The Devotiortal Life of the Clergy

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 35, Issue 6, 1 August 1944, Page 6

The Devotiortal Life of the Clergy

An abridged \ address given at a meeting of the Hawke's Bay* Clerical Society by the Rev. •R./T. HalL vicar at OtEtne. ' Tarn sure it is imnossible to overestimate the importance of prayer m the life of a priest. Every activity m which we engage is enriched by prayer. Everything we do should be saturated with prayer. I suppose •the natural tendency is to neglect it m those things m which we are fairly proficient, but of course it is a great mistake. s Are we good preachers? We shall preach far more effectively if we prepare on our knees; Are we good organisers? We shall be more proficient and make fewer mistakes if we put plenty of prayer behind it. Remedy for Lack of Confidence. The remedy for self-confidence is prayer. On the" other hand prayer is the remedy for lack of confidence. Have we got a job to do that we shrink from doing? Put plenty of prayer behind it and we get- the courage of a lion. If only we resolved to be men of prayer many of our difficulties would disappear. We may not be all good preachers or organisers but we can and should be riien of prayer. That is -what the best laymen expect of us. They look upon us as men, who having more leisure than themselves, are m touch with God. They may be v wrong about our having more leisure but they are right m expecting us to be Tmen of prayer. Just as the doctor is the representative of medical skill and the lawyer of legal knowledge, so the priest is the professional man m spiritual things. We do not gain but rather lose if . we ignore this distinction between the priest and the jayman. It may be an excellent thing to have a knowledge of the world and to cultivate business like habits, indeed we cannot get through the work we are expected to do unless we are systematic; but we are a class apart— a sacerdotal caste. We have been ordpined to minister Jo our people m spiritual things and to bring them nearer to God. We are not likely to do this unless we are living near to God ourselves. This is so obvious that there should be no need to mention it, yet we all know how difficult it is m practice. After referring to the many interruptions that occurred to the daily routine and the multitude of matters that have to be attended to making it rnpstr difficult for the priest to have time for prayer, Mr Hall 7 continued. If we suffer these things to interfere with our prayers it must be a

great spiritual loss. There is another aspect to it. What about our people? Is it fair that when they come to us for spiritual strength-and encouragement that they should find us spiritu;-/ ally enervated with all the bloom and. lustre that comes from contact with Christ brushed off. Hpw can we send our people away strengthened and refreshed ' unless we are continually drawing strength from Him, who- is the Bread of Life. How can' we, busy as we are, find the. time to get the spiritual strength and sustenance that we need not only for our own spiritual health but for that of the people committed to our charge. It is perfectly clear that if time is to be economised, it must not be at the expense of our devotions. See They Find a Place. We should see that all the elements of prayer — penitence, praise, thanksgiving, petition and intercession find .a place. It is this intimate communion with God that forms the setting for the daily" offices and if ever we find the , recitation of Mattins or Evensong rather wearisome, it is probably due to the fact that there is something wrong with the setting, we are trying to appreciate them m the setting of a more or less prayerless life and consequence we are disappointed. The recitation •of offices will not make -up for the lack . of private prayer. It was riipver intended as a substitute for private prayer but to supplement it. The questions, suggested (B.R.F. meditation leaflets) are usually sufficiently - heartsearching to enable one to get a real message from God,- if we spend the time quietly waiting upon Him and listening to His voice. This of course is the real heart of prayer. "Be still then and know that I am God;" As we get older we realise that the purpose of prayer is, to get to know the will of God. ..What we have to do is to find out what God wants us know it, to get the requisite strength to do or to be, and then when we to do it. . ..lam coming more and more tp believe m the guidance of God m our everyday life. Most people allow that God guides us m the big things but not m the small things. . But this does not seem to me to be consistent with the teaching of Christ. He seemed to .say that nothing is. too trivial or unimportant for God to be concerned with. We are all convinced that weentered the ministry m obedience to a clear call from God and if God guided us to enter the ministry I am

'.'■'■. *'. •■■''. ■' ■' 7 ■ sure that He will guide us m the exercise of it, even m the smallest details. We all seek this guidance m our preaching why not m everything else? lam certain it is better to, plan things with God than without him. The more we do this the fewer mistakes we will make. Important m our devotional life is the. preparation for Communion; While the priest should be living such a life of sanctity and surrender that he is always spiritually prepared to celebrate the Blessed Sacrament, yet speci-al preparation is as necessary for him as for the laypian. With regard to the fast before Communion it is an ancient custom and there is much to be said for it. . The spiritual "faculties are quickened by fasting and we get a more intensified apprehension of. the Presence. Sacramental Confession. Few of us who have tried Sacramental confession, can deny its value. The priest who wants to keep himself up to the mark can hardly afford to neglect it. The only question is how frequently we should use it. We should go when our conscience directs us to do so. . I think that we should go once a year at, our annual retreat, which every priest must ..regard as indispensable to spiritual efficiency m his life and ministry. In conclusion let riie urge once again the importance of' our prayers. In these hurrying days there is a tendency to multiply results, no matter what kind they are, and to neglect the thing which brings the only results worth having. As Mewbplt says m one of /his / books the priest as to the man who. is short of money to ; economise on- his charities, so when we are short of time to economise on pur de- ,' Votions. But it is bad policy." It is quite indensible ; if we give way to it. What answer have we to give to our lay people who say that they have not time to come to church? They are all working hard these days, women as well as men, but we tell them that spiritual things are all important and time rriust be made for worship and spiritual 'refreshment. So it is equally important for us to make time for our private prayers, otherwise it is a case of "Do as I say not do as I do." Like Daniel of old the windows of our Souls must be frequently opened towards Jerusalem / [that spiritual sunshine, light and warmth from the Sun of righteousness Who has arisen with healing m His wings may come towards Jerusalem that spiritual life will be pale and weak and bur ministry ineffective. This is so simple and elementary that one is almost ashamed to mention it. The justification for it is its extreme s importance and the insidious danger of neglecting it.