Prayer and Spirituality

Robert Colquhoun

“The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and
life… the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 234).

(I) Critically explore the implications of this statement for an understanding of

Christian spirituality and prayer.
(II) Critically and systematically examine how your analysis might impact on your
pastoral/educational work.

(I) The Trinity reveals God as a communion of persons. This shows the inner life of
God involves relationship, a permanent reality of human nature. The union of God
and man is realised through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God opens his very self
to be in relationship with man. Prayer and the spiritual life are then an adventure and
dialogue between the creature and the creator.

Many believe the Trinity is some abstract, mathematical, paradoxical, conundrum.

But, at the heart of this doctrine is a revelation of the nature of God himself as a
plurality of persons. The early Church spent considerable time reflecting on this
mystery. It is a mystery that unambiguously distinguishes Christianity from other
world religions. Yet it is in appreciation of this wonderful mystery that all other
aspects of the Catholic faith are brought into greater focus.

The doctrine of the Trinity has profound implications for an understanding of

Christian spirituality and prayer. God is in himself a community, a union of life and
love. Richard of St Victor said in the twelfth century that to be 'love,' God must in
some sense be community.

The Trinity speaks of a social God, a God who shares, a God of equality, love and
union. Lossky writes,

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“The Trinity is... the unshakeable foundation of all religious thought, of all piety, of
all spiritual life, of all experience... If we reject the Trinity as the soul of all reality
and of all thought we are committed to a God that leads nowhere, we end in an
aphoria, in folly, in the disintegration of our being, in spiritual death. Between the
Trinity and hell there lies no other choice.”[1]

Lossky writes radically about the Trinity. God reveals himself as a relationship, the
source of all life, holding all of creation intact at every moment in time. An awareness
of our dependence and yearning for God is needed for we have nowhere to go, but to
him. As we are made in the image and likeness of God, community is the essence of
being human. The communion of persons found in God is also reflected in human life.
We are by very nature relational beings. An authentic human spirituality is to be an
individual in community. We are not alone as we struggle with the difficulties of this
world. Many individual rights are derived from an absence of the appreciation of
communal living. Abortion, euthanasia and contraception are by nature anti-
communitarian actions sought at placing more importance on the individual rather
than communal relationships.

The spiritual significance of the Trinity is clearly demonstrated in the indwelling of

the Holy Spirit. The union of God and man brings man into a real and loving
relationship with his Creator. The Creator and the creature are united through the
outpouring gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift is gratuitously given, through the initiative
and incentive of God whose knowledge pervades all things. Aquinas writes, “The soul
that gives life to this body is the Holy Spirit... through the anointing with grace of the
Holy Spirit, through the indwelling of the Trinity and through the invocation of the
name of God in the temple of the soul, which must never be violated.”[2] Grace, the
gift of the Holy Spirit, makes a definite, historical difference in people.[3] The five
effects of grace in us are: the healing of the soul, willing the good, the efficacious
performance of the good willed and perseverance in the good and lastly, the
attainment of glory.[4] God's presence in the soul is a transforming presence.[5]

The goal of the virtuous life is to become like God.[6] Tertullian wrote, “Where the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are, there also is the Church, which is the body of the
three.” Grace must be sought as a gift, for it is a good not proper to the soul. Grace is
God's action leading people to him. The Holy Spirit works within the person God has

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chosen and causes the decision to repent, to believe and to pray for charity. The
principal form of grace is charity, which moves a person to love God, to seek the good
of the neighbour and to delight in created goods according to their relation to God.[7]

The Catholic doctrine of grace, under the action of the Holy Spirit in the believer,
elevates and brings the personality of each one to perfection without destroying it.[8]
Grace and the Holy Spirit are of vital importance when understanding Christian
spirituality. God gives himself to his creatures. The whole of creation is a gift, but the
Holy Spirit is the most sublime gift of all. God's transforming power dwells within us,
turning us more and more into partakers of the divine nature. Sanctifying grace is
what helps to continue Christ's work in us by sharing in his life. St Cyril of
Alexandria writes, “Participation in the Holy Spirit gives human being the grace to be
shaped as a complete copy of the divine nature... Anyone who receives the image of
the son, that is the Spirit, possesses thereby in all fullness the Son, and the Father who
is in him.”[9] Grace is not only free but the undeserved gift by the abundant, all
pervasive generosity of our loving Father in heaven. Grace is the participation in the
life of God, introducing us to the intimacy of the Trinitarian life.[10] As Aquinas
says, “Grace is nothing other than a certain participated likeness of the divine
nature.”[11]

Thanks to the Trinity, prayer is a relationship with a real and living God who listens
and cares for his children. The spiritual life is then an adventure in relationship, a
foundation of trust and source of hope. Even when earthly company forsakes us, we
are not alone. No Christian is ever in the position of standing alone against the world.
[12] The Trinity then is at the centre of the Christian life because the Christian life is
life in the spirit, a life of grace. God is always with us because in a state of grace he
dwells within us and knows our innermost thoughts and actions. The Christian knows,
“Even when he is alone and prays in secret, is conscious that he always prays for the
good of the Church in union with Christ, in the Holy Spirit and together with all the
saints.”[13]

The Trinity has a central importance for the Christian life of prayer. Prayer is revealed
to us through the word who became flesh and dwelt among us.[14] The Holy Spirit is
the interior master of prayer.[15] St Paul tells us that we do not know how to pray as

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we ought, but the spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-7). Prayer is our own human
activity, but inspired by grace. Evagrius stated, “Prayer is God's gift to the one who
prays.”[16] In prayer, we are reminded in constant recollection of the presence of
God. St Gregory of Nazianzen reminded us that we should remember God more often
than we draw breath.[17] God brings his very presence into authentic prayer.
Therefore, the Trinity forges and permeates the essence of Christian prayer. Prayer is
a relationship between God and man in Christ, a habit of being in the presence of the
thrice holy God and in communion with him.[18]

The Trinity is at the source of other mysteries of the Christian faith. Christian
theology does not just comprise of abstract principles, but explains that God is the
sole source of true joy. True union with God shows us how to experience the happy
life for oneself, so that we can begin to understand how to love and long for God who
is the source of both life and love. The Trinity enlightens the other mysteries of the
Christian faith, because God's presence dwells throughout salvation history, past and
present. You cannot read more than several passages of the Catechism without having
a reference to the Trinity. The Incarnation, Paschal Mystery, Resurrection, Creation
and Ascension all include the direct participation and involvement at least one person
of the Trinity. God is all powerful, all present and all knowing being the source and
centre of Christianity.

At its heart, the Trinity is a mystery. We cannot fully comprehend the powerful yet
mysterious ways of God. If we did, our brains would probably splat against the wall
with excess information. God has revealed to us all we need to know for our
salvation. Christian spirituality likewise contains mystical elements. Mysticism is a
branch of Christian spirituality. Prayer is nurtured by the mystery of the co-operation
of God and man. God does not desire to be treated like a classroom laboratory
experiment. We do not need to seek empirical classification, qualification and
retention of all our beliefs and desires. God respects our free will and for most is an
unwelcome and exiled guest of the human heart.

(II) The pastoral and educational work chosen is a project called 40 days for life. This
is a initiative that involves praying and fasting to end abortion. It also includes

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educational outreach to mobilise volunteers and support. 40 days for life is a 24 hour
prayer vigil held outside an abortion clinic for a total of 40 days. The last 3 years have
been testimony to the enormous effectiveness of this project in North America,
building a culture of life. Abortion clinics have closed, thousands of lives have been
saved and thousands of people have been mobilised to support and pray for the pro
life movement. The centrifugal point of the efficacy of this movement is its spiritual
poignancy, in line with the tradition of salvation history.

40 days for life is based upon the efficacy of prayer and a belief that the spiritual life
has an impact on the lives of men and women. Prayer, communication with the
Trinity, can include praying for others through intercession. 2 Chronicles 7:14 reads,
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek
my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land." God therefore tells us in the Bible that he
listens to and responds to our prayers. God, through his discretion, can respond to
persistent prayers. If we nag like little children, God as a loving father is unlikely to
deny our request if our desires are based on authenticity and goodwill.

At the heart of 40 days for life is the importance of community. In part (I), it was
established that community is a reflection of God himself who is a community or
communion of persons. Through our relationships with others, we can come to greater
union and understanding of the will of God. It is impossible to be a solitary Christian.
The effectiveness of this project depends, not only on the response of God, but also on
the ground - the degree of collaboration with and through different community leaders
and organisations. Unity is merged in strength in numbers and diversity of support. A
Catholic, in union with the community of believers, through his participation in the
faith brings a participation in the life and love of God.

The importance of the Trinity in the Christian tradition helps us to understand and
appreciate the communal nature of the Christian life. Abortion usually happens
through individualism, sin and the separation of life and love. Central to 40 days for
life is bringing people together in a vigil of peace and prayer. The larger and more
manifest the community presence, the stronger the presence of witness and the more
powerful the prayer. It is difficult to quantify prayer or measure its efficacy, but as a

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general rule, greater numbers in any project will enhance the output of such activity.
Community is not only at the heart of God, but also at the heart of all human
relationships. Man, created in the image and likeness of God, is by instinct a political
animal, surviving through community and relationships.

Throughout salvation history, God has communicated to man through the use of the
time frame of 40 days. Jesus was transformed and empowered by 40 days in the
desert, Noah experienced 40 days of transformation during rain, Moses was
transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai. Elijah was transformed after God gave him
strength for 40 days from just one meal, David was transformed by Goliath's 40 day
challenge, Nineveh was transformed when God gave it 40 days to remain faithful and
the disciples were transformed after they spent 40 days with Jesus after his
resurrection. The Trinity has used this time frame to communicate with man
throughout history. In today's needs and age, many women and babies will be saved
from the scourge of abortion during these 40 days. The lives of individuals and the
community will be changed dramatically during this time. Listening to the way that
the Trinity has communicated to man throughout history will help us to realise ways
in which he might want to speak to us today.

Father Bernard Green highlights some key experiences of the spirit that are important
for the relationship between the Trinity and the spiritual life. These include the need
to integrate desires into a hierarchy of importance (temperance), the need to integrate
individuals into a wider community (justice), the need to hold ourselves to the
difficult task of realising what is good no matter the risks involved (courage), the need
to integrate ourselves with the transcendent through prayer and worship (religion) and
the need to make personal decision how to live the requirements of the above goals in
the situations of our circumstances.[19] 40 days for life includes holding strong to the
difficult task of realising what is good no matter the risk of the tasks involved. It has
involved a decision about how to respond to the signs of the times and how to
encourage others to become part of the wider community. Should several women
decide not to have an abortion as a result of this project, they will have been helped to
integrate their desires into the hierarchy of importance and also into the wider
community.

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If prayer and the spiritual life are an adventure and dialogue between the creature and
the creator, 40 days for life is an example of that adventure. The future always entails
an element of the unknown. God is full of surprises and should we dare to live in
communion and co-operation with his most holy will we are certain to be taken out of
the quagmire of mediocrity, towards transforming and impacting the lives of others.
Prayer is a way of spiritual progress towards making the world a better place.
Empirical evidence suggests that 40 days for life, in a non judgemental but persistent
manner gnaws away at the conscience and awareness of others involved in the
abortion provision process, helping them to be more conscious of the problems and
consequences of abortion. Imagine if you had a queue of people surrounding your
work place for 40 days: you might begin to question what you were doing! As the
Trinity is a mystery, his work within each and every one of us is a mystery. The spirit
dwells where it blows, and we cannot begin to fully fathom how and why God acts
and wills in the way that he does.

The essence and ethos of 40 days for life is in a similar style of many of the major
civil rights movements of history. Gandhi, Mandela, Walesa, Luther King and
Pankhurst all used non violent, non co-operative protest as a very effective means of
being heard. History is testimony to the efficacy and need of this method of protest,
whether these movements had a spiritual basis or not. The spiritual element of 40 days
for life helps the movement be in union with the will of God, bringing hope, joy and
peace.

If the Trinity is present in authentic prayer, God desires to be with us even in the most
awful places in the world. God desires to reach out to each and every one of his
subjects with the gift of his grace, life and love if only we are open to him. Many
stories bear extraordinary testimony of what happens when you bring prayer to some
of the most hopeless places in our society. Grace builds on nature. At an abortion
clinic, a woman who changes her mind against abortion at the last moment chooses
life and a life is saved. God's grace is most especially needed at this moment, where
death can dramatically change into life. We cannot keep God for ourselves but must
share him with others.

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Many question the mystery of iniquity: if God exists, why does he permit evil in the
world? In this instance, the evil of abortion is committed in an act of the will of
human persons. God gives us free will. If our will radically departs from the invitation
of grace through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the reality of sin will be more
manifest in our world. The rejection of grace and prayer brings forth the wages of sin:
a culture of death in which human babies a sacrificed through murder. As a matter of
urgency, God's grace is greatly needed in the places where evil is most manifest, so
that hearts and minds are radically conformed to his will. As prayer and fasting are
some of the most powerful weapons in the armoury of a Christian, these means have
greater impact than reactionary, aggressive or patronising protest. Silence is louder
than a cacophony of criticising Christians.

A civil servant sarcastically suggested that the Pope should visit an abortion clinic on
his visit of Britain. Yet, his point was more insightful than most. This is where God is
most needed, among the places in our society where there is not hope. St Paul affirms
this in his theology, stating, “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more,”
(Romans 5:20) and that “God can work through all things for those who love him.”
(Romans 8:28). Rather than bringing judgement, 40 days for life brings God's grace
into real time where it is needed most, saving lives, impacting eternal souls and
helping to change our world to a place where no more women will cry and no more
babies die.

Overall,

(Word count: 3385).

[1]Lossky, op. Cit. Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church (1968, Edn, p9, 39),
cited in Leech, Soul Friend, Chapter 4.

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[2]John Paul II, Spirit: giver of Life and love. Catechesis on the Creed, Volume
three- In Symb. Apost a. 10.
[3]Brian Davies, The thought of Thomas Aquinas, chapter 13, p271.
[4]Ibid. See also summa, 1a2ae.III.3.
[5]Edward Yarnold, The Second Gift: A study of Grace, chapter 3, p58.
[6]Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1803.
[7]Burns, J P: 'Grace: The Augustinian Foundation,' in Christian spirituality: origins
to the twelfth Century, p346-8.
[8]Pope John Paul II, “The Spirit: Source of interior Life,” The Spirit: giver of life
and love: Catechesis on the creed, p386.
[9]St Cyril of Alexandria, Treasure 13,33, Migne, Patrologia graeca (PG),
75.228.572.
[10]Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1997.
[11]Summa Theologiae II, 62.1
[12]Leech, Soul Friend, chapter 4, p110.
[13]Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Christian Meditation, n. 7.
[14]Cathecism of the Catholic Church, n. 2598
[15]Ibid. n.2672.
[16]Evagrius of Pontus, On Prayer, n.59, The philokalia, Vol. 1, 1979, The Philokalia,
p.62.
[17]St Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio, 27, 4: PG 36, 16. CCC 2697.
[18]Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2564-5.
[19]The Trinity and the Spiritual Life, Deeper Christianity Series, Fr Beranrd Green
S.D.S. (CTS Booklet).

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