When We Wish to Suggest Our Wants to Persons of High Station
Effective prayer requires humility, purity of heart, and tears of compunction, and should be brief in community.
St. Benedict of Nursia emphasizes the importance of humility and reverence in prayer, comparing it to how we approach persons of high station with respect. He highlights the necessity of complete humility and pure devotion when supplicating to the Lord, emphasizing that it is not about saying a lot but about having a pure heart and tears of compunction. St. Benedict advises that prayers should be short and pure, unless divinely inspired to be prolonged, and in community settings, prayers should be brief and unified.
Text
When we wish to suggest our wants to persons of high station, we do not presume to do so except with humility and reverence. How much the more, then, are complete humility and pure devotion necessary in supplication of the Lord who is God of the universe! And let us be assured that it is not in saying a great deal that we shall be heard (Matt 6:7), but in purity of heart and in tears of compunction. Our prayer, therefore, ought to be short and pure, unless it happens to be prolonged by an inspiration of divine grace. In community, however, let prayer be very short, and when the Superior gives the signal let all rise together.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Humility in Prayer
- The Nature of Effective Prayer
- Prayer in Community
- Prayer should be brief in community
- Rise together when the Superior gives the signal
Key Quotes
“It is not in saying a great deal that we shall be heard, but in purity of heart and in tears of compunction.” — St. Benedict of Nursia
“Our prayer, therefore, ought to be short and pure, unless it happens to be prolonged by an inspiration of divine grace.” — St. Benedict of Nursia
Application Points
- We should approach prayer with humility and reverence.
- Our prayer should be short and pure, unless inspired by divine grace.
- In community, prayer should be brief and everyone should rise together when the Superior gives the signal.