Abstract: How to speak to God ? Is prayer a discourse or a state ? From the orator to the orant, from Quintilian to Dom Innocent Le Masson (1627-1703), spiritual oration has always tried to emanticipate from its secular counterpart. However, the Carthusian superior’s writings suggest that rhetoric, as subdued and unobstrusive as it can be, still continues to influence prayer. This begging rhetoric, humble and sensitive, matches the divine Word in his kenosis.
