ARK Forms of Prayer 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) consists of prayers prayed at set times throughout the day. The principal hour, also called the 'hinge' of the Office, is:
- Lauds
- Vespers (Correct answer)
- Compline
- Terce
Correct answer: Vespers
Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer) are the two 'hinge hours' of the Liturgy of the Hours, considered the primary hours of the daily prayer cycle.
The Liturgy of the Hours divides the day into Lauds (morning), Terce (mid-morning), Sext (midday), None (afternoon), Vespers (evening), Compline (night), and the Office of Readings. Vatican II designated Lauds and Vespers as the two 'hinges' of the daily office. Compline is the night prayer that ends the day. The Liturgy of the Hours is the official daily prayer of the Church and is required for clergy and religious.
Question 2: In Catholic tradition, the examen prayer, developed by Ignatius of Loyola, involves:
- Reciting the rosary
- A daily review of one's actions, feelings, and God's presence in the day (Correct answer)
- Meditation on scripture passages
- Repeating a sacred word in silent prayer
Correct answer: A daily review of one's actions, feelings, and God's presence in the day
The Ignatian examen is a daily prayer of consciousness — reviewing the day to notice God's presence, give thanks, examine how one acted, and plan for tomorrow.
The Ignatian examen (examination of conscience/consciousness) consists of five steps: (1) give thanks for gifts; (2) ask the Holy Spirit for clarity; (3) review the day's events and feelings; (4) acknowledge failures and seek forgiveness; (5) pray about tomorrow. Ignatius considered it so important that if a Jesuit could pray only once a day, it should be the examen. It is distinguished from purely sin-focused examination by its focus on consolations and desolations.
Question 3: Lectio Divina, an ancient form of Christian prayer, involves:
- Reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation of scripture (Correct answer)
- Communal singing of psalms
- Repetitive recitation of scripture passages
- Reading the lectionary during Mass
Correct answer: Reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation of scripture
Lectio Divina (sacred reading) is a four-stage practice: lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer), and contemplatio (contemplation) of scripture.
Lectio Divina (divine/sacred reading) is an ancient Benedictine prayer practice systematized by Guigo II (12th century) as four rungs of a ladder: reading (receiving the text), meditation (ruminating on it), prayer (responding to God), and contemplation (resting in God's presence). Pope Benedict XVI strongly promoted it in Verbum Domini (2010). It contrasts with study by seeking encounter with God rather than information.
Question 4: In the tradition of Christian contemplative prayer, the 'cloud of unknowing' is a medieval English text that teaches:
- Systematic meditation on gospel scenes
- Prayer through releasing all thought and concepts to approach God in pure love (Correct answer)
- Vocal recitation of prayers with community
- Scripture memorization as a path to God
Correct answer: Prayer through releasing all thought and concepts to approach God in pure love
The Cloud of Unknowing (14th century, anonymous English mystic) teaches that God cannot be reached through intellect but only through love, setting aside all thoughts including those about God.
The Cloud of Unknowing (c. 1375) describes a contemplative method where one sets aside all thoughts — even thoughts about God — and rests in naked love toward the Unknown. Between the soul and God lies a 'cloud of unknowing' (God's transcendence) that intellect cannot penetrate, and between the soul and creation lies a 'cloud of forgetting.' Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington drew on it to develop Centering Prayer in the 1970s.
Question 5: Intercessory prayer is defined as:
- Prayer addressed directly to God in private
- Praying on behalf of others before God (Correct answer)
- Prayer for forgiveness of one's own sins
- Meditation without specific words
Correct answer: Praying on behalf of others before God
Intercessory prayer involves bringing the needs of others before God, standing in the gap on their behalf as a mediator of prayer.
Intercession (from Latin intercedere, 'to go between') involves praying for others. Scripture models intercession throughout: Abraham praying for Sodom (Gen 18), Moses interceding for Israel (Exod 32), Paul's letters beginning with prayers for recipients, the Eucharistic Prayer's intercessions. Catholic theology distinguishes intercession by saints in heaven (invocation of saints) from human intercession, though both are forms of prayer to God through mediators.
Question 6: The Jesus Prayer, central to Eastern Orthodox spirituality, is:
- The Lord's Prayer as given in Matthew 6
- Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Correct answer)
- Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people
- Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
Correct answer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner
The Jesus Prayer ('Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner') is a brief prayer synchronized with breathing in hesychast (quiet) tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Jesus Prayer draws on Luke 18:13 (tax collector's prayer) and the Gospel cry 'Lord, have mercy' (Kyrie eleison). In hesychast tradition (Hesychius of Sinai, Gregory Palamas), it is practiced with controlled breathing to achieve unceasing prayer (1 Thess 5:17) and experience divine light. The 19th-century Russian classic 'The Way of a Pilgrim' popularized it in the West. J.D. Salinger's 'Franny and Zooey' introduced it to modern readers.
ARK Forms of Prayer 2
The Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) consists of prayers prayed at set times throughout the day.
The principal hour, also called the 'hinge' of the Office, is: