In Defense of Flagellation
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Prayer can be done in two chief ways: vocally or mentally. The difference between vocal prayer and mental prayer is not that one is spoken aloud and the other quietly within our minds. Instead, vocal prayer refers to reciting prayers, either aloud or inside our minds. Vocal prayer follows a pre-existing formula or uses words to talk to God. Mental prayer, on the other hand, is simply thinking about God.
In order for vocal prayer to be more effective, one needs to pay more attention while saying the prayers. Even if one fails to maintain attention during vocal prayer, the initial choice to pray is still meritorious and pleasing to God – better to try and fail than to not try at all (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 84, a. 13).
There are three degrees of attention in vocal prayer (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 84, a. 13). First and lowest, is attention to the words we say, to make sure one pronounces them properly. This is doing the bare minimum, actually saying words. It is a sort of prerequisite to any sort of communication between people and is similarly the prerequisite to better vocal prayer.
Second and better, is attention to the meaning of the words, to be aware of what you are saying. Most of our vocal prayers (especially the prayers of the Mass) are extremely beautiful and rich in meaning. We would be immensely edified if we closed our eyes and focused on what we were truly saying to God.
Third and best, is attention to whom you are speaking, to be aware that you speak directly to God, Mary, or the saints. If you only had a few moments to talk to your favorite celebrity or political hero, you would focus during those moments. But in prayer we get to talk with God, with God’s mother, and with our holy heroes – the saints. Active awareness of whom we speak to in prayer is extremely beneficial. It teaches us that the spiritual life is a relationship. We do not pray to earn points or check off things from a list. We pray to talk to our beloved. Looking at sacred art during vocal prayer can help one remember that one is speaking to a person, to Christ.
Matthew McKenna is a Ph.D candidate in Theology at Ave Maria University. He studies and teaches on the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, G.K. Chesterton, and J.R.R. Tolkien. His dissertation-in-progress explains the link between the masculine genius and the priesthood.
