Question
Dear Father Angelo,
I am a young seminarian in the first year of the disciple stage. My point is very simple: I really find it difficult to recite the Liturgy of Hours, because I do not consider it a prayer but an obligation. As far as I’m concerned, missing the Eucharist for just one day makes me feel like I have a lump in my throat and a sense of emptiness inside. Furthermore, should I skip my daily Rosary prayer I would feel useless and helpless and not asking for sacramental forgiveness makes me feel I’m not in a state of grace. I do not feel the need to use the Breviary as I feel it to approach the Eucharist, Penance or to pray the Rosary as well. Although I obey to Holy Mother Church and her holy ministers, although I have read that Saint Teresa, who ignored Latin, claimed to be aware of saying so many beautiful things that please Jesus; although I know that Jesus prayed the Psalms daily I cannot see prayer as an obligation since I have always been taught that prayer must flow from the heart in order to reach heaven.
Can you give me some advice?
I also ask you to pray for my priestly formation path. Thank you!
The Priest’s answer
Dear friend,
1. First of all, I am pleased with the call you have received: becoming a priest in order to communicate God’s treasures to men and to bring men’s prayers to God.
A priest has two essential tasks: to bring God to men and men to God. The priest is a mediator himself.
He does not do it on his own initiative: how could he bring to men the gifts of God by himself if he does not have the ability to take them (these being gifts of a supernatural order), and how could he think he can gain access to God (Who is equally of a supernatural order)?
He can because Jesus invests him with His divine powers because He is the true and perfect Mediator between God and men by virtue of His divine person and His dual divine and human nature.
What is more, He acts through the priest. Jesus takes what belongs to Him and gives it to the priest, so that he can distribute it to men.
He, the High Priest, prays within the priest and through the priest on behalf of men.
2. Under this irreplaceable premise, it follows that among the various and main tasks of the priest there is also that of prayer.
The priest is called to pray not only for himself, but for all the people: “Every high priest, in fact, is chosen from among men and for men he is constituted as such in matters concerning God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins “(Heb 5: 1).
Being ordained in favor of men in things that concern God means being committed to dealing with God that is to pray.
This is why Saint Ambrose said that “priests must pray day and night for the people entrusted to them” (Commentary on 2 Timothy, 3).
Indeed, God had previously given this assignment to the Levites in the Old Testament: “I have chosen the Levites … to carry out the service of the Israelites in the tent of meeting and to pray for them (et orent pro eis), and there is no scourge for the Israelites (ne sit in populo plaga) when the Israelites approach the sanctuary ” (Num 8:18-19).
The new Italian Bishops’ Conference translation writes “that they may make atonement for the Israelites”, instead of “pray for them”. The meaning is the same.
Saint Joseph Cafasso says that before ordaining a Priest Saint Charles Borromeo, wanted his prayer, his ways, his ends and his rules to be seriously put to the test: St. Charles “did not hope that a young man was cultured or particularly intelligent so if he could not prove that that young man could become a man of prayer he would not allow him to be ordained a Priest.” (Spiritual Exercises for the Clergy, p. 402). And he concluded: “Therefore a Priest has the duty to pray” (Ib.).
3. How does the priest pray?
He certainly prays while celebrating the Sacraments, which continue the priesthood of Jesus Christ on earth.
He also prays through personal prayers.
Additionally, he prays on behalf of the Church and for the Church through the Liturgy of the Hours.
He does not pray in his own way because he too is one of those of whom St. Paul says: “We do not even know how convenient it is to pray” for which the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible moans”(Rom 8:26).
The expression “the Spirit himself intercedes for us” meaning “The Spirit himself prompts us to pray” for the Holy Spirit himself suggests what to say, what to ask, how to give thanks on behalf of the people.
He does so through the Psalms that he himself inspired to David and to all the others who composed them.
4. Everything is even more interesting if we consider that the Holy Spirit is the Advocate (the Paraclete) with the Father.
In ancient times the lawyer did not plead the case on behalf of the accused as it happens in our courts, but he suggested to the accused the words that he had to say.
So, by praying the liturgy of the hours and the Psalms we let the Holy Spirit work in us, we let ourselves be guided by Him as we present the needs of the Church and the world to the Father.
In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who suggests the right intentions to express as well as the right words to say.
Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit knows the needs of the Church and of men better than we do.
In praying for the Church and for the world, what is therefore more beautiful than letting ourselves be guided by the Spirit of God who broadens our views, who directs our thoughts to places that we would never, ever be able to reach, and who do ureges our hearts to ask and give thanks according to God’s will?
5. The Liturgy of the Hours can therefore be considered as a little Pentecost for you and for the Church. It is an action and a prayer done under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit.
While we pray the Liturgy of the Hours the Church of Heaven joins us praying with us and for us, as can be seen from that evocative passage of the Apocalypse in which St. John says he saw that “another angel came with a golden censer, and stopped near the altar; he was given many kinds of aromas, so that he could communicate them to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar placed in front of the throne.
And the smoke of aromas from the angel’s hands rose with the prayers of the saints before God.
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with the fire from the altar and threw it on the earth: thunder, voices, lightning and earthquakes followed”(Ap 8,3-5).
The aforementioned thunder as well as voices, lightning and earthquakes here symbolize the grace of conversion that is produced on earth by our prayer made in the name of the Church and for the Church.
6. Here is, therefore, a part of the beauty of prayer recited through the Liturgy of the Hours and the Psalms. It is a prayer recited on behalf of the Church and for the benefit of the Church itself.
Praying like this is certainly good for you also, but above all it is good for all those for whom you have been entrusted to pray (ut pro eis orent) because it is for this reason that you have been called to carry out this task.
You are in charge of praying on behalf of the Church and by order of Jesus who instructs the priests to be mediators.
While in other forms of prayer one’s intentions or personal needs may prevail, we recite these specific prayers instead because we are in charge of praying not only for ourselves, but on behalf of the Church and for the benefit of the Church.
I thank you for the question you asked me.
I wish you to become the type of priest whose prayers the faithful entrusted to you can count upon as this will be a permanent blessing for them.
I will remember you in my prayers and I bless you.
Father Angelo
