Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 6:5-6

"And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee." — Matthew 6:5-6 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Solomon says, "Before prayer, prepare your soul." The person who comes to prayer giving alms does this, for good works stir up the faith of the heart and give the soul confidence in praying to God. Alms, then, are a preparation for prayer, and therefore the Lord, after speaking of alms, proceeds to instruct us about prayer.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He does not now command us to pray, but instructs us how we should pray, just as above He did not command us to give alms, but showed the manner of doing so.¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Prayer is, as it were, a spiritual tribute which the soul offers from its own depths. Therefore, the more glorious it is, the more watchfully we ought to guard it from being debased by being done just to be seen by men.

St. John Chrysostom: He calls them hypocrites because, while pretending to pray to God, they are looking around at men. And He adds, "they love to pray in the synagogues."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But I suppose that it is not the place the Lord refers to here, but the motive of the one who prays. For it is praiseworthy to pray in the congregation of the faithful, as it is said, "in your Churches bless God" (Psalm 68:26).

Whoever, then, prays so as to be seen by men does not look to God but to man, and as far as his purpose is concerned, he prays in the synagogue. But the one whose mind in prayer is wholly fixed on God, though he prays in the synagogue, still seems to pray by himself in secret.

They pray "in the corners of the streets," namely, so that they may seem to be praying in seclusion and thus earn a twofold praise: both that they pray, and that they pray in private.

Glossa Ordinaria: Or, "the corners of the streets" are the places where one road crosses another, making four crossroads.²

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He forbids us to pray in an assembly with the intent of being seen by that assembly, as He adds, "that they may be seen by men." The one who prays, therefore, should do nothing unusual that might attract notice, such as crying out, striking his breast, or stretching out his hands.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is not that merely being seen by men is an impiety, but doing this in order to be seen by men.

St. John Chrysostom: It is a good thing to be drawn away from the thought of empty glory, but especially in prayer. For our thoughts are prone to wander on their own; if, then, we approach prayer with this disease upon us, how can we understand what we are saying?

St. Augustine of Hippo: We should shun the notice of other people to the extent that it leads us to do anything with the intention of seeking the reward of their applause.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: "Truly I say to you, they have received their reward," for where a person sows, there they also reap. Therefore, those who pray for the sake of men, and not for the sake of God, receive praise from men, not from God.

St. John Chrysostom: He says they "have received" their reward because God was ready to give them the reward that comes from Himself, but they instead preferred the one that comes from men. He then goes on to teach how we should pray.

St. Jerome: If taken in its plain sense, this teaches the hearer to shun all desire for vain honor in prayer.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: No one should be present except the one who is praying, for a witness impedes rather than helps prayer.

St. Cyprian of Carthage: The Lord has commanded us in His instructions to pray secretly in remote and secluded places, as is best suited to faith. In this way, we may be assured that God, who is present everywhere, hears and sees all, and in the fullness of His Majesty penetrates even the most hidden places.³

Pseudo-Chrysostom: We may also understand "the door of the chamber" to be the mouth of the body, meaning we should pray to God not with a loud voice but with a silent heart, for three reasons. First, because God is not won over by loud cries but by a right conscience, since He is a hearer of the heart. Second, because no one but you and God should be aware of your secret prayers. Third, because if you pray aloud, you hinder anyone else from praying near you.

John Cassian: We should also observe strict silence in our prayers so that our enemies, who are always most watchful to ensnare us at that time, may not know the purport of our petition.⁴

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, by our chambers we are to understand our hearts, of which it is spoken in the fourth Psalm: "What things you utter in your hearts, and with which you are pricked in your chambers" (Psalm 4:4).

"The door" represents the bodily senses. Outside are all worldly things, which enter our thoughts through the senses, along with the crowd of vain imaginings that assails us in prayer.

St. Cyprian of Carthage: What insensibility it is to be carried away by trivial and profane thoughts when you are presenting your plea to the Lord, as if there were anything else you should consider rather than the fact that you are conversing with God! How can you ask God to attend to you when you do not attend to yourself?⁵

This is to make no provision against the enemy whatsoever; this is, when praying to God, to offend God's majesty by the neglect of your prayer.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The door, then, must be shut; that is, we must resist the bodily senses so that we may address our Father in the kind of spiritual prayer that is made in the innermost spirit, where we pray to Him truly in secret.

Remigius of Auxerre: Let it be enough for you that He alone knows your petitions, for He knows the secrets of all hearts. He Who sees all things will Himself listen to you.

St. John Chrysostom: He did not say, "will freely give you," but, "will reward you;" thus He makes Himself your debtor.

1. Serm. in Mont., ii, 3
2. ord.
3. Tr. vii. 2
4. Collat. ix, 35
5. Tr. vii, 20