Three-Fold Error Concerning Prayer
St. Thomas on Prayer (ST IIa-IIae q. 83, a. 2)
Introduction
One of St. Thomas’ most beautiful and indeed longest considerations is that of prayer. There is a certain fittingness to this, as prayer is the life of the soul, as St. Paul reminds us, “Pray constantly.”1 In his discourse on prayer, within the second article, St. Thomas deals with three errors concerning prayer. He records:
Human affairs are not ruled by Divine providence; whence it would follow that it is useless to pray and to worship God at all.
All things, even in human affairs, happen of necessity, whether by reason of the unchangeableness of Divine providence, or through the compelling influence of the stars, or on account of the connection of causes.
Human affairs are indeed ruled by Divine providence, and they do not happen of necessity; yet deem the disposition of Divine providence to be changeable, and that it is changed by prayers and other things pertaining to the worship of God.2
These are still really common errors in modern Christianity today. Overall, I encounter the third one most of all. They come from a fundamental ignorance concerning the efficacy of prayer. Drawing on St. Thomas’ own response and the mystical tradition of the Church, I will reply to each of these errors.
The First Error
Human affairs are not ruled by Divine providence; whence it would follow that it is useless to pray and to worship God at all.
The first error cited by St. Thomas denies the providence of God and His rule over all things according to His immediate knowledge of them. In this objection, since God does not rule over all things according to His providence, it would be superfluous to pray, since He cannot intervene in any way. St. Thomas addresses the providence of God in the Prima Pars and authors an article dedicated to whether God’s providence extends to all things.
St. Thomas writes:
We must say, however, that all things are subject to divine providence, not only in general, but even in their own individual selves. This is made evident thus. For since every agent acts for an end, the ordering of effects towards that end extends as far as the causality of the first agent extends. Whence it happens that in the effects of an agent, something takes place which has no reference towards the end, because the effect comes from a cause other than, and outside the intention of the agent. But the causality of God, Who is the first agent, extends to all being, not only as to constituent principles of species, but also as to the individualizing principles; not only of things incorruptible, but also of things corruptible. Hence, all things that exist in whatsoever manner are necessarily directed by God towards some end…3
He begins by claiming that all things are subject to divine providence. Here, he is not leaving room for anything to be left out of the providential ordering of God. He then says that it is made evident, thus we can see this by the way things are ordered toward an end. This touches upon one of the most fundamental principles in Thomistic Metaphysics: The Principle of Finality, that is, every agent acts for an end. St. Thomas explains that the agent is ordered toward a certain end; this is true of all beings that exist, whether it is an intelligent being or an unintelligent being, for even the stone moves towards the center of the earth. In all instances that the agent is moving toward the specific end, the First Agent, that is, the beginning of the line of causality, exercises causality over that initial agent. For example, before the creator creates the thing, he first has in his mind the end to which that thing is ordered. Simply, the why or what purpose the thing is intended for. Thus, the creator exercises a certain power over the use and ordering of the thing created. The water bottle was created to hold water and drink from. This end was intended before the water bottle was ever created in the first place.
Now, when we extend this to the causality of God, the First Efficient Cause of all things, that is, all things which exist, both corruptible and incorruptible, God’s active causation extends to all things and the end to which they are ordered. Additionally, God’s causation extends to all things based on His absolute knowledge of all things.4 This means that God, who is the cause of all things that exist, has a knowledge of all that they are and do, and orders them to their end. Though it is imperative that we understand that this is not as if God looks at something and then learns it and then orders it in a line of successive events, one causing the next. It is precisely His knowledge that is the cause of the ordering, immediate, and complete. This ordering is what we call providence.
St. Thomas beautifully speaks to how God, as First Cause, not only creates the being but also orders it to the end, and shows how if God is the cause of the being, He must also order that being through providence. If this is the case, it shows that prayer as a lifting of the soul to God to ask of Him what we need is indeed not superfluous. God not only has providentially ordered our good, but He has communicated to secondary causes the manner in which these things are mediated to us. One of those ways is through the act of prayer. Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange speaks to this in his masterpiece entitled Providence, “From all eternity, God willed it to be one of the most fruitful factors in our spiritual life, a means of obtaining the graces necessary to reach the goal of our life’s journey.”5 Here, we can see that God not only predestines the effect but, in the same infallible decree, He also predestines the cause.
The Second Error
All things, even in human affairs, happen of necessity, whether by reason of the unchangeableness of Divine providence, or through the compelling influence of the stars, or on account of the connection of causes.
This error seems to be a very common one amongst those who ascribe to the stars an efficacious hold over the actions of mankind. Here, we can bring up recourse to things like horoscopes or zodiacs. Recourse to these created things rests within the sin of superstition, which is contrary to the First Commandment.
St. Thomas deals with the question of the stars and other heavenly bodies affecting the actions of man in his discourse on Divine Governance in the Prima Pars. Very simply, St. Thomas makes the distinction that the heavenly bodies can only influence the things of this world, accidentally. More specifically, these heavenly bodies act on the organs in the lower senses but cannot force the intellect, and in particular, the will, to do anything. Conceivably, he admits, there can be some influence over the senses, and by extension, the intellect, as the sun shedding light is necessary for the eye to see. But the will, which is the faculty of choice, is not affected in the same way. St. Thomas says:
It would therefore follow that man has no free will, and that he would have determinate actions, like other natural things. All of which is manifestly false, and contrary to human habit. It must be observed, however, that indirectly and accidentally, the impressions of heavenly bodies can reach the intellect and will, forasmuch, namely, as both intellect and will receive something from the inferior powers which are affixed to corporeal organs. But in this, the intellect and will are differently situated. For the intellect, of necessity, receives from the inferior apprehensive powers: wherefore if the imaginative, cogitative, or memorative powers be disturbed, the action of the intellect is, of necessity, disturbed also. The will, on the contrary, does not, of necessity, follow the inclination of the inferior appetite; for although the passions in the irascible and concupiscible have a certain force in inclining the will, nevertheless the will retains the power of following the passions or repressing them. Therefore, the impressions of the heavenly bodies, by virtue of which the inferior powers can be changed, has less influence on the will, which is the proximate cause of human actions, than on the intellect.6
Essentially, if man’s will was so affected by the heavenly bodies, it would follow that man has no free will, as the will would be bound to the movement of what is above. St. Thomas considers it manifestly evident that, according to human habit, the heavenly bodies do not exert their pressure over the will of man, except in an accidental way. Since it is accidental, it is not of necessity, as a human is free to act according to the good which their will is moved toward.
Included in this is the error of fatalism; in modern times, the error in following zodiac signs can be seen here. In this error, we can see that those who fall easily to their passions attempt to explain it as they fall under a certain sign or star pattern. This is a form of spiritual sloth, as they are more willing to excuse their actions as a function of fate rather than practice the requisite virtue to govern the passion.
Both recourse to the stars and fatalism leave out recourse to prayer, as the one who trusts in the movement of the stars or in the fatalism of the various zodiacs does not lift their soul to God to guide in discerning the way forward or the practice of virtue. Instead, they stay inundated with the superstition of broad generalizations and refuse to place their trust in God.
The Third Error
Human affairs are indeed ruled by Divine providence, and they do not happen of necessity; yet deem the disposition of Divine providence to be changeable, and that it is changed by prayers and other things pertaining to the worship of God.
The final error finds itself within the heart of many believers who, though they have faith in God and do lift their hearts to Him in prayer, misunderstand the purpose of prayer because of poor catechesis or simple error. Many will lift their prayers to God with the hope that they will change His mind about what is being asked for. They view prayer as a supplication to God, who then receives that petition, weighs the options, and perhaps the merit of the person asking, and then decides whether or not He will grant the petition. Simply, we reduce our conversation with God to the level of a conversation with another human person, had within time, and subject to change.
But God is perfectly immutable. St. Thomas writes:
From what precedes, it is shown that God is altogether immutable. First, because it was shown above that there is some first being, whom we call God; and that this first being must be pure act, without the admixture of any potentiality, for the reason that, absolutely, potentiality is posterior to act. Now, everything which is in any way changed is in some way in potentiality. Hence, it is evident that it is impossible for God to be in any way changeable.7
Very simply, since God is pure act, having not been created or moved by another, there is no potency in Him. He does not move from potency to act, as He is not moved by another. This reduction is the simplest form of change found within being. If this form of change is not found in God, neither then is any change found in God. We must then understand this immutability when considering the will of God and His answering of prayer. God’s will is wholly immutable.8 This means that our prayers do not change the mind of God. Fr. Joseph Fenton, one of the greatest students of Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, writes in his masterful Theology of Prayer:
The Christian does not imagine that, in praying, he bends the eternal will of God to change the intention it has already formed. The Christian who prays puts his own mind and his own will in harmony with the mind and will of God, and sets out to procure from God the very goods which He has designed to give man from all eternity, but only in answer to prayer.9
Fr. Fenton sums up the disposition that we ought to have when we bring our petitions to God. God already knows what we need.10 We are not going to God with our needs for His benefit. We are going to Him to conform our wills to His and remind ourselves that we require His assistance for all things:
“We need to pray to God, not in order to make known to Him our needs or desires, but that we ourselves may be reminded of the necessity of having recourse to God’s help in these matters.”11
Since
“For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
It is precisely in our nothingness that we must lift our souls to God for His divine assistance, but not for His benefit. There are certain things that God has providentially ordered that we receive only through prayer. More than that, there are certain things that God has ordained that we receive only through much perseverance in prayer. Thus, following St. Thomas, Garrigou teaches: “True prayer, by which we ask for ourselves with humility, confidence, and perseverance the graces necessary for salvation, is infallibly efficacious.”12
This is the beauty of prayer. Prayer leads to union between the Lover and the beloved since it is a lifting of the soul to God in order to unify our will to His. God wills that certain things be accomplished through our prayer: “For we pray not that we may change the Divine disposition, but that we may impetrate that which God has disposed to be fulfilled by our prayers…”13
Our prayer does not begin with us. It is willed by God from all eternity and is a movement of grace by Him. Garrigou writes:
We sometimes speak as though prayer were a force having the primary cause of its efficacy in ourselves, seeking by way of persuasion to bend God’s will to our own… In point of fact, before ever we ourselves decided to have recourse to prayer, it was willed by God. From all eternity, God willed it to be one of the most fruitful factors in our spiritual life, a means of obtaining the graces necessary to reach the goal of our life’s journey.14
Thus, we can see from all of this that God’s will is unchangeable, and He has providentially ordered both the prayer itself and the effects which come from the prayer. It is precisely God’s immutable providence that makes prayer efficacious. We are moved to pray by God’s grace, and as we lift our souls to prayer to God, He brings the effects forth from that prayer as effects of what He has eternally willed for us.
Conclusion
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
The interior room is where we go to pray; that is, the interior room of our soul is lifted to God in prayer, aided by His grace, and it is efficacious for that which He has providentially ordered. As St. Thomas teaches us, we are not to have recourse to the stars or to a fatalist interpretation of them. We are not to dismiss the providence of God, but instead, to entrust ourselves to His goodness, knowing that God desires our salvation.
When we retreat into our interior room, we must do so with an ever-growing fervency for communion with God, grounded in charity, humility, and abandonment. It is here, deep in the recesses of that room, where we meet the Lover of our souls and are drawn into an ever more unitive relationship with Him. Prayer is our vehicle to the Unitive Way. By understanding these errors and correcting them in our own prayer lives, we can move to a far more fruitful interior life. God has called us to union with Him, and He has ordained that our prayer be efficacious to that end.
1 Thessalonians 5:17.
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae IIa-IIae q. 83, a. 2.
ST Ia q. 22, a. 2.
Cf. ST Ia q. 14, aa. 6 and 1.
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Providence, 205.
ST Ia q. 115, a. 4.
ST Ia q. 9, a. 1.
Cf. ST Ia q. 19, a. 7.
Joseph Fenton, Theology of Prayer, 46.
Cf. Matthew 6:8.
ST IIa-IIae q. 83, a. 2.
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Three Ages of the Interior Life, Vol. I, 429. Cf. ST IIa-IIae, q. 83, a. 15.
ST IIa-IIae, q. 83, a. 2.
Garrigou-Lagrange, Providence, 204-205.
I’m also aware that there are times when we are praying but don’t regard it as such. I see it more in others and am mostly unconscious of it in myself but convinced it happens. Our unconscious acts of childlike trust, our daily preferences which show a semblance of detachment from worldly things. The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf when we are able to receive even the smallest of graces.
Lovely reflection!