The Fullness of Prayer - Jacek Woroniecki O.P.

Our task is not only to develop the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church on prayer as comprehensively as possible, but also to familiarize ourselves with what one would like to call the art of prayer. For, as in all other practical activities, it is not enough to know what it is, as one also needs to know how to pray. In other words, theory is insufficient, practiceis necessary, a certain art, with its own methods and practical skills. We shall endeavour to derive teachings on prayer and the art of prayer from our holy faith, contained in Holy Scripture and the Church's teaching, as well as from her immemorial prayer practices, evident in her public worship and the spiritual lives of those elect souls who knew how to pray best. It is in the biographies of saints and their writings that we find the best commentaries – as they are bursting with life and love –on the immemorial teaching of the Church about spiritual communion with the Lord of hosts, which is prayer.

About the author:

Father Jacek Woroniecki OP

Adam Jacek Woroniecki OP (1878–1949) - Polish Dominican, theologian, philosopher, educator and ethicist. He studied natural, philosophical and theological sciences at the University of Freiburg, Switzerland. In 1906 he was ordained a priest in Lublin, and in 1909 he entered the preaching convent. In the years 1922–1924 he was the rector of the Catholic University of Lublin, which he co-founded from 1919. Then he became the dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Lublin (1924–1929); from 1929 he was a professor at the Collegium Angelicum in Rome. Outstanding expert on Thomistic doctrine, author of about 300 works in the field of moral theology, ethics, pedagogy and Thomistic sociology, passionate about history as well as Polish literature and art. Propagator of Catholic universalism and objectivity, as well as Catholic educational ideals based on the love of God, neighbor and homeland. In his writings, he showed the necessity of constantly shaping mental powers: feelings, will and intellect. His beatification process began on December 7, 2004 in Krakow. His most famous works include: "Catholic educational ethics", "Catholicism of Thomism", "About the cult of the mother tongue", "The fullness of prayer", "The Mystery of Divine Mercy". Cf. "Woroniecki Jacek Adam", in: Universal encyclopedia of philosophy, vol. 9 (Lublin: Polish Society of St. Thomas Aquinas, 2008).