A sentence read in the community report on a stagiaire struck my attention, all the more that the same topic came back in a couple of conversations with confreres. So, here is a letter addressed to all the candidates. Each of them should receive a copy. I leave it to you to see how to use it, either to let candidates read it personally or discuss it in teams or in community. Hoping it will help our young men to reflect on their practice and foster the growth of their spiritual life.
The Missionaries of Africa are witnesses
The Missionaries of Africa are witnesses: ‘Be apostles and nothing but apostles.’ Our predecessors had the very clear missionary vision of evangelising Africa. Their whole lives and all their activities were organised in view of this aim of evangelisation comprising the catechumenate, the learning of languages and cultures, opening schools, health care...
After Vatican II, quite a few structures were abandoned. From a lifestyle in which everything was organised, we moved to a way of life that gave more leeway to personal initiative and individual freedom. Personal prayer now gives the impression of being considered by some as a private activity. ‘I pray where I want at the time and place that suits me.’ Without wishing to fall back into the strictness of the past, we could nevertheless ask ourselves if we have not forgotten example as an important aspect of our prayer.
The Outcome of Visible Prayer
The visibility of other people’s prayer is important from several points of view: Firstly, it supports and encourages me. I am not alone in believing in God, in spending time with him. Around me, I see my brothers in prayer. Just as love and enthusiasm are contagious, so is prayer.
Secondly, praying together creates communion between individuals. This is a common experience at group retreats. Without knowing or speaking to one another, retreatants create fraternity in spirit. We are sisters and brothers of one another because we are children of the same Father to whom we devote time in prayer. We find ourselves in union with others because of this shared relationship to God. Praying together clearly demonstrates that we belong to the same family.
Finally, a visible prayer has the value of example. When people see me devoting hours per day to my relationship to God in silent prayer, they know that this relationship is particularly important for me. It is not hypocrisy, but an example which Jesus himself gave us. The Apostles knew he spent hours in prayer with his Father. Moreover, in the same way that other people’s prayer time encourages me to pray, my prayer encourages them.
The Missionaries of Africa are known for their sense of belonging. Be united; be one. Is this still the spirit Our Founder had in mind if it is not anchored in prayer in common? A purely human fraternity would not take us far and would not enable us to safeguard this part of our heritage. A sense of belonging based only on our joint commitment to a shared task would hardly be different to that of a football team bound together with the objective of winning the cup. Ours has to be grounded in the call of God to which we reply by our commitment to prayer.
The prayer of our predecessors had an undeniable feature of example. How many of the first Christians in our parishes remember having seen the Fathers reciting their rosary in an evening walk? When our predecessors spoke of the importance of prayer, their words carried weight, for their actions proved that they were convinced of what they said.
Since I began this task as Secretary for Initial Formation, I have been struck by a reflection voiced several times over the last few months. It concerns the lack of visibility in prayer of many young and not-so-young confreres. In the report on a candidate’s apostolic practice, there was the following reflection: ‘As for his personal prayer, we know nothing. We have never seen him pray.’ This is a sad state of affairs: confreres have never seen this young man pray outside the prescribed community exercises. They never saw him in a silent heart-to-heart colloquy with his Lord.
Elements for discernment
Every choice is made by weighing the pro and cons. What arguments do we have for preferring to pray in private and what are those in favour of habitually praying visibly?
For the first alternative, there is the argument of personal choice. I prefer to remain in my room with a little soft music, as this atmosphere is more favourable than a noisy church or chapel that I dislike. Every choice based on a personal preference should nevertheless be tested by a question: ‘Where is God’s will; where does God want me to be?’ Prayer is a gift of God and will produce a much better fruit if it is done not only according to my will, but according to his. Praying where it suits me should not be the only criterion of my choice or the most basic, far from it. God is capable of giving me much greater fruit where it pleases me least rather than where I myself decided to pray.
Apart from this personal preference, it seems to me there are not many reasons in favour of the first alternative. By contrast, there are plenty for the second. Why should I make my personal prayer visible?
It is to build a unity based on prayer with my brothers and not just on human fraternity. It is because my prayer encourages and supports them. It is because prayer is a way of giving example. What kind of lovers of God are we if we do not risk showing the relationship we maintain with him? Would we be credible if we speak of the Father’s love without showing that his love for us is important? How can we speak of the importance of prayer if our listeners never see us in silent prayer?
The human being is body and soul. What is important to us is celebrated with ritual in a special place. We do not celebrate Mass in a kitchen (except in exceptional circumstances). Why would it be different for our prayer? Saint Ignatius of Loyola knows very well that prayer is the gift of God; he is no less insistent on its setting and preparation.
Human beings are fragile and our vocation is difficult. We need to stack our cards properly for our benefit. When prayer is in private, no one knows if I am still in bed or if I am sending emails instead of conversing with God. Other peoples’ scrutiny is often the little push needed to keep me faithful in case of fatigue or depression. ‘What would the students (or confreres) think if I am not there or if I am late?’ It is not the best motive, I agree, but it is better for a confrere to pray partly for debatable reasons than for another to scorn them and end up not praying anymore. Whoever wants to play at being angelic by aiming at perfect motives risks ending up doing what he would rather not.
Guardrails are set up where there is danger. The visibility of my prayer is a guardrail. If I stop praying at times of discouragement, I want my Superior or my confreres to be able to ask me, ‘What is going on? We do not see you in chapel anymore.’ This is perhaps minimal, but it can be very valuable. In order to remain faithful, it is better to leave no stone unturned and use every means possible and imaginable.
To which alternative is the arrow pointing? It seems clear to me it is pointing to visibility in our prayer, especially for the two reasons mentioned above and that we lose a basic value in our prayer by changing it into a private act.
Objections
We can object by basing ourselves on biblical texts. However, let us respect their intention. In Matthew 6:6, it seems clear that ‘secret place’ is not a physical setting, but someone’s heart. Matthew 6:5 does not censure visibility in prayer but a perverted hypocritical intention behind an intrinsically good act; this censure remains valid if someone is looking for esteem by showing off in prayer. The Apostles saw Jesus in prayer, even if he withdrew to do so and they were struck by it to the point of asking him, ‘Teach us to pray’. Would it be violating the text to add, ‘like you do’?
During the years of Formation, the relationship between the members of the Formation Staff and the candidates is not easy. In some Centres, a climate of suspicion can prevail where any candidate showing some ‘more than ordinary zeal’ is quickly criticised. ‘You want to be noticed, to be the favourite of the Staff!’ The personal prayer of the candidates is thus seen as under an odd pressure. It must not be too visible under pain of being reproached for hypocrisy. Instead of encouraging one another to be faithful to prayer, our way of life is going to be based on the lowest common denominator, the minimum that is acceptable to all… including those who have little zeal.
Conclusion
For all these reasons, it therefore seems desirable for our prayer to be habitually visible. It is not hypocrisy, but common sense. I am not to hide my prayer life, but rather give thanks for it. ‘The Lord has done marvels for me!’ I acknowledge it and I am pleased to thank him for it. If my relationship to God is the centre of my life, it is logical that it will show and that I will be seen praying. Personal visible prayer forms part of my giving good missionary example. It is good to be reminded of it.
Jean-Michel Laurent
Secretary for Initial Formation
From Petit Echo n° 1027 2012/1