Whether It Is Becoming to Pray?
Objection 1: It would seem that it is unbecoming to pray. Prayer
seems to be necessary in order that we may make our needs known to
the person to whom we pray. But according to Matt. 6:32, "Your Father
knoweth that you have need of all these things." Therefore it is not
becoming to pray to God.
Obj. 2: Further, by prayer we bend the mind of the person to whom we
pray, so that he may do what is asked of him. But God's mind is
unchangeable and inflexible, according to 1 Kings 15:29, "But the
Triumpher in Israel will not spare, and will not be moved to
repentance." Therefore it is not fitting that we should pray to God.
Obj. 3: Further, it is more liberal to give to one that asks not,
than to one who asks because, according to Seneca (De Benefic. ii,
1), "nothing is bought more dearly than what is bought with prayers."
But God is supremely liberal. Therefore it would seem unbecoming to
pray to God.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Luke 18:1): "We ought always to
pray, and not to faint."
_I answer that,_ Among the ancients there was a threefold error
concerning prayer. Some held that human affairs are not ruled by
Divine providence; whence it would follow that it is useless to pray
and to worship God at all: of these it is written (Malach. 3:14):
"You have said: He laboreth in vain that serveth God." Another
opinion held that all things, even in human affairs, happen of
necessity, whether by reason of the unchangeableness of Divine
providence, or through the compelling influence of the stars, or on
account of the connection of causes: and this opinion also excluded
the utility of prayer. There was a third opinion of those who held
that human affairs are indeed ruled by Divine providence, and that
they do not happen of necessity; yet they deemed the disposition of
Divine providence to be changeable, and that it is changed by prayers
and other things pertaining to the worship of God. All these opinions
were disproved in the First Part (Q. 19, AA. 7, 8; Q. 22, AA. 2, 4;
Q. 115, A. 6; Q. 116). Wherefore it behooves us so to account for the
utility of prayer as neither to impose necessity on human affairs
subject to Divine providence, nor to imply changeableness on the part
of the Divine disposition.
In order to throw light on this question we must consider that Divine
providence disposes not only what effects shall take place, but also
from what causes and in what order these effects shall proceed. Now
among other causes human acts are the causes of certain effects.
Wherefore it must be that men do certain actions, not that thereby
they may change the Divine disposition, but that by those actions
they may achieve certain effects according to the order of the Divine
disposition: and the same is to be said of natural causes. And so is
it with regard to prayer. For we pray not that we may change the
Divine disposition, but that we may impetrate that which God has
disposed to be fulfilled by our prayers, in other words "that by
asking, men may deserve to receive what Almighty God from eternity
has disposed to give," as Gregory says (Dial. i, 8).
Reply Obj. 1: We need to pray to God, not in order to make known to
Him our needs or desires but that we ourselves may be reminded of the
necessity of having recourse to God's help in these matters.
Reply Obj. 2: As stated above, our motive in praying is, not that we
may change the Divine disposition, but that, by our prayers, we may
obtain what God has appointed.
Reply Obj. 3: God bestows many things on us out of His liberality,
even without our asking for them: but that He wishes to bestow
certain things on us at our asking, is for the sake of our good,
namely, that we may acquire confidence in having recourse to God, and
that we may recognize in Him the Author of our goods. Hence
Chrysostom says [*Implicitly (Hom. ii, de Orat.; Hom. xxx in Genes.;
Cf. Caten. Aur. on Luke 18)]: "Think what happiness is granted thee,
what honor bestowed on thee, when thou conversest with God in prayer,
when thou talkest with Christ, when thou askest what thou wilt,
whatever thou desirest."
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