Prayerful People
Basic Info
All Christians pray, but some people seem to rise to the level of stars in this department. The tradition has especially honored four types of prayerful people: (1) penitents, who were particularly conscious of their sins and prayed for forgiveness; (2) ascetics, who take the idea of removing oneself from the temptations of the world to an extreme through fasting or other deprivations of comfort, such as living in caves or engaging in other practices that help them to get in touch with Jesus’ suffering; (3) monks, who commit to a monastic life of prayer and work, removed from the temptations and rewards of the world; and (4) mystics, who have special insight into, or experience with, God’s mystery.
Penitence was such a big thing in Christian history that there is a separate article for that topic. The other three types of prayerful people are addressed here. At the same time, there are often not clear lines between these types of people; there is a fair amount of overlap.
During the 3rd and 4th centuries, a number of committed Christians, fearing that city life would lead them into sin, took themselves out to the desert to live simply and pray, much as John the Baptist did and as Jesus did during his time in the desert. These people were known as the desert fathers and mothers and were recognized for their wisdom. Saint Anthony of the Desert is probably the most famous of these.
As time passed, some of these ascetics joined others and formed communities. These communities eventually built monasteries, and some of their leaders established rules for living that would minimize the temptations of the world but not be as extreme or dangerous as the situation in the desert. The people who live in monasteries are called monks and nuns. Monks in monasteries work but take long prayer breaks every couple of hours during the day. They pray together in chant most of the time. Once a group of people have formed a monastery or convent, they need a set of rules to live by or they risk chaos. One of the first sets of rules was written by Saint Basil the Great, but the most famous is probably the Rule of Benedict, which is still used today.
Mystics intuit or experience or have insight into God’s mystery in a way that is rare among the wider population. These experiences are usually understood to be gifts from God. Sometimes people who have mystical experiences start out as monks or nuns. Some have shared their experiences in a combination of description and metaphor, some in poetry, others through visual art or music. Their insights often provide rich wisdom and guidance for the rest of the Christian community.
What to Look For
Prayer can be depicted in something as simple as depicting the hands placed palm to palm with the fingers together. This is a gesture of prayer in many religious cultures. Generally prayerfulness is indicated as follows:
- Hands
- Gaze (heavenward, inward)
- Head (turned up toward God or down in humility before God)
- Kneeling (being humble before God)
In Ascetics look for:
- Symbols of their asceticism (rough clothing, simple food, caves, bare cells, etc.)
- Symbols of intentional mortification of the flesh (whip)
- The temptations they are seeking to be freed from (material goods or demons)
In Monks look for:
- Robe with a hood
- Monastery architecture in the background
In Mystics look for:
- Physical appearance (gaze, hands, emotion, posture, signs of ecstasy or some other powerful emotion)
- Symbol of God’s presence (light, cloud, angel, etc.)
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
Does the artist suggest that this type of prayerfulness is so extreme as to be unique to this saint, or does the artist seem to be inviting the viewer to imitate the saint?
How does the artist indicate the saint’s relationship with God? Is the saint humble, pious, petitioning, joyous, or something else? If God is indicated in any way, how does the artist portray God interacting with the saint?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
Are you moved to pray the way the saint is praying in the artwork?
Does the artwork suggest an attitude of prayer (humble, pious, joyous, etc.) that works for you? Or is there something about the saint’s attitude that seems annoying or uncool or irksome for some other reason? What would you change about this saint’s prayer attitude to make it feel more honest for you?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
What might have been going on in the artist’s time and place that would have made the saint depicted especially moving or inspiring?
