-consciously,
it does not matter- this should not be emphasized too much
as a presupposition of prayer. For "fear" may lead one to
pray, but prayer due to fear is not free communication with
God. Rather, it is a forced action, a solution of necessity
imposed by difficult external circumstances, and not by the
internal inclination of a grateful child or faithful person.
Prayer caused by fear is, so to speak, a "forced
presentation" to God as Judge and Ruler.
We can then see that the element of fear can be doubly
harmful. It not only distorts the meaning of prayer in that
it is no longer free and true communication. It distorts the
meaning of God, who is not approached as a Farher. Such a
fear which does not allow us to see unaffectedly our correct
position and relation to God, cannot be the kind of fear
which the Old Testament speaks of as being the "beginning of
wisdom" (Prov. 1:7). This clearly refers to the sacred awe
which opens our eyes to recognize the true and living God as
a Father, allowing us thereby to become "wise" and to have
optimism in God. Conversely, fear which is tremblίng before
the Judge disorientates us from the source of life. It is
therefore only natural that, instead of optimism, this fills
us with despair, if not enmity towards God.
It now becomes obvious that we should not look for pure
presuppositions of prayer in subjective human imaginations,
whether positive or negative. We shall draw these mainly
from the word of God itself that is from Revelation. Only
then can we be sure that we are based on firm foundations.
Ιn all the books of the Old and New Testament, there is not
apparently a more succinct or successful description of God
than that which was given by St. John the Evangelist. Ιn
saying that "God is love" (1 Jn. 4:8), the "beloved"
disciple of course gave the most substantial summary of the
major features of God. He does not sίmply present Him as the
Father of mercy and compassion, but also as the all-powerful
Creator, and as the all-wise Provider and as the all-good
Governor of the universe. This is why St. John the
Evangelist also explains elsewhere in his writings how he
understands the love of God. He sees it not simply as
undefined and general good will, but primarily as an active
and continuously renewed gift which requires absolutely
nothing on the part of humanity, and for this reason
precisely it is called "grace". The only thing which Divine
love requires is that human beings do not reject it. This is
the meaning of the Apostle Pau1's directive "do not quench
the Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19).
When such a love of God is reflected in the conscience of a
grateful person, it is natural that he or she will turn with
absolute and unreserved confidence to the "Giver of every
good thing", without the slightest fear. St. John therefore
adds that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).
Thus, from the love of God for humankind, the love of human
beings for God and all of His creation is derived as the
first and primary presupposition of prayer.
Spiritual liberation, coming directly from the grace of God,
can reveal to man powers which he did not even suspect after
his fall. It gives him the power not only to love God
unreservedly for His countless blessings, but also to
forgive fellow human beings for any "transgression". The
person who cannot forgive a fellow human being cannot claim
that he or she loves God. This is true for two reasons.
Firstly, because each person remains an "icon of God", even
when they may face the greatest bankruptcy or failure in
secular terms. Secondly, because, as St. John the Evangelist
states, you cannot love God whom you have not seen if you do
not love your brother whom you have seen (cf. 1 Jn. 4:20).
Consequently, another substantial presupposition of prayer
is forgiveness and reconciliation with one with whom we
happened to have some differences. The Fathers stress that,
even if we were not to blame for the breakdown in relations
with our fellow human being, we must be willing to restore
them at every moment, forgetting the wrong that they have
done to us. They therefore call this power to forgive
"unresentfulness", that is the forgetting of wrongs.
Here we must however make some necessary clarification.
Unfortunately, there is often an extremely dangerous misuse
of the magnanimity which the Fathers require of the
faithful. Today there are people who are not only foolish
and hardhearted, but literally shameless and whose hunger
for money makes them relentless exploiters of other people.
It is well- known that the pioneers in this thoughtless
pursuit of money and social promotion were the
representatives of the so-called fourth power, the media, so
that they could impose themselves unconditionally on all
others, including the modern State. By creating a fake world
with their own values and their own customs, they are
continuously intoxicated by the self-deceit that they are at
the centre of the world -sometimes even above the world-
with their "cyberspace" which is distinct from any other
power. Thus they can easily tarnish consciences and
institutions as they please, thereby destroying the peace of
unsuspecting citizens, and scandalising those who are either
naive or uninformed. When the victim tries to defend his
ridiculed reputation, and resorts to the legal means made
available by the State, then the professional and
established slanderer mobilises the greatest degree of
hypocrisy by recalling the forgiveness and tolerance taught
by Christ, whom they themselves have never believed nor
feared. The height of their hypocrisy and audacity is to
believe that they have the right to publicly ask the victim
of their cold-blooded crime to forgive them unconditionally,
simply because the victim is a Christian.
Yet to forgive such unrepentant criminals indiscriminately
is equal to partnership with them and complicity. If we do
not bring them back pedagogically, we really help them to
become more audacious and to continue their destructive
work, thereby creating new victims and increasing hatred.
However, in so doing, they not only do damage to others but
to themselves also.
Unresentfulness, as a state of being oblivious and forgetful
of wrongs, should refer only to a past wrong which was
indeed committed, but which is now finished. Not to
wrong-doing which remains open and continues indefinitely
like a fistula. A person of faith can never remain an
apathetic viewer of evil in the world. Nor an indifferent
observer of everything profane, leaving all restraining of
evil to the supernatural action of God. The Christians know
that, for as long as they are in this world, they are living
and active members of the "Church militant". And to be a
soldier means effort and a specific and unyielding struggle
against anything which is contrary to Divine justice. Ιn
this struggle, the faithful person seeks neither "revenge"
nor to "pay back". For the faithful know that only God is
entitled to something like that: "Vengeance is mine, Ι will
repay" (Rom. 12:19).
They also know that the Divine will must be promoted at
every moment, so that it will prevail "on earth as it is in
heaven". Otherwise, the condemnatory verdict of the Apostle
Paul would have to apply for all ages: "They have all gone
out of the way; they have together become unprofitable;
there is none who does good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:12). So
that an unacceptable defeatist attitude does not prevail due
to the complete decline and despair of all in light of the
dominance of evil in the world, the Fathers almost always
demand together with "unresentfulness", the virtue of
"goodness" which is totally dynamic and active.
This dynamic stance and willingness of the faithful in their
daily struggle is clearly expressed in the command of
Christ, if we remember during the time for worship that we
do not have good relations with our brother, then we are to
first go and reconcile ourselves with him and then offer our
gift at the altar (cf. Mat. 5:24). Yet "conciliation" and
"reconciliation" are not a momentary or superficial release
from responsibility. Rather it has to do with a deeper
mutuality and fraternisation which will allow us to co-exist
in the same place and with the same opinion as the other
person. This is what is expressed by the two relevant nouns
in the Greek language which contain the words for "place"
(χώρο) and "opinion" (γνώμη). Only then will the "other"
person be the "brother" of whom Christ speaks, and not the
unrelated person next door who is euphemistically called a
"neighbour". The classic model of prayer which Christ gave
to the Apostles speaks only of "brothers". When we address
God as "our Father", we are triumphantly stating that this
common fatherhood makes us all brothers and sisters from the
outset. Fraternisation however does not occur without
education, which is pedagogy as well as vigilant and active
effort.
Ιn summarising the presuppositions of prayer in fear, love
and unresentfulness, we find that we encounter, by another
path, the three fundamental virtues of the Gospel:
Faith-love-hope. Yet even these three Christian virtues are
inconceivable unless the faithful person presupposes,
consciously or subconsciously, an unshaken faith in the
three following basic dogmatic truths:
a) The creation of the world "out of nothing" (Only in this
way is the true God confessed).
b) The creation of the human person in the "image and
likeness of God" (Only in this way can we love and be
entitled to love).
c) The original sin (Since the blood of Christ alone could
release us from this, we have reason for hope and we are
obliged to forgive).
For all of the above, the atmosphere of prayer must always
be one of mourning, contrition and repentance. Not of
Pharisaic complacency and impious triumphalism. King David's
Psalms are the best guide for each praying person. It is he
who assures us that "a broken and contrite heart God will
not despise" (Psalm 51:17).
And St. John of the Ladder is even clearer and more
categoric: "Do not become bold, even if you achieve purity.
Rather, move towards humility, and you will become even more
bold" (On the sacred and mother of virtues, blessed prayer
(Step 28th, 11).
4) The content and purpose of prayer
If it is true that in every human action the "purpose" and
"content" are deeply interconnected, since one substantially
determines the other, then this is much more the case with
prayer which is not the one-way action of only one person,
but rather a "relationship" and "communicatίon" between two
persons, namely God who "hears" and man who "prays".
First of all, we can say that the purpose and content of
prayer are expressed excellently and definitively by the
verse of Psalm 34:5:
"Draw near to Him and be enlightened
and your faces shall not be ashamed".
"Enlίghtenment" from above is therefore the only thing which
is sought in prayer. When one has "the true light", only
then does one have the "measure of all things", and can in
other words judge and evaluate all things properly. Then it
is certain that one who judges with such genuine measures
"will not be ashamed".
All of this is marvellous in so far as general guidelines
are concerned. But what happens in practice? Every minute of
our lives has a non-negotiable and non-transferable duty. At
every moment our soul finds itself in a different
disposition, restless and perpetually moving, like the sea:
"My inner person and the sea
are never at rest"
(D. Solomos)
What, then, will be the standard which will determine the
how, the what and the why of prayer? All three of these,
namely the manner, the content and the purpose of prayer,
equally comprise and determine its essence. For this reason,
if we manage to identify and secure one of these, we shall
automatically succeed or at least have the correct basis on
which to succeed in achieving the other two.
Precisely on this point, St John Chrysostom makes the
following characteristic comment: "he who is able to pray
correctly, even if he is the poorest of all people, is
essentially the richest. And he who does not have proper
prayer, is the poorest of all, even if he sits on a royal
throne" (PG 48, 767).
It appears that the more the person of God struggles to pray
correctly and in a way that is pleasing to God, the more
fully and deeply he or she comes to know the difficulties
involved in such a feat. We will have some idea of these
many difficulties when we recall once again as we had
already said by way of introduction that prayer is not
rejected only by the atheist or by the lukewarm faithful.
Sometimes it is rejected by one who may indeed believe
firmly in the existence of God and in His omnipotence, but
who does not see the need for prayer, because that person is
trapped in rationalism. We could even say that, according to
rationalism, the more steadfast one's faith is in the
omnipotence, the omniscience and the goodness of God, then
the more superfluous one finds prayer to be. For example,
rationalism says: Does God have any need for me to inform
Him of what Ι would like for myself and for others through
my "petition"? Does He, being All-knowing, not know
everything far better? And since He is an All-loving Father,
should we not take it as a certainty that He will be
concerned for our true needs, without us asking Him?
To all these "logical" objections or questions, Christ
Himself gives a silencing answer, not only by teaching about
the value of prayer through His word and example, but also
by giving a concrete model, so that the praying person can
be protected against dangerous excesses. This danger was
apparently feared by the Apostles when they said to Christ
"Lord teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). And it is noteworthy
that, while Christ declares to them that "your Father knows
the things you have need of before you ask him" (Matt. 6:8),
yet He does not say this so that they may think that prayer
is superfluous, but only so that they do not go astray into
the futile verbosity of the "Gentiles" (idolaters). This is
also why He gives them the "Lord's Prayer" as an eternal
model of prayer.
The irreplaceable value of this Divine model of prayer has
been thoroughly and repeatedly commented upon by the Church
Fathers with insightful theological analyses. They
underlined not only the individual requests in themselves,
together with the language with which they are submitted to
God, but also the order of priority in which they are
placed.
Following the invocation of God as Father who is "in
heaven", in other words beyond this world, a triple request
is immediately placed which ensures the conditions for the
appearance of the living and true God in the world:
"Hallowed be your name
Your kίngdom come
Your will be done".
The three aspects of the single petitions express the
absolute lordship of God. When people recognise this
absolute lordship, all other requests are secondary details
which relate to their daily struggle in the world.
We see, then, that the purpose of prayer cannot be the
"petitioning" or the "informing" nor even the "confiding" of
our innermost desires, since God who "searches minds and
hearts" (Rev. 2:23) knows everything. And still the
exhortation of Christ is clear: "Ask and it will be given to
you; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Mat. 7:7).
The question therefore arises once again: What is it that we
are entitled to ask for in prayer? The Fathers who have
dealt with this question agree that there is only one
request of the faithful person in prayer: "the pardon of
sins".
Νo matter how pure we may believe our life to be, no matter
how much we feel that there is not something which is
"weighing us down", there always remains within us an area
which is blemished or uncultivated for which we need
repentance and forgiveness. St. John Chrysostom even
considers purity of life, according to our own criteria, as
being insufficient towards God. He considers this to be
something which only prayer can sanctify (PG 56,201). St.
John Climacos similarly exhorts us to imitate the humility
of the Apostle Paul, even if we have climbed the ladder of
all virtues: "Eνen if you have climbed all the ladder of
virtues, pray for the forgiveness of sin, hearing Paul
crying out concerning sinners, of whom I am the first"
(op.cit.12).
The remission of sins is the only thing which God cannot
give us unless we ask for it. He provides all other goods
for us of His own accord as a loving Father. Not the
remission of sins. That presupposes repentance. And while it
may be brought about and continuously facilitated in various
mystical ways by God, repentance as a decision for a final
change is a matter for human freedom.
Ιn summing up all of the above, we must say that the purpose
of prayer is, simply put, the experience of prayer. And this
as a general rule is coupled with contrition and tears.
Tears of repentance are born only through prayer. And it
again is born only through tears of repentance. St John
Climacos stressed this by saying that prayer is "the mother
and the daughter of tears" (op.cit. 1).
Ιn the final analysis, the one who is changed by prayer is
not God who is unchanging and in need of nothing, but our
soul which is purified and enlightened by tears. Just as the
rose will not have mature fluids that will allow its
beautiful aroma to flow around it, if it does not open up to
the sun and air, so it is that the soul does not bear
fragrance unless it is changed through the trial and
compunction of prayer, with which God is pleased and pours
out His abundant mercy.
5) The various kinds of prayer.
Is should be clear from what has been said so far concerning
the basic elements and essence of prayer, that prayer is a
unified and lasting reality. An undifferentiated action of
the soul. It is the "breathing" of the soul. Can the
breathing of a living being be differentiated or divided
into different kinds and categories when it is such a
fundamental Function of life? Essentially, therefore, the
phenomenon of prayer is undίvided, regardless of the
conditions under which it is conducted.
Thus, that which occurs formally as a common act of worship
during regular times of the day in Church, is not "prayer"
any more than what the faithful offer -even "without words"-
closed in their "own room", or isolated in any other place.
Yet in spite of this, while common worship in Church -in the
context of which the Sacraments of the Church are always
celebrated- ensures the sanctifying and salvific grace of
the "communion of the Holy Spirit", private prayer cannot
yield such transcendent results. This may secure inner
stillness and greater compuction, including many other
spiritual gifts, but it cannot replace in the least the
grace of the Sacraments which presuppose a special celebrant
with "apostolic succession" and "canonical priesthood". This
is precisely why even the most austere hermits who disappear
during the whole week in unapproachably high places or in
openings of the earth, go to the closest monastery in order
to receive Holy Communion. These things are not the
ritualistic inventions of "the priests", an accusation often
made by blaspheming and impious people. Rather, they are
"structural features" in the fundamental concept of
"Covenant" which God Himself has established in history for
His people. God did not want history to flow carelessly as
an uncontrolled and irresponsible succession of periods of
time and human adventures, but rather as "Divine economy"
which is continuously served by "stewards of the mysteries
of God" (1 Cor 4:1). Only in that way could the flame of
divine "Law" (nomos) remain undying throughout the entire
"house (oikos) of God".
There are unfortunately however some faithful who judge
superficially and with "zeal which is not accordίng to
knowledge" (Rom 10:2), who are unjustly scandalised by
secondary and totally external features of common worship
within the Church building. For example, they are annoyed by
the noise, the splendour, the display, the apparently
pharisaic accuracy with liturgical forms, the repetitions
and the general "spectacular", if not "theatrical", nature
of collective and formal worship. As a counterbalance to all
of this, one need not only remember the irreplaceable grace
of the Sacraments about which we have just spoken. There is
another more human and mystical dimension to the phenomenon
of common worship which should not be overlooked. This has
to do with the purely psychological relief which a lonely
person feels when he sees himself incorporated into a
broader multitude of brothers and sisters having the same
Faith, Hope and Love. When he sees the poor and ragged as
equal "table-companions" with the magnate and the officer.
The wise with the ignorant. Μan with woman. The elderly with
the infant. The cleric with the layperson. When he sees that
the common invocation of "Lord have mercy" legitimises all,
as children of the heavenly Father. The actual confession of
"we pray to You". The concluding prayer of "Amen". Νo matter
how haughty or unemotional one may be, he or she would have
to admit that worship cannot be a manifestation upon
"aristocratic" guidelines, in the way that "cultural"
activities for example would require! Common worship is the
most astounding experience of the broader and deeper
"solidarity" in God.
If according to form we can distinguish between common and
private prayer, then the content of the prayer can usually
be divided into three major types:
- the Petition
- the Thanksgiving
- the Doxology (or Praise)
a) Petition. Just as the name suggests, this prayer
expresses a need, or a request for assistance from God.
Since people normally ask for something when praying, the
terms prayer and petition have almost become synonymous. "Ι
petition" or "Ι entreat", according to the corresponding
Greek word "deomai" (δέομαι), literally means "Ι need". When
used in reference to God, it in fact means "Ι need You",
rather than "Ι pray to You". The verb δέομαι only signifies
prayer generally when it has the preposition "for". It was
in this sense that Christ said to Peter "Ι have prayed for
you, that your faith should not fail" (Luke 22:32). As we
can see, the use of the word δέομαι in this instance has
totally lost its original meaning of "Ι need".
Yet we have already said that the only thing which one can
be entitled to ask for in prayer is "the forgiveness of
sins". When this "forgiveness" restores the balance of the
justice of God and His will prevails, then all other things
follow as mere consequences. This is why Christ said "seek
First the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things will be added to you" (Mat. 6:33). Thus in
essence, the object of prayer is always one unique thing:
the forgiveness of sins. God fulfils everything else, as we
have said, even if we do not ask for them, regardless of
whether it is ourselves or others who are concerned. This is
why the command was given to us by Christ Himself not to use
"νaίn repetitions". The thief on the Cross became the first
occupant of Paradise with the mere words "remember me", as
the Fathers often state.
b) Thanksgiving. Again, it is clear from the name itself
that this kind of prayer is the response of the human person
to God for the fulfilment of certain petitions and prayers.
Great caution is required here, however, so as not to think
that one should thank God only when one receives whatever is
requested. That would be a more or less commercial kind of
communication. Ιn other words, a form of transaction which
reduces the value and sacredness of prayer, even if it has
to do with spiritual requests and goods.
If the praying person places all petitions in order, having
the will of God i.e. His Kingdom and righteousness first,
then he or she must be ready to accept without protest -and
indeed with thanksgiving- whatever God finally gives. St
John Chrysostom observes that many times "it is much more
benefιcial not to receive, rather than to receive what we
have asked for" (PG 55, 525). These are cases when one,
without correct judgement, may request things which are of
no benefit to one's spiritual life. Such cases Christ
Himself pointed out to His disciples when He stated "you do
not know what you ask" (Mat.20:22). For this very reason,
the Celebrant always reminds the faithful in Church: "For
what is good and benefιcial to our souls, and for the peace
of the world let us ask of the Lord".
Yet even when what we ask for is not unprofitable, but
obviously good, if God does not give it to us for a certain
period of time, this happens only for our own good. To make
us request it with greater zest, longing for it more
intensely and approaching God from whom we seek it with
deeper compunction. Initially it is often better that God,
the Giver of all good things, does not give us something,
rather than give it. Ιn spiritual life, askesis or ascetic
endeavour, is similar to the process involved with
athletics. Just as increased obstacles in physical training
gradually lead to better performances, so it is that the
more we are deprived in our spiritual struggle, the more
complete our training is, and the more perfect we become by
the purification involved.
When we confess God as Lord of life and death, then we
should know that His Lordship does not have conditions but
rather we are to accept this absolutely. St John Chrysostom
states: "If He is the Lord who gives to you, then He must be
the Lord who knows when to give to you, what to give to you,
and what not to give to you" (PG 55, 526).
Ιn summarizing, we should say that thanksgiving (ευχαριστώ,
literally eucharist) is to be found in all expressions and
kinds of prayer, which is why the root of all the other
Sacraments of the Church is characteristically called the
"Divine Eucharist". It is in this sense that we should
understand the wish of St Paul to summarize the entire life
of the faithful within the Eucharist by telling us to
"rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything
give thanks" (1 Thess 5:16).
c) Thanksgiving or Praise. The difference between Doxology
and the other two kinds of prayer can be briefly expressed
by saying that this is as far removed from both others as
the sky is from the earth!
While Petitions and Thanksgiving refer to this world (the
former to its needs, the second to its sentiments), Doxology
refers to God Himself and, to be more precise, to the way in
which God is reflected in the human conscience. Doxology is
therefore theology.
Of course, God is not reflected in the conscience of a
person "as He is". For, the essence of God always remains
un-known and unapproachable in this world. God however is
shown according to His uncreated energies and according to
their results (i.e. the works). Again, we can only infer
what God is like from these "relationships" of the uncreated
God with His created world. We are informed of these
relationships and energies mainly through the Holy
Scriptures but also from the whole of Creation. Only on the
basis of these can we deduce what we can call Him. As is
known, from the written Revelation of God, but also from His
Creation as a whole, we are informed that God is "All-wise,
All powerful, All-good" e.t.c.
The subject of Doxology therefore is solely the name of God.
When Moses asks God "what is Your name", God does not reveal
any name, but instead the unspeakable mystery of divinity,
by stating word for word "Ι am who Ι am" (Ex. 3:14). The
name and praising of God will always remain for the faithful
something which is sought after. A perpetual perplexity, a
thirst which, the more intensely it is experienced, the more
mystically it deifies the human person.
The Fathers of the Church, realising that no name can
sufficiently express or even allude to the divine majesry,
called God the "One of all names", and eventually "The
Anonymous". Indeed, St. Gregory the Theologian considers the
only permissible description of God to be "beyond all
things" which means apart, beyond and above everything. Thus
we arrive at the original meaning of the term "holiness"
which, as is known, is the absolute distinccion and distance
of God from the world, while God never ceases to be "present
everywhere and filling all things".
The approach of the faithful with regard to the name of God
is not a mere case of an "address" or "title". On the
contrary, it is either a "hallowing" or "blaspheming" of the
Divine name.
Νow we can understand why the first petition of the Lord's
prayer is "Hallowed be Your name", and why the great
prohibition in the Ten Commandments is "do not use the name
of God in νain".
Ιn religious vocabulary, then, the name is not a
conventional or chance characterisation. Rather, it
expresses as accurately as it can the essence. St. John
Chrysostom had such confidence in the mystical power of the
name of God that he said: "if Ι only pronounce Your name, Ι
can achieve all things exceedingly" (PG 55,176).
We therefore glorify and praise God not only when we chant
the liturgical Doxology "glory to You who has shown the
light", but also when we commence any liturgical or secular
act, by saying "in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit". The invocation of the name of God is
equivalent to a confession of His infinite glory and power
which, in the final analysis, are nothing other than His
goodness and love. This is precisely the reason why Baptism
-which is the incorporation of the individual person into
the one body of Christ, the Church- is conducted, according
to the command of Christ Himself (cf. Mat.28:20) "in the
name".
|
