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Editorial
RELIGIOUS TOPICS – PRAYER
Prayer, traditionally, has four main components: adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication - summed up in the word ‘acts’. The prayer of adoration is a response to, and an acknowledgement of, the glory of God. This kind of prayer is represented, for example, in Te Deum and Gloria in Excelsis and in the doxology, Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Thus, worship is fundamental in prayer and, for Christians, prayer embraces the adoration of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Contemplation of God’s glory inevitably leads to a sense of our unworthiness, as in the response by the prophet Isaiah to his vision in the temple at Jerusalem: "Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." When we consider the majesty and holiness of God, we cannot but be all the more aware of our weaknesses and failings. However, this contemplation of God, despite the resulting recognition of our unworthiness, actually lifts our sights and raises our spirits. The contemplation of God has, indeed, a profound, spiritually-renewing effect on the one who prays.
Acknowledgement of what God has done for sinful humanity expresses itself in thanksgiving, for example, in each Eucharistic (thanksgiving) prayer which appears in the Prayer Book’s Holy Communion Two as ‘The Great Thanksgiving’. In Eucharistic Prayer Two in particular, there is a rehearsal of the mighty acts of God in thanksgiving, with provision to supplement this for particular - usually seasonal - occasions. The much-loved ‘General Thanksgiving’ is a traditional feature of Anglican worship and ideally should be learnt by heart by every Church of Ireland worshipper.
Supplication is a ‘catch-all’ word meaning ‘asking’ and it appears, significantly, at the end of the list. It may be subdivided into intercession for others and petition for oneself. What gives this kind of prayer its power and effectiveness is that it is offered in and through Christ, who "ever lives to intercede for us". Thus, our limited and inadequate prayers are caught up in his perpetual and perfect intercession.