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Chapter 27ScalePerfB1.1.27

That certayn praier in speche ordeyned of God and of Holi Chirche is best to hem that

The Priority of Liturgical Prayer

The author encourages those in religious life to prioritize the formal prayers of Holy Church, such as the Divine Office, as the most profitable foundation for their devotion.

are bound and appointed to it, and to those who have newly committed themselves to devotion.1 The first is spoken prayer made especially by God, as the Our Father is, and also made more generally by the ordinance of Holy Church—matins, evensong, and the hours—and also made by devout people in other special forms of words, addressed to our Lord and our Lady, and to His saints. Regarding this kind of vocal prayer: for those of you in religious life who are bound by your rule to say matins and the hours, I believe it is most helpful to say them as devoutly as you can. For when you say your matins, you also say your Our Father as the chief prayer; and further still, psalms and hymns and the like—which are made by the Holy Spirit, as the Our Father is—were ordained to be said to stir you to greater devotion.2 And therefore you should not say them hurriedly or carelessly, as if you were resentful that you are bound to them; instead you should gather your affection and your thought so as to say them more steadily and more devoutly than any other special prayer of devotion, truly believing that, since it is the prayer of Holy Church, there is no vocal prayer so profitable for you to use ordinarily as that is.34 In this way, you will put away all heaviness, and by grace, you will turn your necessity into good will and your obligation into great freedom, so that it won't be a hindrance to your spiritual occupation. After these, if you wish, you may use others, such as the Our Father or any prayer of that kind. Among these, hold onto the one in which you feel the most savor and the most spiritual comfort. This kind of prayer is generally helpful for every person at the beginning of their conversion, to be used more than any other spiritual occupation.

Vocal Prayer as a Staff for the Soul

For beginners struggling with fleshly thoughts, vocal prayer serves as a reliable staff that supports the soul and protects it from the dangers of vain meditation.

For at the beginning a person is unformed, coarse, and fleshly—unless he has greater grace—and cannot think spiritual thoughts in meditation, because his soul is not yet cleansed from old sin.5 Therefore, I think it's most helpful to use this kind of prayer: saying the Our Father and the Hail Mary, reading from the psalter, and using other similar prayers.✦ For anyone who cannot run lightly by spiritual prayer—because the feet of knowing and loving are sick with sin—needs a sure staff to hold onto.6 This staff is spoken prayer specially ordained by God and by Holy Church for the help of people's souls. By that prayer the soul of a fleshly person, always falling downward into worldly thoughts and fleshly affections, will be lifted up from them and held by those prayers as by a staff, fed with the sweet words of the prayer as a child is fed with milk, and guided by it so that he does not fall into errors or fantasies through vain meditation.7 For there is no deceit in this kind of prayer, for anyone who will work at it steadfastly and humbly.

Read the original Latin

aren bounden and ordeyned therto, and to hem that gyven hem newli to devocion.

The first is praier of speche maad speciali of God, as is the Pater Noster, and maad also more generali bi the ordenaunce of Holi Chirche, as mateyns and evesonge and houres; and also maad bi devout men of othere special seiynges, as to oure Lord and oure Ladi, and to His seyntis. As unto this matier of praier, whiche is callid vocal, me thenketh unto thee that art religious, and bi custum of rule art bounden for to seie mateyns and houres, I holde it moost spedful for to seie hem as devouteli as thou mai. For whanne thou seist thi mateyns, thou seist also thi Pater Noster principali; and over more to stire thee to more devocioun was it ordeyned for to seie psalmys and ympnys and siche othere whiche are maad bi the Holi Goost, as the Pater Noster is. And therfore thou schalt not seie hem gredili ne rekleesli, as thou were yvel paid that thou art bounden with hem, but thou schalt gadre thyn affeccioun and thi thought for to seie hem more sadli and more devouteli than ony othir special praier of devocioun, trowande for sothe, that sithen it is the praiere of Holi Chirche there is no praier so profitable to thee whiche is vocale for to use comounli as that is. And so schalt thou put awey al the hevynesse, and bi grace thou schalt turne thi nede into good wille and thi boond into gret freedom, that it schal no lettynge be to thee of goostli occupacion. And after thise, yif thou wolte, thou mai use othere, as the Pater Noster or ony swiche othir. And in thise, in whiche thou felist most savour and most gostli confort, inne that holde y best for thee. This maner of praier is spedful to everi man comonli in the bigynnynge of his conversioun, for to use most of ony othir goostli occupacioun.

For a man in the biginnynge is rude and boistous and fleiscli, but yif he have the more grace, and cannot thenke gostli thoughtis in meditacioun, for his soule is not yit clensid from olde synne. And therfore y hope it is most spedful to use this maner of praiere, as for to seie his Pater Noster and his Ave Marie and rede upon his sautier and sich othere. For he that cannot renne lightli bi goostli praier, for his feet of knowynge and lovynge aren syke for synne, hym nedeth for to have a siker staaf for to holde him bi. This staaf is special praier of speche ordayned of God and of Holi Chirche in helpe of mennys soulis, bi the whiche praier a soule of a fleischli man that is alwei fallynge dounward into worldli thoughtis and fleschli affeccions schal be liftid up from hem, and holden bi hem as bi a staaf, feed with suete wordis of the praier as a childe with mylk, and rulid bi it that he falle not in errours ne fantasies bi his veyn meditacioun. For in this maner of praiere is no disceite, whoso wole stidefastli and mekeli travaile thereinne.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.6.9-Matt.6.13;Luke.11.2-Luke.11.4 — Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Matt.6.10 — Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matt.6.11 — Give us today our daily bread. Matt.6.12 — And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matt.6.13 — And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Luke.11.2 — He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come." Luke.11.3 — Give us each day our daily bread. Luke.11.4 — and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not bring us into temptation.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩This sentence is a dependent continuation of the chapter heading/opening claim (certain spoken prayer ordained by God and Holy Church is best…); the main clause is not present in this section payload.
  2. 2 ↩principali rendered as 'as the chief prayer' (the principal petition within the office), not as 'first in order only'.
  3. 3 ↩yvel paid rendered as 'resentful' (ill-content / displeased at the obligation), not as a monetary 'badly paid'.
  4. 4 ↩sadli rendered as 'steadily' (ME sad = firm, serious, sober), not modern 'sadly'.
  5. 5 ↩ME 'rude and boistous' means untrained/uncultivated and rough or coarse, not merely 'rude' and 'noisy' in the modern sense; 'but yif' is read as 'unless'.
  6. 6 ↩The 'feet of knowing and loving' are an interior metaphor for the soul's powers of understanding and love, disabled by sin; the 'siker staaf' is the secure support of fixed spoken prayer.
  7. 7 ↩ME 'special praier of speche' is vocal/set prayer (as opposed to purely interior prayer). 'holden bi hem' is plural and points back to the set spoken prayers that form the staff, not to the worldly thoughts just named.

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