De oratione
The Royal Example of Prayer
The author draws upon the examples of David and Solomon to urge the king to maintain a life of constant, humble prayer.
And this, too, must be carefully noted: King David reached this heavenly protection by praying. He began like this: Hear my prayer, O God, when I plead with you; rescue my soul from the fear of the enemy. You have protected me from the gathering of the malicious, from the throng of those who work iniquity, and so on. .1 And so you too, most faithful king: so that, supported by the Lord's help, you can defend your kingdom, keep seeking His protection in constant prayer. After all, you have countless examples of King David's own prayers in the Psalms. We'll also include a few examples from Solomon, who says: The Lord is far from the wicked, but He will hear the prayers of the just. Whoever keeps the law multiplies prayer. Again he himself says: Prayer offered in humility will pierce beyond the mountains.
The Apostolic Call to Vigilance
Drawing on the Gospels and the Epistles, the author reinforces the necessity of persistent prayer and intercession for the king's spiritual endurance.
The Lord says in the Gospel: Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.✦ So stay awake at every moment, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape what is coming and to stand before the Son of Man.✦ Paul also says: Be devoted to prayer, praying at every moment, watching in the Spirit with every kind of perseverance.✦ James, for his part, says: Pray for one another so that you may be healed; for the constant prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.✦2 For we too are always praying with the Apostle for you, that God may count you worthy of his calling and fulfill every desire of his goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.✦ And we are confident about you in the Lord that what we command, you both do and will do.✦ And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and the endurance of Christ.✦3 Amen.
Read the original Latin
Nam et hoc intuendum est, quia ad hoc coeleste praesidium rex David orando pervenit; sic enim inchoans coepit: Exaudi, Deus, orationem meam cum deprecor: a timore inimici eripe animam meam. Protexisti me a conventu malignantium, a multitudine operantium iniquitatem, etc. . Et tu ergo, fidelissime rex, ut Domini possis auxilio fultus tuum defendere regnum, ejus jugiter orans require praesidium. Ipsius enim David regis innumerabilia de oratione in Psalmis habes exempla. De Salomone quoque et hic perpauca ponimus exempla: Ait enim: Longe est Dominus ab impiis; et orationes justorum exaudiet. Qui conservat legem, multiplicat orationem. Item ipse: Oratio in humilitate penetrabit super montes.
Dominus in Evangelio ait: Omnia quaecunque petieritis in oratione credentes, accipietis. Vigilate itaque omni tempore, orantes ut digni habeamini fugere quae futura sunt, et stare ante filium hominis. Paulus quoque ait: Orationi instantes, orantes omni tempore, in spiritu vigilantes in omni instantia. Jacobus autem dicit: Orate pro invicem ut salvemini: multum enim valet deprecatio justi assidua. Nam et nos oramus semper cum Apostolo pro vobis, ut dignetur vos vocatione sua Deus, et impleat omnem voluntatem bonitatis, et opus fidei in virtute, ut clarificetur nomen Domini nostri Jesu Christi in vobis, et vos in illo, secundum gratiam Dei nostri et Domini Jesu Christi. Confidimus autem de vobis in Domino quoniam quae praecipimus, et facitis, et facietis. Dominus autem dirigat corda vestra in charitate Dei, et patientia Christi. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.21.22;Mark.11.24 — And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Mark.11.24 — Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
- ↩Luke.21.36 — But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
- ↩Rom.12.12;Eph.6.18;Col.4.2 — Rejoice in hope; endure in affliction; persevere in prayer. Eph.6.18 — Through all prayer and supplication, praying at every season in the Spirit, and for this keeping watch with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Col.4.2 — Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
- ↩Jas.5.16 — Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful as it works.
- ↩2Thess.1.11-2Thess.1.12 — To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and fulfill by his power every desire for goodness and every work of faith, 2Thess.1.12 — so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- ↩2Thess.3.4 — And we are confident in the Lord regarding you, that you are doing and will do the things we command.
- ↩2Thess.3.5 — May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of Christ.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source sentence is only a lone period; almost certainly a segmentation artifact after the abbreviated psalm citation ending in etc.
- 2 ↩Latin salvemini can mean 'be saved' or, in the James 5:16 sickness context, 'be healed'; the latter fits the biblical locus more closely.
- 3 ↩charitate rendered as love per lexeme policy for charitas; patientia as endurance rather than mere passivity, matching Christ's steadfast patience.
Via Regia (The Royal Road) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit