Whether Prayer Should Be Vocal?
Objection 1: It would seem that prayer ought not to be vocal. As
stated above (A. 4), prayer is addressed chiefly to God. Now God
knows the language of the heart. Therefore it is useless to employ
vocal prayer.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer should lift man's mind to God, as stated
above (A. 1, ad 2). But words, like other sensible objects, prevent
man from ascending to God by contemplation. Therefore we should not
use words in our prayers.
Obj. 3: Further, prayer should be offered to God in secret, according
to Matt. 6:6, "But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy
chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret." But
prayer loses its secrecy by being expressed vocally. Therefore prayer
should not be vocal.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Ps. 141:2): "I cried to the Lord
with my voice, with my voice I made supplication to the Lord."
_I answer that,_ Prayer is twofold, common and individual. Common
prayer is that which is offered to God by the ministers of the Church
representing the body of the faithful: wherefore such like prayer
should come to the knowledge of the whole people for whom it is
offered: and this would not be possible unless it were vocal prayer.
Therefore it is reasonably ordained that the ministers of the Church
should say these prayers even in a loud voice, so that they may come
to the knowledge of all.
On the other hand individual prayer is that which is offered by any
single person, whether he pray for himself or for others; and it is
not essential to such a prayer as this that it be vocal. And yet the
voice is employed in such like prayers for three reasons. First, in
order to excite interior devotion, whereby the mind of the person
praying is raised to God, because by means of external signs, whether
of words or of deeds, the human mind is moved as regards
apprehension, and consequently also as regards the affections. Hence
Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx, 9) that "by means of words and
other signs we arouse ourselves more effectively to an increase of
holy desires." Hence then alone should we use words and such like
signs when they help to excite the mind internally. But if they
distract or in any way impede the mind we should abstain from them;
and this happens chiefly to those whose mind is sufficiently prepared
for devotion without having recourse to those signs. Wherefore the
Psalmist (Ps. 26:8) said: "My heart hath said to Thee: 'My face hath
sought Thee,'" and we read of Anna (1 Kings 1:13) that "she spoke in
her heart." Secondly, the voice is used in praying as though to pay a
debt, so that man may serve God with all that he has from God, that
is to say, not only with his mind, but also with his body: and this
applies to prayer considered especially as satisfactory. Hence it is
written (Osee 14:3): "Take away all iniquity, and receive the good:
and we will render the calves of our lips." Thirdly, we have recourse
to vocal prayer, through a certain overflow from the soul into the
body, through excess of feeling, according to Ps. 15:9, "My heart
hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced."
Reply Obj. 1: Vocal prayer is employed, not in order to tell God
something He does not know, but in order to lift up the mind of the
person praying or of other persons to God.
Reply Obj. 2: Words about other matters distract the mind and hinder
the devotion of those who pray: but words signifying some object of
devotion lift up the mind, especially one that is less devout.
Reply Obj. 3: As Chrysostom says [*Hom. xiii in the Opus Imperfectum
falsely ascribed to St. John Chrysostom], "Our Lord forbids one to
pray in presence of others in order that one may be seen by others.
Hence when you pray, do nothing strange to draw men's attention,
either by shouting so as to be heard by others, or by openly striking
the heart, or extending the hands, so as to be seen by many. And yet,
according to Augustine (De Serm. Dom. in Monte ii, 3), "it is not
wrong to be seen by men, but to do this or that in order to be seen
by men."
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