As Jesus was the true worshiper of the Father and the ideal of a monk, so let prayer and contemplation (the Interior Life) be the “soul” of all we are and all we do. For it is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” and you are God's house.
To foster and nourish the prayer of the Oblates, the eremitical (hermit) spirit that was loved and embraced by St. Francis, the early monks, and the Apostles who imitated Jesus, is encouraged by those called to hide themselves in Christ. “When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees from the hidden place will reward you.” “The world is my cloister, my body is my cell, and my soul is the hermit within.” – St. Francis of Assisi
Prayer is one of the primary duties of the Church, one of the primary means to union with God, and one of the primary ways Christians make God known in the world. In fact, Christians are commanded to “pray without ceasing.” Though, as Scripture says, “We do not know how to pray as we ought,” the Bible tells us the Holy Ghost “helps us in our weakness” if we are humble enough to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and if we are teachable and faithful to pray in the manner our Lord taught His disciples.
The law of worship is the law of faith (lex orandi, lex credendi) and the law of faith is the law of life (lex orandi, lex vivendi). In other words, how we pray, what we believe, and how we live follow one another. Prayer is the most complete form of theology. It is theology carried to its ultimate perfection. Thus in order to empower our ceaseless prayer and to ensure our prayer is pleasing to God, the Tradition of the Church proposes certain cycles and rhythms of praying so that what breathing is to the body, prayer will be to our soul. Then like sweet-smelling incense, our prayers will reach heaven, glorify God, and call down His blessing upon us. “He knows how to live well is he who knows how to pray well.” – St. AugustineThe prayer of Christ together with His Mystical Body the Church is lived and manifested in The Liturgical Year, the Divine Liturgy (the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass), the Divine Office (the Liturgy of the Hours), Lectio Divina (Divine Reading), and various Popular Devotions. “The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this the house of Faith, this the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation.”
Primary resources include: 1962 Daily Roman Missal [Angelus Press Edition], The Church’s Year (Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine), Divine Intimacy (Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdelen) [Baronius Press Edition], and The Liturgical Year (Dom. Prosper Louis Pascal Guéranger) [15-volume set]
