Prayer Books vs. Mental Prayer: Is one better than the other?

In the spiritual life there are often two methods of prayer that are used by many people: either only using prayer books or only praying to God through mental prayer.

[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]’The Missal’, by John William Waterhouse[/featured-image]

Should we favor one over the other? Is one more effective than the other?

Let’s see what St. Gregory of Sinai has to say:

“Do not abandon prayer books. Some people hold on to many methods of prayer found in prayer books while others give up prayer books completely and concentrate only on mental prayer. You should take the middle road: Do not say many prayers because you will be exhausted; but do not give them up altogether because of infirmity and weakness. [In the same way] If you see that [mental] prayer is active in you and its movement does not cease in your heart, do not leave it and take a prayer book. This would be the same as if you left God in the depths of your heart and then tried to converse with him from the outside” (The Way of a Pilgrim180, emphasis added).

From St. Gregory’s point of view, we should not abandon either method of prayer. Both have their merits and should not be abandoned completely. At the same time, he mentions how we should not stop praying in a way where we see the movement of God and should continue with it. This principle appears to be reflected in the Catechism:

“2700 Through his Word, God speaks to man. By words, mental or vocal, our prayer takes flesh. Yet it is most important that the heart 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 words, but on the fervor of our souls [St. John Chrysostom]

The whole focus of prayer should never be “quantity” but “quality.” If we find ourselves being raised up to God through prayer books, then we should remain in that prayer. If we find God speaking to us through mental prayer, then we should rest in God’s presence.

However, we also should not limit the ways in which God may want to speak to us. It is possible that God may want us to put down that prayer book and simply talk to Him. Or, God may want us to pick up a prayer book to find words from scripture or from a prayer that expresses what He wants to communicate to us.

Similar to the experience of Saint Augustine where He heard in the depths of His heart to “Pick up and read,” God often uses both prayer methods to speak to our soul.

In the end this may seem obvious to some, but it is important to remember. We are humans and often we need variety to keep us going. So too in the spiritual life. If we find our prayer dry after praying all of our novenas, maybe we need to set down our prayer book and listen to God. At the same time, if we sit down to pray and do not feel God moving in our hearts, maybe we have to pick up a prayer book and see what words God wants to use to inspire us.

As we go forward in the spiritual life, let us seek a balanced prayer life where we seek to respond to God’s mysterious movements in the depths of our soul.

 

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