“How Often Should We Pray?”

By

Robert John Colon

1. How often should we pray? Let us identify the answer to this question as we journey through Lent, which is a time of penance as well as prayer (1). Perhaps often you have come across the Bible’s answer to the question: how often should we pray? The Bible tells us: “pray constantly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If we say that this is not possible, maybe we think that prayer is just mentally or vocally saying religious words. Everyone individually saying religious words without stop would be practically impossible. But actually, to pray means to be spiritually plunged in God, in an attitude of humble agreement to His will (2). It is not possible to do this “at all times” if we do not do this at specific times, knowingly willing it (3).

2. According to the Acts of the Apostles, the followers of Jesus Christ all gathered to pray at the third hour, when they were all full with the Holy Spirit; and prior to eating, St. Peter went up to the higher sections of the house to pray, around the sixth hour; and at midnight Paul and Silas praying glorified God (cf. Acts 2:1-15; 10:9; 16:25) (4). The Church offers to the faithful certain rhythms of praying meant to nourish constant prayer: morning and evening prayer, prayer prior to and after meals, the Divine Office, Sunday Eucharist, the Rosary, and feasts of the liturgical year (5).

3. The Church can see that the wants and tendencies of all are not the same (6). We can therefore appreciate the fact that in the Church there are different ways of praying that are tied to various historical, social and cultural circumstances (7). There are various forms of piety, such as pilgrimages, processions, and even religious dances; and the Catechism speaks about this (8). Naturally, the practice of particular devotions is dependent on the general norms of the Church (9).

4. The Christian tradition includes three main types of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, plus contemplative prayer (10). With the Lord's Prayer Jesus has taught us an ideal form of vocal prayer (11). As for meditation, this is a prayerful reflection that starts above all in the Word of God in Scripture (12). And contemplative prayer is a look of faith fixed on Jesus, a watchfulness to the Word of God, a soundless love (13).

5. When praying, we can be distracted. The shortened version of the Catechism, after stating that distraction is a habitual difficulty in our prayer, does not say that we must repeat our prayers until our prayers are perfectly free from distraction, nor does the shortened version of the Catechism say that we have permission to intentionally have distraction (14). The shortened version of the Catechism states that our heart has to humbly turn to the Lord (15).

6. I would like to invite my brothers and sisters to consider spending time during Lent reading Catholic teaching on prayer in the Catechism or the shortened version of the Catechism. I have by no means said everything we could say about prayer.

7. I would also like to invite my brothers and sisters to pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent and possibly outside of Lent as well. This devotion urges us to go often to the sacrament of penance, to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist with devotion (16). Maybe we do not like the Stations of the Cross. Really, I would not say that this prayer is meant to entertain us. But if we consider the Stations of the Cross to be by no means joyful, let us consider the way Mary acted toward the Cross; and as far as possible let us act toward the Cross the same way. When the supreme hour of the Son came, next to the Cross of Jesus there stood Mary His Mother, not only active in pondering the cruel sight, but rejoicing that her Only Son was given for the salvation of mankind (17). “O thou Mother! fount of love! Touch my spirit from above, make my heart with thine accord” (18).

January 16, 2008

NOTES

(1) Cf. Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2007.

(2) Cf. John Paul II, Angelus, 7 March 2004, number 2.

(3) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2697.

(4) Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei, number 140.

(5) Cf. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 567.

(6) Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei, number 108.

(7) Cf. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 559.

(8) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1674.

(9) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1676.

(10) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2721.

(11) Cf. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 569.

(12) Cf. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 570.

(13) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2724.

(14) Cf. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 574.

(15) Cf. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 574.

(16) Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei, numbers 182-183.

(17) Cf. Pius X, Encyclical Letter Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum, number 12.

(18) From www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/BVM/SMDolorosa.html, Stabat Mater dolorosa.