What is prayer?

“In this fourth Cahier, we felt it necessary to offer you an overview of prayer. This article will help you organise the many aspects of the life of contemplative prayer that have been—or will be—addressed in this “introductory series.”

The Berlin Museum houses a statue attributed to Boedas, the son and pupil of the great sculptor Lysippus. This bronze figure, standing 1.28 meters tall, depicts a teenager. It is one of Greek art’s finest creations—not only for its admirable form but for the liveliness and—one might say—the fluidity of its lines.

When one looks for the source of this vibrant sense of life, one notices that the right foot—positioned slightly behind the left, with the heel raised—barely touches the ground. This subtle, almost imperceptible movement is enough to impart a rhythm to the entire body—a rhythm echoed in the slightly asymmetrical hips, the arms raised in an offering, and the eyes turned upward.

Undeniably, this bronze possesses a soul. The rhythm of its form reveals a spiritual impulse. One expects a pure, clear song to suddenly pour forth from it.

“The Praying Boy” is how the work is known in art history.

If I were the curator of the Berlin Museum, I would place the youth alone in the centre of a room hung with large, vividly colored tapestries evoking all of creation: the stars, rivers, forests, multicolored flowers, and diverse animals. In the visitors’ eyes, the youth’s role would then be revealed in all its clarity. Standing amidst a creation unaware of its own splendor, he is the intelligent being who lends his voice and heart to the universe, singing—on behalf of all living things—the joy of existence and life.

And if I were to place an inscription beneath this pagan statue, I would not hesitate; I would boldly borrow it from our great Bossuet: The impervious creature cannot see, yet it reveals itself; it cannot love, yet it urges us to do so; and though it does not hear God, it does not allow us to ignore Him. Thus, imperfectly and in its own way, it glorifies the Heavenly Father. But for its adoration to be brought to fulfillment, man must be its mediator. It is for him to lend a voice, an intellect, and a heart burning with love to all visible nature, so that it may love—in him and through him—the invisible beauty of its Creator. That is why man is placed in the midst of the world—an industrious microcosm of the world—so that, contemplating the entire universe and gathering it within himself, he may offer, sanctify, and consecrate it to the living God.

Henri Caffarel, Cahiers sur l’oraison, Initiation Series IV