In our previous article, we reflected on the all-to-common experience of waiting in prayer, not receiving a clear answer from the Lord when we turn to Him, even waiting for long periods of time before we receive any sort of clarity, if we indeed receive any at all. Drawing upon the wisdom of St. Augustine, Pope Benedict explained how this waiting can be used as a form of purification by which our desires are expanded and our hope sustained.
In the next paragraph, the Holy Father writes about how to make prayer become a purifying power in our lives. He writes the following:
For prayer to develop this power of purification, it must on the one hand be something very personal, an encounter between my intimate self and God, the living God. On the other hand it must be constantly guided and enlightened by the great prayers of the Church and of the saints, by liturgical prayer, in which the Lord teaches us again and again how to pray properly. (SS 34)
Relational prayer is something that I have spent a fair amount of time reading and thinking about over the past few years. It has been enlightening to encounter insights from many writers and speakers on this form of prayer, and having experienced it in my own prayer, it is something that has made a profound difference in my relationship with the Lord. For that reason, I was happy to read the first line quoted above. But perhaps more consoling to me was the pope’s reminder of the necessity of also using the great prayers from the tradition of the Church, as well as liturgical prayers. As life-giving and intimate as personal prayer can be, there are times when it is hard to pray in this way, and it is easy to fall into discouragement, feeling like I have lost the ability to pray, or that I somehow need to rediscover the right formula. In those moments when it can be hard to enter into intimate, relational prayer, those familiar prayers are always available, and when prayed in a spirit of faith, are never less effective than relational prayer. To offer a powerful example of this, Pope Benedict offers the following:
Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan, in his book of spiritual exercises, tells us that during his life there were long periods when he was unable to pray and that he would hold fast to the texts of the Church’s prayer: the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the prayers of the liturgy. (ibid.)
The Holy Father then explains how it is not either relational prayer or public, liturgical prayer. Rather, it is both/and. We need both forms, and by keeping both in our arsenal of prayer, the Lord will continue to effect that purification “by which we become open to God and are prepared for the service of our fellow human beings.” (ibid.)
Therefore if you find yourself like me sometimes really struggling to put words or thoughts together to speak with God in a personal and intimate way, take comfort in those prayers you have known since your youth, and with the confidence of a child, bring them to the Lord, trusting that He is listening and working for your good.