We like to pray in words of our own choosing, whether it be extemporaneous prayer, devotions, or any of the oft-used and well-memorized prayers like the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, etc. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to these prayer expressions as “vocal prayer” (whether or not they are spoken aloud), and here is immense value in all of them.
But vocal prayer is certainly limited, and overreliance (or exclusive reliance) upon it will limit the development of our relationship with God. Consider the bold statement of St. Paul that “we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Rm. 8:26). The implication here seems to be that any words, thoughts, vocalizations, or other expressions of self which we add to our prayer will automatically render our prayer a less-than-perfect offering. This should come as no surprise, as we are less-than-perfect beings. Like ourselves, our prayer can only find its fullness when it becomes, not an expression of the self offered to God, but rather an expression of the very Spirit of God dwelling within us! Now, consider that John of the Cross instructs us that “silence is God’s first language” – the language in which divine groanings are uttered. Until we’ve allowed ourselves to sink trustingly into the silence of God, we may never know the fullness of the love and transformation available to us in prayer!