Prayer And Seeking

Cum vero ita sit, ut et de orationibus, quae nostrum movent animum, minime sileamus; nobiscum reprehendere non cessamus pariter eosdem, quibus Jacobus ait Apostolus: Petitis, et non accipitis, eo quod male petatis. Male namque petit, qui non petit quod Dominus praecipit, sed quod potius interdicit. Ille namque desiderare et petere nos jubet coelestia, nos contra et desideramus et optamus terrena; ille orare pro persequentibus et caluminiantibus, nos e diverso contra persequentes et calumniantes exsecrabiles fundimus preces. Quale autem est illud, quod quidam noctibus psalmodiis et orationibus instant, diebus vero detractionibus, praviloquiis, otiositati et desidiae vacant, cum nox potius quieti, dies sit concessa labori; quod, remur, optime noverat ille, qui postquam dixerat: Media nocta surgebam ad confitendum tibi; et: In matutinis meditabor in te; duas videlicet tantum nocti consecrans horas, septies, ait, in die laudem dixi tibi. Nos vero, fratres, quidquid perperam agitur, cum Dei adjutorio devitantes, atque apostolici illius non immemores: Sive vigilemus, sive dormiamus, simul cum Christo vivamus, in noctibus extollamus manus, id est, opera nostra, in sancta, et benedicamus Domino: post quietem vero surgentes, ut juxta eumdem Apostolum, et jam silentes sine intermissione nos orare debere credamus, illius dicentis omnimodis recordemur: Qui avertit aurem suam ne audiat legem, oratio ejus erit exsecrabilis. At contra veri adoratores adorabunt Patrem in spiritu et veritate, Dominica nobis dicitur voce. Petamus quoque a Deo non quod nos prohibet cupere, sed quod imperat desiderare, ut nobis respondere dignetur quid Salomoni sapientiam postulanti respondit. Cui nimirum responsio illud Evangelium concinit: Quaerite primum regnum Dei et justitiam ejus, et haec omnia, id est corpori necessaria, adjicientur vobis. Ratherius Veronensis Sermo II Source:Migne PL 136.697a-d

As that may be, concerning prayers, which move our soul, we shall not be silent, we shall not cease to admonish ourselves with those to whom James the Apostle said: 'You seek and do not receive because you seek wickedly.' 1 For he seeks wickedly who does not seek what the Lord commanded, but rather what He prohibited. He commanded us to desire and seek heavenly things, we on the other hand desire and seek things of the earth. He prays for persecutors and caluminators, we on the other hand against persecutors and caluminators pour out prayers of cursing. It is like one who takes zealously to nightly prayers and Psalms, but in the day has nothing but detraction and vile speech and cant and chatter, when the night should be for quiet, and the day for labour. That one, I think, knew better who said: 'In the middle of the night I rose up to confess your name,' 2 and: 'At dawn I shall meditate on you.' 3 Certainly only two hours of the night are consecrated and 'seven times in the day I gave praise to you.' We, however, brothers, whatever we do wrong, whenever we stray from the help of God, let us not be forgetful of the Apostolic saying: 'Whether we watch or sleep let us live in Christ.' 4 In the night let us raise up our hands, that is, our works, in holiness, and let us bless the Lord, 5 and then after rising from rest, in accordance with that same Apostle, in unbroken silence let us entrust ourselves to prayer, remembering that saying that in whatever way we do it: 'He who turns away his ear so that he does not hear the law, his prayer shall be accursed.' 6 But opposing this, true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and truth, as the voice of the Lord has spoken to us. 7 Let us, then, not seek from God what He has prohibited but what He has commanded us to desire, that we be worthy to receive the response of wisdom with which He answered Solomon. 8 To which the reply of the Gospel harmonises: 'Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things,' that is corporeal necessities, 'shall be given to you.' 9 Ratherius Of Verona, from Sermon 2 1 James 4.3 2 Ps 118.62 3 Ps 63.7 4 1 Thes 5.10 5 Ps 133.2 6 Prov 28.9 7 Jn 4.23 8 3 Kings 3.11 9 Lk 12.31