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2700 Through his Word, God speaks to man.
By words, mental r vocal, our prayer takes flesh. Yet it is
most important that the 1176 eart should be present to
him to whom we are speaking in prayer:
Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number
of ords, but on the fervour of our souls.’2
701 Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian
life. To ~s disciples, drawn by their
Master’s silent prayer, Jesus teaches a
ocal prayer, the Our Father. He not only prayed aloud the
liturgi- 2603 1 prayers of the
synagogue but, as the gospels show, he raised his
oice to express his personal prayer, from exultant blessing
of the
702 The need to involve the senses in
interior prayer corresponds a
requirement of our human nature. We are body and spirit, and
1146 e experience the need to
translate our feelings externally. We
ust pray with our whole being to give all power possible to
our pplication.
03 This need also corresponds to a divine requirement.
God eks worshippers in Spirit and in
Truth, and consequently living ayer
that rises from the depths of the soul. He also wants the
ternal expression that associates the body with
interior prayer,
04 Because it is external and so
thoroughly human, vocal ayer is the form of prayer most
readily accessible to groups. en interior prayer, however,
cannot neglect vocal prayer. ayer is internalized to the
extent that we become aware of him whom we speak’.4
Thus vocal prayer becomes an initial form contemplative
prayer.
o~ Meditation is above all a quest. The
mind seeks to under- 158 nd the why and how of the
Christian life, in order to adhere and pond to what the Lord
is asking. The required attentiveness is |
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