Whether Attention Is a Necessary Condition of Prayer?
Objection 1: It would seem that attention is a necessary condition of
prayer. It is written (John 4:24): "God is a spirit, and they that
adore Him must adore Him in spirit and in truth." But prayer is not
in spirit unless it be attentive. Therefore attention is a necessary
condition of prayer.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer is "the ascent of the mind to God"
[*Damascene, De Fide Orth. iii, 24]. But the mind does not ascend to
God if the prayer is inattentive. Therefore attention is a necessary
condition of prayer.
Obj. 3: Further, it is a necessary condition of prayer that it should
be altogether sinless. Now if a man allows his mind to wander while
praying he is not free of sin, for he seems to make light of God;
even as if he were to speak to another man without attending to what
he was saying. Hence Basil says [*De Constit. Monach. i] that the
"Divine assistance is to be implored, not lightly, nor with a mind
wandering hither and thither: because he that prays thus not only
will not obtain what he asks, nay rather will he provoke God to
anger." Therefore it would seem a necessary condition of prayer that
it should be attentive.
_On the contrary,_ Even holy men sometimes suffer from a wandering of
the mind when they pray, according to Ps. 39:13, "My heart hath
forsaken me."
_I answer that,_ This question applies chiefly to vocal prayer.
Accordingly we must observe that a thing is necessary in two ways.
First, a thing is necessary because thereby the end is better
obtained: and thus attention is absolutely necessary for prayer.
Secondly, a thing is said to be necessary when without it something
cannot obtain its effect. Now the effect of prayer is threefold. The
first is an effect which is common to all acts quickened by charity,
and this is merit. In order to realize this effect, it is not
necessary that prayer should be attentive throughout; because the
force of the original intention with which one sets about praying
renders the whole prayer meritorious, as is the case with other
meritorious acts. The second effect of prayer is proper thereto, and
consists in impetration: and again the original intention, to which
God looks chiefly, suffices to obtain this effect. But if the
original intention is lacking, prayer lacks both merit and
impetration: because, as Gregory [*Hugh St. Victor, Expos. in Reg. S.
Aug. iii] says, "God hears not the prayer of those who pay no
attention to their prayer." The third effect of prayer is that which
it produces at once; this is the spiritual refreshment of the mind,
and for this effect attention is a necessary condition: wherefore it
is written (1 Cor. 14:14): "If I pray in a tongue . . . my
understanding is without fruit."
It must be observed, however, that there are three kinds of attention
that can be brought to vocal prayer: one which attends to the words,
lest we say them wrong, another which attends to the sense of the
words, and a third, which attends to the end of prayer, namely, God,
and to the thing we are praying for. That last kind of attention is
most necessary, and even idiots are capable of it. Moreover this
attention, whereby the mind is fixed on God, is sometimes so strong
that the mind forgets all other things, as Hugh of St. Victor states
[*De Modo Orandi ii].
Reply Obj. 1: To pray in spirit and in truth is to set about praying
through the instigation of the Spirit, even though afterwards the
mind wander through weakness.
Reply Obj. 2: The human mind is unable to remain aloft for long on
account of the weakness of nature, because human weakness weighs down
the soul to the level of inferior things: and hence it is that when,
while praying, the mind ascends to God by contemplation, of a sudden
it wanders off through weakness.
Reply Obj. 3: Purposely to allow one's mind to wander in prayer is
sinful and hinders the prayer from having fruit. It is against this
that Augustine says in his Rule (Ep. ccxi): "When you pray God with
psalms and hymns, let your mind attend to that which your lips
pronounce." But to wander in mind unintentionally does not deprive
prayer of its fruit. Hence Basil says (De Constit. Monach. i): "If
you are so truly weakened by sin that you are unable to pray
attentively, strive as much as you can to curb yourself, and God will
pardon you, seeing that you are unable to stand in His presence in a
becoming manner, not through negligence but through frailty."
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