Repetitious prayers
Sir: Rev. Angus Hunt's letter (September 29) — 1 do not see any danger myself if, through frequent repetition, one's praying does become somewhat
" mechanical " from time to time. We cannot stay to do a profound meditation on the words we use every time — not even with the Lord's Prayer. Particularly with that prayer, I would say, its inherent efficacy lies in its words themselves: and this whatever way they are said. I wonder if even said without any concentration at all they might not still do their work — because they are said. Their mere articulation is some attention to what they say: and fifty repetitions would be fifty times that amount. The Lord might even prefer plain repetition to profound posturising. Again, the injuction of Christ against longwindedness and repetition is not absolute. Some of His own prayers are quite lengthy and some of their phrasing is repeated. Also, when asked how it was He could do miracles (His own word was " works" and they were that) He answered that these things come by fasting and by prayer. His injunction was against exhibitionism, whether in public or in private — and against a sole reliance on repetitions as such. But in a state of great inward turmoil a continually repeated great prayer can steady the nerves.as we say. Finally
the apostles were often urging the faithful to constant, even ceaseless. prayer; and I do not see how this could be done without some lapse into ' prayer-wheeling.'
Next — and still with the Rev. Hunt — the word ' rest' need not always imply inactivity; there can even be a rest from too much doing nothing which is sometimes very tiring. And 'eternal rest' for the departed may well mean final rest from trouble, sickness, punishment and death — a rest indeed. A lot of people get this idea about eternal bliss being boring: they do not understand that eternal bliss is entirely anti-boredom and thus may even contain some of, that boredom which is necessary to bliss.
Thomas W. Gadd
Alexandra Court, Woodborough Road, Nottingham.
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