St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING" and he does so shortly after reminding them, "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, HAVING ON THE BREASTPLATE OF FAITH AND CHARITY, AND FOR A HELMET THE HOPE OF SALVATION" (1 Thessalonians 5: 17, 8, emphasis added). Prayer for St. Paul is not only a pathway to eternal communion with God, but it is also a weapon to be used against the Enemy who "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour." (1 Peter 5:8). The spiritual life is a battle against the world, the flesh and the devil and we too often forget that.
LIVING AN ORDERED LIFE
The devil enjoys chaos. God is the one who brought order to the world, shaped it and designed it perfectly. All the laws of nature are a symphony of order. Then Satan comes into the garden of Eden and sows disorder. He lures Adam and Eve away from God and tells them that they can be divorced from Him. The devil seeks to separate that which should be united.
The same is true in our own lives. SATAN KNOWS THAT WE ARE HARDWIRED FOR ORDER. God has certainly given us freedom, but that freedom is to be ordered to the True, Good and Beautiful. Sin has a tendency to disrupt our lives and causes us to abuse our freedom. Instead of following God's design and order, we choose to build our house on sand and are surprised to see it fall.
DAILY TIMES FOR PRAYER
Living an ordered life, a life focused on prayer, traces itself all the way back to the traditions of the Jewish people and the Old Testament. For example, Jews have tried to fashion their daily prayer schedule to reflect the traditions of the Patriarchs. King David, who is believed to have wrote the Psalms, proclaims,
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17)
Even the prophet Daniel is shown to have a specific set of prayer,
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem; and he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (Daniel 6:10).
The Jewish people then began a tradition of praying three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening.
With the advent of Christianity, Jesus' apostles at first continued to observe the traditions of the Jews and continued to pray at the appointed times. Over time, however, three times a day did not seem enough, especially after St. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING." Christians then went back to the Old Testament for guidance. In particular, they found this passage,
Seven times a day I praise thee
for thy righteous ordinances. (Psalm 119:164)
Seven is the biblical number for perfection and Christians saw this as the perfect number of times to pray. One of the earliest documents to have recorded these different hours to pray was the "APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTIONS" written in the 4th Century (even though it only records six hours and omits the final "Night Prayer" known as Compline, seven hours becomes standard until the 6th Century). In it is written,
OFFER UP YOUR PRAYERS IN THE MORNING, AT THE THIRD HOUR, THE SIXTH, THE NINTH, THE EVENING, AND AT COCK-CROWING: in the morning, returning thanks that the Lord has sent you light, that He has brought you past the night, and brought on the day; at the third hour, because at that hour the Lord received the sentence of condemnation from Pilate; at the sixth, because at that hour He was crucified; at the ninth, because all things were in commotion at the crucifixion of the Lord, as trembling at the bold attempt of the impious Jews, and not bearing the injury offered to their Lord; in the evening, giving thanks that He has given you the night to rest from the daily labours; at cock-crowing, because that hour brings the good news of the coming on of the day for the operations proper for the light. (VIII, XXXIV, emphasis added).
St. Benedict of Nursia (who lived in the 6th Century) built upon these seven hours and added an eighth hour, which occurs in the middle of the night. Eight is the biblical number of the "new creation" as Jesus rose from the dead on the eighth day, the day after the Jewish sabbath (which is Saturday). Here is the breakdown:
* Matins (during the night, often at midnight); also called Vigils or Nocturns (Night Office)
* Lauds or "Morning Prayer" (at Dawn, or 3 a.m.)
* Prime or "Early Morning Prayer" (First Hour, around 6 a.m.)
* Terce or "Mid-Morning Prayer" (Third Hour, around 9 a.m.)
* Sext or "Midday Prayer" (Sixth Hour, around noon)
* None or "Mid-Afternoon Prayer" (Ninth Hour, around 3 p.m.)
* Vespers or "Evening Prayer" (around 6 p.m.)
* Compline or "Night Prayer" (before going to bed, typically at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.)
NOW ALL OF THIS CAN LOOK DAUNTING AND IT IS. This schedule is not meant to be mimicked exactly in the secular life. However, we can learn from it, especially the ancient Jewish way of prayer, and implement it in our own lives.
DIRECTED TOWARD UNION WITH GOD
One last note this week is that while the daily "Horarium" of prayer is a mighty weapon against Satan, we must remember that it is directed toward union with God. What this means is that it is about a relationship. Returning to the analogy of a marriage, a husband and wife need to have open and constant communication. If there is no communication, the marriage will fail. Throughout the day what sustains a marriage is talking with each other, not just once, not just twice, but "without ceasing" (in a certain sense). SO TOO WITH GOD. IF WE DESIRE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, WHO IS THE DESIRE OF OUR HEARTS, WE MUST TALK WITH HIM CONSTANTLY.
So let us remember as we begin to design our daily schedule that all of this is directed toward the One who made us and the One who will fulfill the deepest longings of our hearts.
Credit: spells-and-chants.blogspot.com
