Corporate Prayer - Chrysostom

Below I put a short quote from one of my favorites, St. John Chrysostom. This is my second time of reading through the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a great work. Catholics should read it in order to become more familiar with what the Church teaches. Protestants should read it in order to understand where their own faith comes from as well as to see what the Catholic Church actually teaches. 
Here is a short summary of the life of Chrysostom. 

(Chrysostomos, "golden-mouthed" so called on account of his eloquence).
Doctor of the Church, born at Antioch, c. 347; died at Commana in Pontus, 14 September, 407.
John — whose surname "Chrysostom" occurs for the first time in the "Constitution" of Pope Vigilius (cf. P.L., LX, 217) in the year 553 — is generally considered the most prominent doctor of the Greek Churchand the greatest preacher ever heard in a Christian pulpit. His natural gifts, as well as exterior circumstances, helped him to become what he was.

- Catholic Encyclopedia

There are a couple of  things I notice in this short quote below. One  is that it seems to have always been hard to get people to gather for worship. Many would rather stay home and practice their faith privately. Chrysostom explains why it is necessary to meet together for prayer. 

Another thing is that he talks about priests. Where there is a priest, there is also a sacrifice.  In my Protestant days if I had read this quote, I would have barely noticed the reference to priests.  Weird. I can’t really explain why. 

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.116

115.116. 

St. John Chrysostom, De incomprehensibili 3,6:PG 48,725.

 

CIC, can. 515 § 1.

Catechism