In the previous chapter, Benedict provided an order of Psalms said during the hours of prayer. Now he turns to his attention to our spiritual attitude by worshippers toward God who alone is worthy of worship. Benedict acknowledges that God is ever-present, but the Saint suggests the veil of God’s presence is particularly thin when we pray. Therefore, we mindfully approach each hour of prayer with sober reverence. Prayers have no room for idleness of thought or expression. Prayer illuminates every part of our lives “because we believe ‘beyond the least doubt’ that the God we seek is there seeking us.”[1]
A second aspect of Benedictine attitude in prayer is its power to refine our minds and hearts and bring harmony into our lives. Prayer shapes our attitude as declared in the early church doctrine Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi (loosely interpreted. “the way we pray is the way we believe; the way we believe is the way we live”). The Benedictine approach to prayer is much more than the recitation of ancient words or expressions of great piety. Prayer seeks physical, mental, and spiritual accord. There is power in harmony.
Harmony of voices generates power. A few years ago, my wife and I visited the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and witnessed the power of voices in harmony. A choir director had brought his singers to visit the beautiful cathedral. Gathering the choir under the archway leading into one of the chapels, the director made his point by asking them to softly hum a single note. As their voices softly blended, the ornaments in the chapel began to shake from the vibrations of voices in harmony.
The community in prayer, shares a common mental focus as our life experiences are answered through the Psalms. The Psalms instruct the common assembly through divine truths. Each hour of prayer offers common lessons to be learned by the congregation. The power of shared thought provides strength in community.
For spiritual formation, the force of harmony includes the Holy Spirit, as well as the spiritual union of the community. Through prayer, God’s presence becomes profound. Glory is revealed in the spiritual harmony of prayer shared by the people and their God.
The discipline of Psalmody generates a beauty of prayer that compels the religious to gather in community. The prayers described by Saint Benedict nourish body, mind, and spirit. As we develop daily rhythms of prayer through this Rule of Life, we are drawn deeply into relationship with God and our spirits are slowly formed into the image of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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[1] Joan Chittister, The rule of Benedict: a spirituality for the 21st century (New York: Crossroad, 2010), 130.
