A Vincentian Approach to Prayer

I want to reflect first on what I have learned about prayer while in formation for membership in the Congregation of the Mission (henceforth the Vincentians) and in priestly service as a Vincentian priest mostly in parish work.

So here are some truths I have learned:

1. There is no right or wrong way to pray

2. A developing spirituality finds many forms of prayer that sustain, variety can be helpful.

3. That you pray is more important than how you pray

4. Praying daily (praying always is another topic) is life giving and good for you.  To accomplish this requires discipline.  Like most things good for you effort is demanded, as  you pray daily, awareness of the need for holiness will grow

   
   

Let me flesh out the above a little:

1. Not better or more worthy, or more effective.  I’d be willing to bet in Roman Catholic circle the most frequently chosen form of prayer is the Rosary. Why? It is accessible and effective.  Yes, it is not contemplation; it most certainly is prayer.

2. Personal prayer is good, liturgical prayer is good, common prayer is good, meditation is good, app prayer (like the God Minute) is good, I hope you are getting my drift here.

3. If your life is busy, stressful, chaotic, demanding, overwhelming, then most likely the simplest forms of prayer will be your friends, But you will find that truly you can pray. (you will also be challenged to find that space, rest, and leisure need to have their place in your life as well).

4. It is important to recognize our humanity when we try to build a life of prayer. As you know exercise is necessary for healthy living; yet how many good intentions to do this get squandered?  Just so for prayer, discipline and determination need to be applied, if I can be schmaltzy but the result is heavenly.

Prayer, Work, and Community: The Foundation for a Life of Holiness

Vincent de Paul founded the Vincentians as a Society of Apostolic life rather than as a traditional religious order; we were to be actively engaged in apostolic work, evangelizing the poor and training the clergy.  In layman's terms that means our focus was not to be on prayer (contemplative).  However, Vincent was absolutely firm in grounding our apostolic mission on the foundation of a life of prayer, and common life, we were to live as very dear brothers growing in holiness as we prayed and meditated together, along with the daily celebration of the Eucharist.  An integration of prayer, work, and community describes our call.  Along with this was Vincent’s understanding that our service, especially to the poor, was empowered by the Gospel wisdom of recognizing the presence of Christ in all, especially the suffering Christ in the suffering of those struggling to live with the necessities of life in short supply.  We are called to love the poor and those in need as we love Christ Jesus.  This is often described as Incarnational spirituality, a holiness based in the mystery of divinity and humanity joined in the person of Jesus Christ.  And so a Vincentian approach to prayer is grounded in an ever-growing love and imitation of Christ, which then empowers our love for one another and a desire to evangelize so that the knowledge and love of Christ grows in us and among us.  The scriptures, especially the Gospels, are central to our prayer.  The Eucharist and our joining ourselves to the giving of himself to the Father and our reception of his Body and Blood deepens our love for Christ and our communion.  Of course, this is not unique to Vincentians; it belongs to all, but this approach is central to our life of prayer.

As I conclude, let me note one other distinctive instruction from Vincent.  If we were at prayer and someone arrived seeking care, we were to leave God, to serve God; prayer and service were joined, not fundamentally separated.  Prayer was not denigrated, service was not prioritized; they were joined.  Important then for us was to realize that recognizing the presence of Christ in each and everyone and serving was empowered by our growing in holiness.  We didn’t pray to “get” holy, nor serve to “get” holy, it was our imitation of Christ and our love of Jesus that allowed for a life in which prayer and service were essential and united.  Holiness was a habit of being that depended on that uniting, that joining.  It was grace of course, grace with which we at our best cooperated.

So how do we approach prayer?  See and know Christ so as to more deeply love Christ.  We Vincentians pledge to be grounded in lives of prayer and community so that apostolic work would emerge and thrive. To me this is not at all unlike the ways, the look of holy and successful families, it is ordinary accessible and practical.  So try it, you’ll like it!  Better still you will have the to opportunity to grow in holiness, and that grace always leads to the opportunity to become more and more what we are made to be, we fellow humans made in the image and likeness of God.