Introduction

Introduction

Introduction ................................ xv

The Western World's Most Influential Thinker .......... 3

THE NATURE OF PRAYER

1. What is prayer? . ........ ........ ........ ..... 7

2. What happens in prayer? .... ........ ........ ..... 7

GETTING STARTED

3. What do I need to begin to pray? ...... ........ ...... 9

4. What else will help me along the way in the life of prayer?. ...... 9

5. So prayer is more than words? ........ ........ ...... 9

6. Where is all of this leading? ...... ........ ........ 10

7. What if I don't feel drawn to prayer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

PRAYER AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD

8. What should I look for when I go into myself? .... ........ 13

9. What do I need to discover this Light? ........ ........ 14

10. So our prayer is a search for a transcendent and yet immanent God? ........ ......... ....... 14

11. If God is transcendent and immanent, why are we enjoined to go into our private room and, with the door shut, pray to our Father who is in a secret place? ..... ........ 15

12. But what does it mean to "shut the door"? ...... ........ 15

13. Does this mean that beyond going into a private room, we are that private room? In other words, we are the temples where God is to be found? ... ........ ........ 16

PRAYER AND DESIRE: LONGING FOR GOD

14. I sense a longing for something that I cannot explain - actually, it's more like a void that can't be filled. Is this normal?....... 17

15. Isn't it expecting too much to think that anything can truly fill us in this life? . ......... ........ ....... 17

SEEKING GOD IN PRAYER

16. Where should I look for God? ..................... 19

17. But isn't this "going into ourselves" thing narcissistic?. ....... 20

18. In other words, prayer is not an extra, but is a part of the fulfillment of our nature? ...... ....... 20

19. Does that mean my inclination to pray is part of my nature? That I've come prepackaged for an encounter with God? ...... 21

FINDING GOD IN PRAYER

20. If God wants me to find him, why does he play hide-and-seek with me? ..... ........ ....... 23

21. Is God to be sought even after we have found him? ......... 24

PRAYER AND CONVERSION

22. What is the relationship between prayer and conversion?...... 25

PRAYER AND GRACE

23. What is more important: prayer or grace? ........ ....... 29

24. Do we really have to pray for God's grace? Can't we make it on our own? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

25. St. Augustine speaks of obtaining grace for oneself through prayer. Can we obtain grace for others through prayer? Is there a social element to prayer? .... ........ ....... 32

PRAYER AND SALVATION

26. What about non-believers? ....... ........ ....... 35

27. How does our prayer play a part in predestination?... ....... 35

28. Does this mean that Augustine counts himself among "the elect," and therefore not in need of prayer? .... ....... 36

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

29. How can I guarantee that God will hear my prayer? .. ....... 39

30. It sounds as if humility is a prerequisite for prayer. Are there other virtues that prepare the way for effective prayer? ....... 40

31. What does sacrifice have to do with prayer? ...... ....... 40

32. What is the relation between faith and prayer?..... ....... 40

33. So is faith merely the source of prayer? . ........ ....... 41

34. Christ says, Watch and pray, that you not fall into temptation. What is the relation between prayer and temptation? . ....... 42

35. So there seem to be degrees of faith. Can we say that the degree of faith we have is determined by our degree of prayer? . . . 42

36. What relation does charity have to prayer? .............. 43

THE EFFECTS OF PRAYER ON THE SOUL

37. What effects does prayer bring about in the soul?.... ....... 45

TYPES OF PRAYER

38. If contemplation is the height of all prayer, why should we use vocal prayer? ..... ........ ....... 47

39. How is the liturgy the "source and summit"? ............. 48

40. Can song really be counted as prayer? .. ........ ....... 49

PRAYER OF PRAISE

41. What is praise? ........ ........ ........ ...... 51

42. Does this mean we manipulate God through our charming praise? . . 54

43. What makes our praise so pleasing to God? ....... ....... 54

44. Other than God's deserving our praise, does Augustine offer any motivations to praise God? .. ........ ....... 55

PRAYER OF ADORATION

45. What is adoration? .... ......... ........ ...... 57

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

46. What is thanksgiving? .. ........ ........ ....... 59

PRAYER FOR MERCY

47. Is God merciful to all who call on Him? . ........ ....... 61

48. Who should pray for mercy? ....... ........ ....... 62

PRAYER OF PETITION

49. What is prayer of petition? ........ ........ ....... 63

50. Is prayer of petition necessary if before we ask him, he knows what we need? .... ........ ....... 63

51. What about those who do not know to pray for themselves? Are they lost? ....... ........ ...... 65

52. What makes our prayer of petition more efficacious? . . . . . . . 65

53. How can we receive what God bestows graciously?... ....... 66

WHAT TO ASK FOR

54. If God wants us to ask him for what we need, what precisely is it that we need? ...... ........ ...... 67

55. What does "hallowed be thy name" mean? ....... ....... 67

56. What does "thy kingdom come" mean? . ........ ....... 68

57. What does "Thy will be done" mean? .. ......... ...... 69

58. What does "give us this day our daily bread" mean? .. ....... 70

59. What does "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" mean? .. ......... ...... 70

60. What does "lead us not into temptation" mean? .... ....... 72

61. What does "deliver us from evil" mean? ........ ....... 72

62. If St. Augustine can give such an exhaustive list of things to pray for, why does St. Paul say that we do not know what to pray for as we ought (cf. Rom. 8:26)? ... ....... 73

63. What can we be assured of receiving, knowing not only that God will grant it, but that it will be for the best? ..... 74

64. What about those prayers for interior gifts - how can I know that God has answered such prayers? ... ....... 75

65. But is receiving what we ask for in this life enough to make us happy? . ........ ........ ...... 76

66. Does God hear some people's prayers more than others? ...... 76

67. In other words, the bereaving and those who feel abandoned have a special place in God's Heart?.. ....... 77

68. Is it all right to pray for our own honors and acquiring power, and might we pray that others achieve such things? .. ....... 78

69. Why are some people's prayers not answered? ...... ....... 78

70. Augustine offers possible explanations for why God does not grant some things. Is there something one could ask for with the assurance of receiving it?..... ....... 81

WHAT NOT TO ASK FOR

71. St. Augustine says God does not answer some of our prayers because we ask for the wrong things. What are those things? .... 83

PRAYING ALWAYS

72. How are we to understand the injunction pray always? ....... 85

73. But who is capable of praying at all times? .............. 85

74. But when prayer is understood in its narrow sense, how long should it last? How long should I prolong my prayer? ..... 86

75. I thought Christ said we shouldn't pray with lots of words.How do we reconcile that with what Augustine says about praying at length? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

76. Since we are encouraged to pray at length and this even vocally when we can, what form does that take? .... ....... 87

77. What form does this "desire" take in our prayer? ........... 87

78. What are the fruits of this desire in prayer? ....... ....... 88

79. What will help me to achieve this desire? ....... ....... 88

80. Given the all-important role of desire in prayer, should we conclude that prayer regimens and fixed prayer times constrict our desire? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

CHRIST'S ROLE IN OUR PRAYER

81. What does Christ have to do with our prayer life? ... ....... 91

82. What does it mean to say that Christ is Head of the Mystical Body, and how does this play out in our prayer life? .. ....... 91

83. Does that mean that with Christ as the Head, when we pray, Christ prays through us in such a way that we become his mouthpiece? . . 92

84. If we are Christ's mouthpiece when we pray, could we say that when we praise Christ, Christ praises himself? ....... 93

85. If Christ's praise is perfect, how does our praise add anything to it?. . 93

86. Does this mean that Christ intercedes for us as well or does he only praise himself when we praise him? .. ....... 94

87. Doesn't Christ say, Anything you ask the Father in my name he will give you? How does that work? ....... ....... 95

88. Christ says, If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you want and it shall be done for you. What does it mean to abide in Christ? . ........ ....... 95

ACTION AND CONTEMPLATION

89. Isn't there a conflict between action and contemplation, between our daily banalities and work and the sublime nature of prayer?. . . 97

PROGRESS IN PRAYER

90. Will my prayer always be the same? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

91. But doesn't this complicate things? If our prayer life is a relationship with Someone, why does Augustine treat it like a process or a system? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

92. What does this "turning the heart to him" look like practically? A simple act of the will? ........ .. . . . . . . . 103

93. Isn't prayer's purging of the inner eye denigrating of the human person? . ........ ........ ........ 103

94. What does one have to do to enter into illumination? ...... . 104

95. They say nobody's perfect. So how can prayer really lead us to perfection? ...... ........ ........ 105

96. But I haven't made it yet. I'm far from perfect and I can't see myself making it in this life. What am Ito do? . . . . . . 106

FINE-TUNING AND MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS ON PRAYER

97. Does it matter what posture I adopt in prayer? . . . . . . . . . . . 109

98. What if I feel unworthy of entering into communion with God? Intimacy with the Almighty seems so presumptuous. . . . . 110

99. We have spoken a lot about asking God for things in prayer. Does he ask us anything in prayer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

100. What does Augustine say about the mystical experience? . . . . . 111

THE BEGINNING

101. Will our prayer finally come to an end in heaven?... . . . . . . 113

End Notes . ........ ........ ........ ..... 115

Bibliography ............................. 121

About the Author: Cliff Ermatinger ............. 125

For everything exterior is driven in this direction and that by the world's storms and tribulations. But there is a hermitage within, and there let us examine our faith . . . there where no man can see is this hermitage, where in hope we rest, as all troubles pass it by.

Sermon 47, 14, 23

All our striving in this life consists in healing the eye of the heart in order to see God.

Sermon 88, 5

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