BBC 2: Prayer - Quote

In chapter two of A Good Life, Robert Benson asks the question, "What does this ancient way of prayer have to do with us - we who are too busy and too frazzled and too harried in the age in which we find ourselves, we who do not live in a monastery but rather live in the world? Why should this prayer matter to us?"

Indeed.

Why should this prayer matter to us? Benson observes,

"The saying of the divine office - whether it be chanted or read silently, said seven times a day or four times a day or two times a day, privately or in communion...the Work of God [praying the divine office] offers us the chance to make our lives of prayer larger than our own lives. The divine office makes it possible for us to be included more deeply in the prayers of the whole body of Christ, from ages past to ages to come."

He goes on to share how praying the office reframes our experience of life: our prayer becomes less about ourselves, it connects us to the "whole community of Christ," that the cycles and seasons of prayer connect us to other stories and people, especially those who suffer. Then he concludes by offering one more effect of praying the office.

"Praying the office does another thing, too, a thing that is perhaps the most important of all. To pray the office is to frame the day with praise and thanksgiving. It serves to make the worship of God the center of our life. It changes the focus of our prayers from the created to the Creator. 'The Lord inhabits the praises of his people,' go the ancient words. And the people who do the praising as well, I believe."

It is for these reasons and more that prayer matters for the people of God. For those of you on this journey with me, who have either been praying the office for awhile, who are just beginning to pray the office, or are curious about the whole phenomena that Benson describes, why does this prayer matter to you? And how are you working it out in the living of your day? As James comments in the previous BBC post, what bells ring in your lives to call you to prayer among the many other places that you are being summoned to?

Before we move on to chapter three and the subject of rest, I want to make one more post on this topic/chapter that deals with some of the practical aspects of prayer and a few resources that are available for those who wish to step into this particular stream of praise and thanksgiving.

Comments

[Chad J.]

I am hearing those bells. . . . just trying to figure out how to best respond.

I probably am not saying this very well, but I have noticed a difference between the sort of unhealthy compulsion that we can attach to prayer (let's call that the "The Daily Checklist") and a more healthy kind of compulsion (The Daily Office).

I have generally resisted the idea of setting up a hard/fast expectation for regular prayer. Not wanting to turn prayer into a superstitious exercise where I am always rewarding myself for keeping the routine or chastising myself for failing to do so.

Benson is helping me see a difference between what I just described and the discipline required to make the Daily Office a part of your life. It feels like The Daily Office suggests a more holistic approach: an intentional ordering of your life, prayers tethered to scripture and the history of the Church and to one another. Prayer that keeps us within some healthy boundaries. We pray with guidance. We aren't left simmering in our own inadequacy quite as much.

I will enjoy seeing your list of resources Tim.

[Matt]

I pretty much echo Chad's comments completely. I can't wait to see some of these resources as I feel myself moving closer to praying the Daily Office.

[Tim Keel]

Yes, guys, I agree. I think the ability to differentiate and then observe the spirit from the letter of the law is the crux to any practice of a spiritual discipline. It is so easy and happens far too often that we mistake the practice as an end rather than a means to an end. With that in mind it is good to reconsider Paul's strong admonition to the Galatians 5:1 -

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Then the second half of verse 6 -

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love."

Living in the freedom of grace is so critical and yet creates a dynamic that challenges us such that we often slide to one end or the other - freedom from any practice or boundary (resulting in bondage to ourselves/desires/whims) or bondage to our practices and boundaries (resulting in a different kind of bondage). This is why I love how Paul wraps it up, as he often does, with love's preeminence.

[Eric Disney]

sorry, still haven't gotten my book from amazon, but just wanted to give a quick response to the quotes from the book--there's something about the word "chanting" and "repetitive" as in several times a day that raises a red flag for me--coming from yrs. of fundamental Methodist "churching", it seems to hint at a certain kind of mysticism or new age discipline--even praying the rosary-like that is a little off-putting for me. in other words, i guess i really need to get my hands on the book, because i just can't grasp the concept of "being included more deeply in the prayers of the whole body of Christ from ages past to ages to come."what does that mean in real-life terms??? sigh. i have such a long way to go.

[Tim Keel]

I don't think you have a long way to go, Eric. I do think you have some reading to catch up on though! ;-)

In this, as with all things, you need to exercise discernment, to test the spirits as it were. At the same time, I don't think there should be a spirit of fear either. Towards that end, learning and discussion is critical to the process of discernment.

So...get that book!