Prayer - Conclusion

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We also want to draw your attention to the magic of the Roman Catholic prayers. Much is achieved and maintained in the Catholic church by means of prayer. They are addressed not to the Lord of all life and His hierarchy but to the Roman Catholic god on the other side of the veil. That is why all kinds of prayer books are used, filled with set prayers designed to maintain the binding between the masses of the Roman Catholic god. An entire pantheon of saints is maintained for the same purpose. The faithful are given some Our Fathers to recite, to be counted off on the rosary. By all these practices, those who pray are worked up to a great intensity of prayer. In this way, the Roman Catholic organizations in the reflection-sphere, who maintain the entire flock, are invoked.

One also thinks of prayers for the dying by means of the system of "in memoriam" cards. By these prayers the departed are seriously hampered if they try to free themselves from the grip of the church, because such prayers have the effect of re-animating the sacrament of extreme unction.

The priests exhort the church-going masses to pray often. This is quite understandable, for what is at stake is the unity of the church, maintained through the magic of public worship, the sacraments and prayer. It will be clear how dualistic this magic power is and how it debases prayer.

In Protestantism there is also much praying, but since it has no hierarchy in the reflection-sphere due to its dis-unity, it is a helpless prey for numerous forces in the reflection-sphere. The Roman Catholic hierarchy is active in this field and with more success than many could imagine. The Roman Catholic hold also exists in the General Synod.

Generally speaking, there are four things which motivate man to maintain his dualistic self-preserving nature. These are love, wealth, power and fame. He is driven by "love" in his sexual life and his love for possessions, his children, his own person, family, nation, tribe and race. The desire for wealth expresses itself in such things as striving to earn money, providing for old age, application to all kinds of studies, the development of ambition and the desire to see one's children get on in the world.

The craving for power expresses itself in such things as the desire to command respect, the manner in which people try to attain their objectives and the illusion of wanting to be "somebody".

The craving for fame finds expression in the great value that people attach to various national historical events and the high esteem they have for military glory, the system of orders of the knighthood, sports honors and so on.

Man's prayers are attuned to these motives and all kinds of dualistic miseries from within and without lead him, in his distress, to pray for his own preservation.

For the spiritually advanced and understanding person such motives have not the least significance. He prays for the spiritual welfare of his being. His prayer is aimed at the well-being of mankind and arises from altruism and not from selfishness. He prays for love, encompassing all things and all beings; for spiritual riches, so that he can help to liberate mankind from its distress; for glory so to become and be such that his life announces God's glory by his deeds.

The true magic invocation, the true prayer of the pupil, abides by the law never to ask anything for oneself. It is the complete surrender to the Divine Command: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you". It is self-surrender with absolute faith in the Divine guidance.

Moreover, the pupil will realize that the quality and power of his prayers depend on his inner state with regard to consciousness, soul and body. Therefore, he will "live the Life" with all the strength that is in him.

From "Prayer" - Elementary Philosophy of the Modern Rosycross - Jan van Rijckenborgh

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