Our prayers are music
by Monica Pugh | March 17, 2025
If I might start something over in my life, perhaps I would attempt to be a professional flutist. I started playing in fifth grade just like kids do today. I practiced but never enough to sit first chair. It wasn’t important to me. I occasionally practice at home and sometimes I participate in the community band. I love playing my flute.
A few years ago, three of my sons participated in community band with me. We played our different parts creating harmony with all of the other musicians. Hearing a band or orchestra play today, my heart reacts to the music and I have a longing to participate. My reaction to music is what I can imagine God feels when we pray. He longs to hear our prayers and be in friendship with us through prayer.
The last couple of months I have talked about the definition of prayer and how to pray humbly as we bow our heads. But Monica, you say, “I still don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to pray. How do I do this?”
The most perfect place to start is at Mass with fellow parishioners just like playing in a band. The Holy Mass is the highest form of prayer. It is a communal act of worship. The priest leads us as we each take our turns back and forth reciting the words of the Mass. Music brings rhythm to the Mass as we sing the songs and the Mass parts. Each time I go to Mass, I start again. I don’t have to practice. I can enter the sanctuary and participate with everyone. There are no chairs at Mass based on how well we all pray. Everyone at Mass is sitting in the first chair.
St. Augustine is credited with saying, “He who sings, prays twice.” During Mass, as we sing the Mass parts and the Psalm response, our hearts join in unison. A well-studied phenomenon is heart rate variability synchronization. When people sing together their hearts beat together. This syncing at Mass, combined with the prayers of all the angels and Communion of Saints, is the perfect place to humbly surrender our hearts in prayer.
God doesn’t want you to start your prayer life over. Philippians 4:6 says, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” All prayers, spoken and unspoken, are perfect to him. He wants you to pick up the instrument of your voice, give it a little shine with a clearing of your throat, and speak to him. The habit of taking time to pray takes practice. But the unrehearsed time in prayer is beautiful music each time words are thought or spoken. Each Mass is its own beautiful tune. Each part sung in tune or off-key is prayed twice. Praying Mass with the entire community of believers throughout the world produces a grand symphony full of hope as our notes of prayers rise to heaven and are lovingly received by our heavenly Father.