In Chapter 20 of Benedict’s Rule, he talks about private prayer. As he puts it, when approaching a powerful person with a proposal or request, wouldn’t we assume a humble and respectful manner? Why would we lay our petitions before God with anything but the same humble and respectful manner?
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells his followers, “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
I was raised in a church in which one indication of a person’s piety was his or her ability to give long, passionate, eloquent prayers. When faithful members would get together in restaurants, no one would think to touch their food until someone among them would say a bold, embarrassingly long prayer that sometimes silenced conversation at nearby tables. Perhaps this is not the same as standing on a street corner, but is still a pretty conspicuous act of piety.
However, Christ taught we shouldn’t pray to be seen or heard by others, but that we should pray privately and humbly. And Benedict adds that, when there is an occasion for a collective prayer (and it is okay to pray together before a meal), the prayer should be short. God knows our hearts. There is nothing we can tell him that he doesn’t already understand.
Improbable Benedictine 