Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Vocal Prayer

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (2700 - 2704)

Whenever we hear the Gospel proclaimed at Mass, we trace a small sign of the cross on our foreheads, on our lips, and over our hearts. This gesture is an act of faith by which we implore the Lord to let the Good News fill and transform our thinking, our speech, and our wills. These three human faculties correspond to the three classic Christian expressions of prayer: meditation, vocal prayer, and contemplation. All of them are rooted in the richness of God's Word.

Divine and Human Communication

In order to understand the most fundamental of these three forms - vocal prayer - we must turn our attention to the deepest meaning of the Incarnation. St. John tells us: "In the beginning was the Word. . . . Whatever came to be in him found life. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory" (cf. Jn. I: 1-14). John the Evangelist describes the Incarnation as a type of sacred utterance in which God speaks so as to become one of us.

In this wondrous mystery we discover two crucial properties of discourse. First of all, it is through speech that we share the essence of ourselves with others. The Word of God proceeds from the Godhead and becomes manifested as a Divine Person who longs to make himself known to us. We are called to repeat this dynamic, which God reveals. Through the spoken word that proceeds from the hidden depths of ourselves, we manifest our personhood to others. Speech is a free revelation of our inner personality to others. By our conversation, we share with others our interior life in a manner redolent of the Trinity. Only words offered in loving communication can adequately express the true beauty, dignity, and meaning of our life as human persons. As Von Balthasar puts it, "when God becomes man then man as such becomes the expression, the valid and authentic expression of the divine mystery."

At the same time, it is by speaking with others that we bind ourselves to them and grow in greater unity. The spoken word forms people into intimate, close-knit communion, for speech is an integrating part of our very being. In reflecting on the alienation of her own blindness and deafness, Helen Keller wrote: "When we walk in the valley of twofold solitude we know little of the tender affections that grow out of endearing words and actions and companionship." The words we utter are not static and lifeless, but creative and generative. Von Balthasar wrote: "Speech intends life. It intends action and making. It is already incipient deed and goes beyond itself in works and in involvement with life."

The coming of Jesus, then, is a kind of divine communication the beginning of a conversation that we are called to continue. "Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. . . . Whoever loves me will keep my word" (Jn 8:47; 14:23). One important way that we remain true to God's Word is by responding to what we hear from him in the form of vocal prayer. By expressing ourselves in vocal prayer we recognize more deeply how our personhood images the three Persons of the blessed Trinity. It is the way that we open up and hand over the depths of ourselves to God. On the cross, Jesus "cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit" (Mt 27:50). Our heartfelt vocal prayer participates in that ultimate and saving self-offering.

The Many Uses of Prayer

In vocal prayer we discover how our lives of faith express the very holiness of God. Vocal prayer deepens our union with the Lord and intensifies our communion with his Church. It galvanizes our faith convictions and compels us to turn our words into generous and compassionate action. In the process, we realize how very true it is that " 'one does not live by bread alone, / but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God' " (Mt 4:4).

In prompting us to vocal prayer, God satisfies an innate longing in us. The Catechism teaches that "The need to involve the senses in interior prayer corresponds to a requirement of our human nature. We are body and spirit, and we experience the need to translate our feelings externally. We must pray with our whole being to give all power possible to our supplication" (2702). In other words, it is not that God "needs" our vocal prayer, but rather that praying vocally significantly helps us.

Hclen Keller recalls the mystical moment in which Anne Sullivan succeeded in teaching her how to verbalize: "That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away. I saw everything with the strange, new sight that had come to me."

Our ability to name God and to give expression to the profound mysteries of salvation is meant to produce in us that same euphoria of light, hope, joy, and liberation. Every privileged instance of vocal prayer centered in God's Word is a new moment of awakening, release, and new vision.

Practically speaking, vocal prayer assists us in several ways. It builds us up and strengthens us when our faith begins to flag. This is one of the reasons why Jesus himself prays vocally: "Father. . . I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this" (Jn. 11:41, 42). When we witness the vocal prayer of others, especially at Mass, the administration of the sacraments, and the Liturgy of the Hours, our life of faith never fails to become bolstered and renewed. In turn, the witness we give to others by our practice of vocal prayer immeasurably uplifts our brothers and sisters in need in the way that the prayers of the saints constantly support us.

The vocal aspect of our prayer helps to make our piety more complete. God "wants the external expression that associates the body with interior prayer, for it renders him that perfect homage which is his due" (2703). It is not enough to hold our prayer within. For every prayer is offered to God as a sacrifice of our deepest selves. And when we do not know what to say in offering that sacrifice, God helps us, "for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings" (Rom 8:26).

Vocal prayer is also instrumental in bringing together the people of God. "Because it is external and so thoroughly human, vocal prayer is the form of prayer most readily accessible to groups" (2704). The communitarian aspect of vocal prayer encourages others to take part in the worship of God in a non threatening yet immensely effective and enriching manner. The wisdom of the Church in this regard is manifested in the abundant treasury of prayer that has been preserved and handed down through the centuries, especially the rosary, novenas, blessings, litanies, and myriad devotional prayers.

Of course, the Lord's words must remain close to our hearts whenever we engage in vocal prayer: "In praying do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words" (Mt 6:7). The Catechism instructs us that, in praying vocally, "it is most important that the heart should be present to him to whom we are speaking in prayer" (2700). For when our heart is fully engaged and focused on God, then "vocal prayer becomes an initial form of contemplative prayer" (2704).

Just as Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh, so by devout words, "our prayer takes flesh" (2700). We rely, then, on vocal prayer to enable us to find life by coming to be in the Word who is Jesus.

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