Prayers of the Faithful
From the Forword
Prayer is the primary obligation of every Christian, indeed of every person. It is our duty to acknowledge our loving God, to praise him, thank him, ask for his forgiveness, and to seek his protection.
We know that Jesus would often go off by himself or with his disciples in order to spend some time in prayer. He knew that he could not live alone, isolated from the Father. At the completion of his earthly ministry, Jesus offered his priestly prayer (John 17) on behalf of us all. His final hours on the cross were spent in prayer and in submission to the will of the Father.
Jesus himself did not always pray alone. He would frequent the Temple and the synagogue in order to pray according to the Jewish tradition. In addition, he taught his disciples how to pray and would gather them in prayer. He exhorted both his disciples and us to do the same.
In adhering to the exhortation of Jesus, the Church is a praying community. The practice of reciting prayers at various hours throughout the day has its origin in Jewish tradition. It is known that the Jewish people used to gather in the synagogue to chant psalms, recite prayers, read from the scriptures, and listen to commentaries and exhortations by the elders. The psalmist, David, paused seven times a day in order to pray to God: “Seven times a day I praise you for your just ordinances: (Psalm 119:164).
The Divine Office of the West Syrians, which includes that of the Maronite Church, contains a select number of psalms and a great number and variety of hymns, canticles, homilies and prayers. The Syriac fathers wrote approximately twelve thousand poems. The most celebrated composer of these ancient hymns is the deacon, Ephrem, who was called the “harp of the Holy Spirit”.
It became the custom of the Maronite Catholic Church for the faithful who lived near the monasteries to participate in the liturgical celebration of the Divine Office, the whole local community was thus gathered in prayer. This was especially true for the offices of Ramsho (Evening Prayer), Sootoro (Compline), and Safro (Morning Prayer).
The priest is called to be another Christ, which is to say that he is to be a man of prayer. He is to pray for himself and for the Church as such, and is to be an example of prayer for the entire community of the faithful. Therefore, there is a moral obligation for the priest to pray both with and for his people. Failure to pray because of negligence will certainly result in the impoverishment of the priest’s life and ministry.
The Liturgical Day
The Maronite Catholic Church keeps the ancient semetic tradition of beginning the liturgical day at sunset. Ramsho or evening prayer is celebrated at the end of the working day, with the setting of the sun, and is the first hour of the Church’s cycle of daily prayer. It is directed to Christ, the Light of the World, who conquers the darkness of sin. As the sun rises and a new day begins, the Church sings praise, in the office of Safro or morning prayer, to the Father, glorifies Christ, the True Light, and gives thanks to the Holy Spirit. Ramsho and Safro are thus the two hinges of the Church’s daily prayer which bathe us in an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving.
