Why is it that in the Catholic Church only and exclusively the Father is prayed to, while the other two persons of the Trinity do not appear except at the end of liturgical formulas?

Dear Father,

why is it that in the Catholic Church only and exclusively the Father is prayed to, while the other two persons of the Trinity, the one God, do not appear except at the end with the liturgical formulas?

What does it mean to pray to the Father, through the Son in the Spirit? In the Orthodox Church we pray to the Holy Trinity, many prayers to the Son and the Spirit, totally absent in the Catholic Church.

The Spirit is a divine Person and not an energy or force, right? 

Thank you very much in advance for your answers!

Biagio

---

The priest’s answer

Dear Biagio,

1. one prays to the Father because he is the source of all grace.

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” (Jn 16,23).

The Father is prayed to based on the merits of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus says ‘in my name’.

We can unite ourselves to the merits of Jesus Christ through that holy bond called charity, a virtue that unites us all together in the bond of the Holy Spirit.

2. In other words, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says the same thing when it writes: “There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray “in the name” of Jesus. The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father”. (CCC 2664).

3. However, just as in the Gospel people turned to Jesus recognising his humanity and divinity as evident in the case of the Canaanite woman who cried out: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me” so we too can turn to Jesus, who with the Father is the only God.

The term “Lord” in the Old Testament was only given to God. ‘Son of David’ was a name by which the Messiah was expected as a descendant of David.

Likewise, as St Peter answered Jesus who asked him if he loved Him more than the others, we too can turn directly to him and say: “Jesus, I love you”.

And as the blind man of Jericho cried out, ‘Jesus son of David have mercy on me’ we too can say unceasingly, ‘Jesus son of David have mercy on me a sinner’.

4. This is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church goes on and says: “The prayer of the Church, nourished by the Word of God and the celebration of the Liturgy, teaches us to pray to the Lord Jesus. Even though her prayer is addressed above all to the Father, it includes in all the liturgical traditions forms of prayer addressed to Christ. Certain psalms, given their use in the Prayer of the Church, and the New Testament place on our lips and engrave in our hearts prayer to Christ in the form of invocations: Son of God, Word of God, Lord, Savior, Lamb of God, King, Beloved Son, Son of the Virgin, Good Shepherd, our Life, our Light, our Hope, our Resurrection, Friend of mankind….” (CCC 2665).

5. With reference to the Holy Spirit, who is a divine Person and not simply force or energy, the Catechism of the Catholic Church writes: ‘No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit’ (1 Cor 12, 3).

Whenever we begin to pray to Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who, with his prevenient grace, draws us onto the path of prayer. Since he teaches us to pray by reminding us of Christ, how can we not pray to him?

That is why the Church invites us to call upon the Holy Spirit every day, especially at the beginning and the end of every important action. (CCC 2670)

6. The traditional form of petition to the Holy Spirit is to invoke the Father through Christ our Lord to give us the Consoler Spirit. Jesus insists on this petition to be made in his name at the very moment when he promises the gift of the Spirit of Truth. But the simplest and most direct prayer is also traditional, “Come, Holy Spirit,” and every liturgical tradition has developed it in antiphons and hymns:

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Heavenly King, Consoler Spirit, Spirit of Truth, present everywhere and filling all things, treasure of all good and source of all life, come dwell in us, cleanse and save us, you who are All Good!” (CCC 2671)

7. In the line of intercession we pray with the saints and beseech them to intercede for us.

We also praise God for the great works He has done in them for us.

With the wish to be enveloped more and more in prayer, I bless you and remember you to the Lord.

Father Angelo

Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: