Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 6:5-8

"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. And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." — Matthew 6:5-8 (ASV)

And when you pray. Above, regarding the work of almsgiving, the Lord showed that it ought not to be done for human glory. Here He shows that same thing regarding prayer, and about this He does two things. Firstly, He teaches the manner of prayer, and secondly, He teaches what ought to be asked for in prayer, where it is said, Thus therefore shall you pray.

About the first point, He does two things. Firstly, He teaches men to avoid the vanities of hypocrites, and secondly, to avoid the vanity of the Gentiles, where it is said, And when you are praying, speak not much.

About the first thing, He excludes an unsuitable manner of praying, and secondly, He gives the suitable manner, where it is said, But you when you shall pray. He excludes the unsuitable manner of praying by way of the example of the hypocrites.

Hence, He firstly excludes this example, secondly, He explains this example, and thirdly, He gives the reason. The second part is where it is said, That love to stand and pray, and the third part is where it is said, Amen I say to you.

It is very fitting that after almsgiving He here treats about prayer, because, as it is said, Before prayer prepare your soul, etc. . For by good works, among which the first is almsgiving, the soul is prepared for prayer; Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens (Lamentations 3:41), which happens when good works accord [with prayers].

And it ought to be observed that the Lord does not command one to pray, but He teaches the manner of praying, and this is when He says, When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners. By hypocrites is understood dissemblers, who do all for human praise, and although this is a fault to be avoided in every work, nevertheless it ought to especially be avoided in prayer, according to Chrysostom, because prayer is a sacrifice which we offer to God from our inmost hearts; Let my prayer be directed as incense in your sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice (Psalms 140:2). It is not allowed that sacrifice be offered except to God, but it is offered to men if it is done on account of human glory. Hence, such men are idolaters.

Now, hypocrites are described insofar as they affect every place above and below themselves. As to the first affectation, He says, Who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets. For some touch of vainglory sometimes occurs in holy men, but they are not on this account to be numbered among the hypocrites unless they do this intentionally; A wild ass accustomed to the wilderness in the desire of his heart, snuffed up the wind of his love (Jeremiah 2:24).

And note that there are two kinds of hypocrites who clearly seek human glory: namely, those who pray in public places [and those who pray in private places]. Hence, He says, in the synagogues, where there was a congregation of people; And a congregation of people shall surround you (Psalms 7:8).

Others pray in private places and they seek human glory from the very avoidance of glory. For they want to seem to seek concealment when nevertheless they love public places, and this is what He says, in the synagogues and corners of the streets. If they truly seek concealment, let them seek not the corners of the streets, but an enclosed place.

Or we can say that they seek a public place in the open. But there are two kinds of public places: one is designated for prayer, namely, the synagogue, and another is not designated for prayer, namely, a corner of the streets. A corner is properly where two lines intersect each other. Hence, corners of the streets are two streets crossing over each other, forming an intersection there. This place is very public and is not designated for prayer; The stones of the sanctuary are scattered in the top of every street (Lamentations 4:1).

It also ought to be observed that one of the useful things for prayer is humility; The prayer of the humble and the meek has always pleased you , and, You have regarded my humility, you have saved my soul out of distresses (Psalms 30:8), but these [hypocrites] stand like proud men.

But it seems that in no place is it forbidden to pray; I will therefore that men pray in every place (1 Timothy 2:8), and, In the churches bless you God the Lord (Psalms 67:27).

But I answer that it is not a sin [to pray in corners of the streets] except on account of this intention, that they may be seen by men.

And, as Chrysostom says, although wanting to be seen by men harms in other works, this especially harms in prayer. It harms both in respect to the end and in respect to the substance of the work, because even if prayer were made with a good intention, one is scarcely able to keep one's mind from being distracted by many things. All the more, therefore, when prayer is made on account of the glory of men, and this is what is said, that they may be seen by men.

Therefore, ought one never to pray in a public place? It ought to be known that God intends to forbid the manner of praying by which [prohibition] vainglory is taken away. Vainglory is never sought except on account of something singular, because when there are many who keep one manner of praying, then glory is not sought from another.

Hence, the Lord takes away the singular manner of praying, namely, so that no one would pray in a place not designated for prayer, unless there is someone of such authority that he also commands others to pray.

Hence, according to Chrysostom, these words which He says, in the corners of the streets, are to be referred to everything by which you may seem to be set apart from others with whom you associate.

Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. Here He comes to the reason, and He says two things, reward and their. The reward of everyone is that which one reaps from his work. Hence, when we do something on account of the glory of men, the glory of men is our reward, yet we ought to wait for the true glory of God. And this is what is said, they have received their reward, with good reason, because they have usurped it; For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap (Galatians 6:8).

But you when you shall pray. Here He relates the due manner of praying, and firstly, He relates the manner of praying, and secondly, He gives the reason for this manner, where it is said, And your father who sees in secret will repay you.

He says, therefore, But you when you shall pray, meaning, ‘when you shall be disposed to pray,’ enter into your chamber. This is expounded in three ways. It is understood firstly in a literal sense of a separate room.

But do not those who go to a church do the contrary? It ought to be said that He is speaking about private prayer, which only ought to be made in a private place, and this is for three reasons:

1. It is because it is consonant with the faith, because you then confess that God is present everywhere; Lord, all my desire is before you, and my groaning is not hidden from you (Psalms 37:10), and, Shall a man be hid in secret places, and I not see him, says the Lord? do not I fill heaven and earth, says the Lord? (Jeremiah 23:24).
2. It is because although prayer which is made in public is impeded by many things, prayer which is made in private is quiet; I will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart (Hosea 2:14).
3. It is because vainglory is avoided; And going in, [Elisha] shut the door upon him, and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord (2 Kings 4:33).

Nevertheless, it ought to be said that prayer ought to be made in a private place so that one may pray before the Lord, alone, namely, and having shut the door literally, you may also exclude the possibility of [anyone] approaching [you].

Secondly, by chamber can be understood the interior secret of the heart; The things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds (Psalms 4:5). Having shut the door; Hedge in your ears with thorns, hear not a wicked tongue, and make doors and bars to your mouth , as though He were to say, ‘Pray silently.’ And He says this for three reasons:

1. It is because [the truths] of the faith are [thereby] attested, because then you confess that God knows the thoughts of hearts; Man sees those things that appear, but the Lord beholds the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
2. It is because it is unfitting that others would know your petitions; My secret to myself, my secret to myself (Isaiah 24:16).
3. It is because if you would speak with your voice you would impede others [from praying]; Hammer and axe were not heard in the house when it was in building (1 Kings 6:7).

But what shall we say about public prayer? It ought to be said that the Lord is speaking about private prayer in which the good of one person is sought. In public prayer, however, the good of the multitude is sought, and by acclamations of this kind some people are stimulated to devotion, for which reason chants were instituted.

Hence, Augustine in his Confessions says that blessed Athanasius, lest he take too much enjoyment in singing, wanted everything to be read quietly. But because chants of this kind benefited Augustine greatly before he was converted, he dared not speak against them but instead approved them.

But the question is whether someone praying in a private place ought to say words or not. A distinction ought to be made here, because sometimes words come forth intentionally, and other times from an impulse of the heart, as it is said, Who can withhold the words he has conceived? (Job 4:2).

Now words can be considered in two ways: either as owed, and then they ought to be recited, I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord (Psalms 141:2); or they can be considered as useful for praying.

When considered as useful for praying, a distinction ought to be made regarding the beginning and end, because Better is the end of a prayer than the beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:9), [meaning, the prayers] of the Church. For if in the beginning of prayer devout affections for prayer are aroused by the words, then it is useful to express words.

When, however, the affections are not aroused by the words, then words ought not to be expressed and [the affections] ought to be enclosed. Just as what is hot is diminished by evaporating, so the affections are emptied out by words, as is also evident from a sorrow expressed to others; My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out (Psalms 38:4), and, I said: I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name: and there came in my heart as a burning fire (Jeremiah 20:9).

Augustine expounds the passage in this way.

But Augustine expounds having shut the door in a third way, such that by chamber the heart is understood, and by the door the outward senses and also the imagination are understood, as it were. Such a person ought to enter his heart and close his senses and imagination so that nothing enters within except what pertains to prayer.

And Cyprian assigns two reasons:

1. It is reprehensible that you do not pay attention to what you say when you speak with a king.56
2. Why should God pay attention to you if you do not pay attention to yourself?

This is the door, concerning which it is said, Behold, I stand at the gate and knock. If any man shall hear my voice and open to me the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him: and he with me (Revelation 3:20).

And your father who sees. Here He gives the reason for the due manner of praying. For no one prays except to Him who sees him. Now God sees all things; All things are naked and open to his eyes, to whom our speech is (Hebrews 4:13). In secret, [referring to] either [the secrecy] of the heart or of the place, will repay you.

And when you are praying, etc. Here He teaches to avoid a second fault [in praying], namely, the many words of the Gentiles. About this He does three things: firstly, He teaches us to avoid the example of the Gentiles; secondly, He relates their intention; and thirdly, He gives the reason [for His teaching]. The second part is where it is said, For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard; and the third part is where it is said, Be not you therefore like to them.

He says, therefore, And when you are praying, speak not much. Notice that He does not say, ‘Do not pray much,’ because this would be contrary to that which is said, Instant in prayer (Romans 12:12), and, Being in an agony, he prayed the longer (Luke 22:43).

He was praying the whole night in the prayer of God (Luke 6:12), but He says, Speak not much. Augustine says in his Letter to Proba, “There may not be much speaking, but much entreaty” if a fervent intention is not lacking.

But many and few, much and little, are relative. For much can be said in two ways in comparison to prayer, which is “the raising up [of the mind] to God.” Or they speak much when their words exceed their prayer.

This happens in two ways: namely, if the words are concerning unlawful things, which is harmful; and when devotion is not present, for then one is made weary and prayer is made odious. For this reason, Augustine says that the monks in Egypt had frequent but short prayers, for they saw that devotion was necessary for the one praying, which is emptied out through a multitude of words.

For this reason also, in the Church it is appointed that various prayers be said at various hours of the day; Speak not any thing rashly, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Augustine says, “This business, namely prayer, is frequently done with groans rather than with words, etc.”

As the heathens. The Gentiles worshipped devils as gods; All the gods of the Gentiles are devils (Psalms 95:5). Regarding the devils, it surely ought to be considered that they do not know the future or the secrets of hearts except insofar as it is revealed to them. Hence, it was necessary for the Gentiles that they would say everything through words; Cry with a louder voice: for he is a god; and perhaps he is talking, etc. (1 Kings 18:27).

Likewise, the devils have changeable affections. Hence, they can be changed by words. Hence, Augustine said that Plato said that the devils were changed by words. God, however, knows all things and is not persuaded by words; For I am the Lord, and I change not (Malachi 3:6); God is not a man, that he should lie, nor is the son of man, that he should be changed (Numbers 23:19); and, Behold among his saints none is unchangeable, and the heavens are not pure in his sight (Job 15:15).

I will not spare them, nor their mighty words, and framed to make supplication (Job 41:3).

For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. And why is this? Jerome answers that we do not ask with words to make known, but to request.

And again it could be asked: Why do we utter words? Augustine replies that what we do in speech to a man is one thing, and what we do in speech to God is another. Regarding a man, many words avail to persuade him, but in regard to God, many words avail to lift up our hearts to Him.

Therefore Augustine says that although one ought always to have affection for God, it is nevertheless sometimes necessary to pray with words so that our affection does not fail.

And as Chrysostom says, from frequent prayer one becomes intimate with God and God with him; And when he was gone into the tabernacle of the covenant, the pillar of the cloud came down, and stood at the door, and [the Lord] spoke with Moses, etc. (Exodus 33:9).

Likewise, from this humility proceeds, because God’s sublimity and one’s own weakness are considered; I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27).

Moreover, from this one is directed in his actions and asks for help from God; I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from where help shall come to me, etc. (Psalms 120:1), and, All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Colossians 3:17).