Matthew Levering - On Prayer and Contemplation: Classic and Contemporary Texts

St. Clement, third bishop of Rome, wrote this letter in the 90s AD. Writing to the Corinthian Church, he uses his authority as bishop of the Church in Rome and his profound understanding of the gospel to entreat certain schismatic members of the Corinthian Church to return to the fold. The following excerpt from the letter is a lengthy prayer to God, the Father, through Christ, the Son. St. Clement pleads with God, the Creator of the world, for the grace of forgiveness and the grace of concord that build up the Church. He prays that the schismatic members of the Corinthian Church will return to a true understanding of the authority that God has bestowed on the bishops of the Church, an authority that both fosters ecclesial unity and enables believers to imitate the obedience of Christ.

B UT SHOULD ANY DISOBEY WHAT HAS been said by Him through us, let them understand that they will entangle themselves in transgression and no small danger. But for our part we shall be innocent of this sin, and will offer earnest prayer and supplication that the Creator of the universe may preserve undiminished the established number of His elect in all the world through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, through whom He has called us out of darkness into light , out of ignorance into the full knowledge of the splendor of His name that we may hope in Thy name which gave existence to all creation. Open the eyes of our heart , that we may know Thee who alone art Highest among the highest and Holy, reposing among the holy; who humblest the pride of the haughty, destroyest the designs of the heathens; who raisest up the lowly and humblest the lofty, makest rich and makest poor , slayest and bringest to life ; who alone art the Benefactor of spirits and the God of all flesh. Thou gazest upon the deep , Thou beholdest the works of men, the Helper in danger, the savior in despair , the Creator and Watcher of every spirit. Thou mul-tipliest the nations upon the earth, and from among all Thou hast chosen those that love Thee through Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, through whom Thou hast instructed, sanctified, and honored us. We beg Thee, O Master, to be our Helper and Protector : deliver those of us who are in distress, raise up the fallen, show Thy face to those in need, heal the infirm, bring back the erring of Thy people, feed the hungry, ransom our prisoners, set the infirm upon their feet, comfort the fainthearted: let all the nations know that Thou art the only God , that Jesus Christ is Thy Son, that we are Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture.

Excerpts from The Epistles of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch , from Ancient Christian Writers, vol. 1, translated and annotated by James A. Kleist, S.J., Ph.D., 4549. Copyright 1946 by Rev. Johannes Quasten and Rev. Joseph C. Plumpe, Paulist Press, Inc., New York/Mahwah, N.J. Used with permission of Paulist Press. www.paulistpress.com .

For Thou hast made known the everlasting constitution of the world through the forces at work in it. Thou, O Lord, hast created the world, Thou who art faithful in all generations, right in Thy judgments, wonderful in strength and transcendent greatness, wise in creating, and judicious in establishing what has come into being, beneficent throughout the visible world and kind toward those that trust in Thee. O merciful and compassionate one , forgive us our iniquities and misdemeanors and transgressions and short-comings! Do not consider every sin of Thy servants and servant maids; but cleanse us as only Thy truth can cleanse, and direct our steps to walk in holiness of heart and to do the things which are good and pleasing in Thy sight and in the sight of our rulers. Yes, Master, let Thy face beam upon us , that we may do good in peace and be sheltered under Thy mighty hand and delivered from every sin by Thy uplifted arm, and deliver us from such as hate us without cause. Grant concord and peace to us as well as to all the inhabitants of the earth, just as Thou didst grant it to our fathers when they piously called upon Thee in faith and truth ; grant us to be obedient to Thy almighty and glorious name, as well as to our princes and rulers on earth.

Thou, O Master, through Thy transcendent and indescribable sovereignty hast given them the power of royalty, so that we, acknowledging the honor and glory conferred upon them by Thee, may bow to them, without in the least opposing Thy will. Grant to them, O Lord, health, peace, concord, and firmness, so that they may without hindrance exercise the supreme leadership Thou hast conferred on them. For it is Thou, O Master, O heavenly King of all ages, that conferrest upon the sons of men glory and honor and authority over the things which are upon the earth. Do Thou, O Lord, direct their counsels in accord with what is good and pleasing in Thy sight , so that they may piously exercise in peace and gentleness the authority Thou hast granted them, and thus experience Thy graciousness. To Thee, who alone art able to bestow these and even greater blessings upon us, we render thanks and praise through the High Priest and Ruler of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom be to Thee the glory and majesty now and for all generations and forever and evermore. Amen.

What we have written to you, brethren, sufficiently explains what concerns our worship and is most helpful for a virtuous life to those who wish to live piously and dutifully. For, concerning faith and repentance and genuine charity and self-control and sobriety and patient endurancewe have touched upon every subject, and reminded you that you are in duty bound to please Almighty God through piety and truth and long-suffering: you are to live in concord, without bearing malice, in love and peace, joined to constant forbearance. In this manner our forbears, mentioned above, were acceptable and cherished a humble frame of mind toward the Father and God and Creator and all mankind. And we have all the more pleasure in recalling this to your memory because we are well aware that we are writing to persons who are believers and highly distinguished and deeply versed in the writings that contain Gods educative revelation.

It is right, therefore, that we should adhere to so many and such notable examples and bow the neck and discharge the duty of obedience, so that, ceasing from that futile dissension, we may without any blame reach the goal set before us in truth. You certainly will give us the keenest pleasure if you prove obedient to what we have written through the Holy Spirit, and extirpate the lawless passion of your jealousy in accordance with the pleas we have made in this letter for peace and concord. We are sending trustworthy and prudent men, who have led blameless lives among us from youth to old age, that they may be witnesses between you and us. We do this to make you feel that our whole care has been, and is, directed toward establishing speedy peace in your midst.

And now may the all-seeing God and Master of spirits and Lord of all flesh, who chose the Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a people set apart for Himself, grant to every soul that invokes His transcendent and holy namefaith, fear, peace, patient endurance and long-suffering, self-control, holiness, and sobriety, so that they may be well-pleasing to His Majesty through our High Priest and Ruler, Jesus Christ, through whom be to Him glory and greatness, power and honor, both now and forever and evermore. Amen.