On Prayer 31.1–34.1

After this it seems to me not out of place, in order to complete the question of prayer, to discuss in a more introductory way the disposition and posture the one who prays should have, the place where one should pray, the direction to which one should look, apart from any special circumstance, and the time suitable and set apart for prayer, and anything similar. The disposition must be referred to the soul, the posture to the body. Paul, then, as we said above, describes the disposition when he says one must “pray” “without anger or disputing,” and the posture in “lifting up holy hands,” which he seems to me to have taken from the Psalms, which say, “The lifting up of my hands, an evening sacrifice.” About place: “I wish, then, that the men pray in every place.” About direction, in the Wisdom of Solomon: “that it may be known that one must rise before the sun to give you thanks, and meet you before the dawn of light.”

It seems to me, then, that one who is about to come to prayer should pause a little and prepare himself, and so become more attentive and more intent for the whole of his prayer; having cast off every temptation and disturbance of thoughts, and having reminded himself as far as possible of the greatness of him whom he approaches, and that it is impious to approach him slackly, carelessly, and as it were contemptuously; having put away everything foreign, he should so come to pray, stretching out, as it were, his soul before his hands, and straining his mind toward God before his eyes, and raising his ruling faculty from the ground before he stands, and setting it before the Lord of all; having put away every grudge against any of those thought to have wronged him, as far as he wishes God not to bear a grudge against him, who has wronged and sinned against many of his neighbors, or is conscious of having done whatever things contrary to right reason. Nor must we doubt that, among countless positions of the body, the position with hands outstretched and eyes raised is to be preferred to all, as bearing in the body too the image of the qualities that befit the soul in prayer. We say that this should be done in the first place when there is no special circumstance; for when there is such a circumstance, it is allowed properly to pray sometimes sitting, because of some not negligible disease of the feet, or even lying down because of fevers or similar illnesses; and because of circumstances, for example if we are on a ship, or if our affairs do not allow us to withdraw and pay the prayer we owe, it is possible to pray without even appearing to do so.

And one must know that kneeling is necessary when one is about to accuse oneself of one's own sins before God, entreating for healing from them and for their forgiveness, since it is a symbol of one who has fallen down and submitted, as Paul says: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named.” And spiritual kneeling, so called because every being has fallen down before God “in the name of Jesus” and humbled itself before him, the apostle seems to me to indicate in the words, “that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” For we must certainly not suppose that the bodies of the heavenly beings are so shaped as to have bodily knees, since their bodies have been shown to be spherical by those who have treated these matters exactly. And whoever does not wish to accept this will also accept, unless he is shameless against reason, the uses of each of the members, so that nothing may have been made for them by God in vain; stumbling either way, whether he says that members of the body were made for them by God in vain and not for their proper function, or says that the entrails and the rectum perform their proper functions even in the heavenly beings. And he will behave very foolishly if he thinks that, like statues, only the surface is human in shape, but not what is within. These things I say as I examine kneeling and see that “in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” And what is written in the prophet, “To me every knee shall bow,” is the same.

And about place, we must know that every place becomes suitable for prayer through the one who prays well; for “in every place offer incense to me,” “says the Lord,” and, “I wish, then, that the men pray in every place.” But everyone has also a set place, so that he may perform his prayers in quiet without distraction: choosing, if possible, the most venerable spot, so to speak, in his own house, and so praying; examining, besides the general examination of himself, whether any lawless deed has ever been done in this place in which he prays, or anything contrary to right reason; for then he has made, as it were, not only himself but also the place of his prayer such that God's visitation flees from it. And as I consider this further, something must be said also about this place which might seem harsh, but which perhaps will not be despised by one who examines it carefully. For we must examine whether it is holy and pure to intercede with God in the place of intercourse that is not unlawful but permitted by the apostle's word “by way of concession, not of command.” For if it is not possible to devote oneself “to prayer” as one ought unless one gives oneself to this “by agreement for a time,” perhaps the place too must be considered, if possible.

A place of prayer has a certain grace that brings benefit, namely the place where believers assemble together, as is likely; since angelic powers stand over the gatherings of believers, and the power of our Lord and Savior himself, and also the spirits of saints—I think even of those who have already fallen asleep, and clearly of those still alive, even if it is not easy to say how. About angels we must reason thus. If “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them,” and Jacob speaks truly, not only about himself but about all who are devoted to God who understands, when he says, “the angel who delivers me from all evils,” it is likely that, when many have genuinely gathered for the glory of Christ, the angel of each, who is “around” each of “those who fear” him, encamps with the man he has been entrusted to guard and direct; so that, when the saints are gathered, there is a twofold church, one of men and one of angels. And if Raphael says that he brought up the prayer of Tobit alone, and after him of Sarah, who later became his daughter-in-law by marrying Tobias, for a “memorial,” what must be said when many journey together in the same mind and the same judgment and are formed into one body in Christ? And about the power of the Lord present with the church Paul says, “When you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus,” as though the power “of the Lord Jesus” were joined not only with the Ephesians but also with the Corinthians. And if Paul, while still clothed with the body, thought that he helped by his own spirit in Corinth, we must not despair that the blessed who have departed also reach the churches in spirit, perhaps more than one who is in the body. Therefore we must not despise the prayers in the churches, since they have something exceptional for the one who genuinely joins in them.

And just as the power of Jesus, the spirit of Paul and those like him, and the angels “of the Lord” who encamp “around” each of the saints journey with and come together with those who gather genuinely, so we must conjecture that, if someone is unworthy of a holy angel and gives himself to an angel of the devil through his sins and his contempt of God in breaking the law—such a person, as long as those like him are few, will not long escape the notice of the providence of the angels, who, serving the divine will, oversee the church and bring the faults of such a one to the knowledge of the many. But if such people become numerous and come together in human factions, busying themselves with something rather worldly, they will not be watched over. This is shown in Isaiah when the Lord says, “Not even if you come to appear before me”; for “I will turn away my eyes from you,” he says, “and even if you multiply your supplication, I will not hear you.” For perhaps instead of the twofold company of holy men and blessed angels mentioned before, there comes to be in the same place a twofold assembly of impious men and evil angels; and of the gathering of such people it might be said by the holy angels and by holy men: “I have not sat with the council of vanity, and I will not go in with transgressors; I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the impious.”

For this reason I think also that those in Jerusalem and all Judea who had fallen into many sins were made subject to their enemies, because the peoples who had abandoned the law were abandoned by God, by the angels who protected them, and by the saving help of holy men. So too whole gatherings are sometimes left to fall into temptations, so that “even what” they seem “to have” may be taken from them; like the fig tree that was cursed and withered “from the roots” because it did not give fruit to the hungry Jesus, they wither and lose whatever little life-giving power they had in faith. These things seemed to me necessary to say as I examined the place of prayer and set forth what is exceptional, as regards place, in the gathering of the saints who come together devoutly in the church.

Now a few words must be said about the direction to which one should look when praying. There are four directions, north and south, west and east; who would not at once admit that the east clearly indicates that we should turn that way and make our prayers symbolically, as the soul looks toward the rising of the true light? And if someone prefers to offer his petitions toward the open part of the house, wherever the doors of the house face, saying that the view of the sky has something that invites one more than looking at a wall, if the eastern side of the house happens not to be open, we must say to him that since the buildings of men open toward these or those directions by convention, while the east is by nature preferred to the other directions, what is by nature must be put before what is by convention. Moreover, according to this reasoning, why should one who wishes to pray in a plain pray toward the east rather than the west? And if there the east is reasonably to be preferred, why should this not be done everywhere? So much for this.

It seems good to me, having also treated the topics of prayer, to end the treatise thus. Four topics seem to me to be outlined, which I have found scattered in the Scriptures, and each person should give body to his prayer according to them. These are the topics. At the beginning and preface of the prayer one should, as far as one can, speak glorification of God, through Christ, who is glorified with him, in the Holy Spirit, who is praised with him. After this each should place thanksgivings, both general ones, bringing into the thanksgiving the benefits given to many, and for what he has received from God in particular. After the thanksgiving it seems to me that one should become a bitter accuser of one's own sins before God and ask, first, for healing, so as to be freed from the habit that leads to sinning, and second, for forgiveness of past sins. After the confession, it seems to me that one should add, fourth, the request for great and heavenly things, both one's own and general ones, and for one's household and dearest friends. And after all these, one should end the prayer with glorification of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

These topics, as we said, we have found scattered in the Scriptures: that of glorification in these words in the hundred and third psalm: “O Lord my God, how greatly you are magnified! You have clothed yourself with praise and majesty, who wraps himself in light as in a garment, who stretches out the heaven like a skin, who roofs his upper chambers with waters, who makes the clouds his chariot, who walks on the wings of the winds, who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, who founded the earth on its sure foundation; it shall not be moved for ever and ever. The deep, like a garment, is his covering; the waters will stand upon the mountains; at your rebuke they will flee, at the voice of your thunder they will be afraid.” And most of this psalm contains glorification of the Father. One can gather more for oneself and see how the topic of glorification is scattered in many places.

Of thanksgiving let this example be set out, found in the second book of Kingdoms, spoken by David after the promises made to him through Nathan, when he was amazed at God's gifts and gave thanks for them in these words: “Who am I, O Lord my Lord, and what is my house, that you have loved me thus far? And I was made small in your sight, my Lord, and you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time to come; and this is the law of man, O Lord my Lord. And what more can David say to you? And now you know your servant, O Lord; for your servant's sake you have done it, and according to your heart you have done all this greatness, to make it known to your servant, so as to magnify you, O Lord my Lord.”

An example of confession: “Deliver me from all my transgressions”; and elsewhere: “My wounds have grown foul and festered because of my folly; I have been wretched and bowed down utterly; all the day I went about mourning.”

Of requests, in the twenty-seventh psalm: “Do not drag me away with sinners, and do not destroy me with those who work iniquity,” and anything like these.

And it is reasonable, having begun with glorification, to end the prayer by concluding with glorification, hymning and glorifying the Father of all “through Jesus Christ” in the Holy Spirit, “to whom be glory for ever.”

These are the things I have struggled through, as far as I was able, on the question of prayer, and on the prayer in the Gospels and what is said before it in Matthew, most studious and most genuine brother and sister in piety, Ambrose and Tatiana. I do not despair that, as you strain forward “to what lies ahead” and forget what lies behind, and pray for me in these matters, I may be able to receive from God who gives more and more divine things about all these, and, having received them, treat the same subjects again in a nobler, loftier, and clearer way. But for the present, read this with indulgence.