Transcript Lecture XVII: The Practice of Prayer

Beginning to Pray and
Progress in Prayer
Introductory Class for Spiritual
Directors – Community of Jesus
Crucified
Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC
I. Prayer in General
 Definition
 The elevation of heart and mind to
God in order to converse with Him
 The asking of good things from God
 A glance of love cast toward
heaven...a surge of the heart to
God...in times of both joy and
sorrow
Various Types of Prayer
Kinds of Prayer
►
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Prayer of Blessing – God’s gift and man’s acceptance
(Eph.1:3ff)
Prayer of Adoration – Attitude of creature before
Creator (Ps. 95)
Prayer of Petition – every need, forgiveness (Lk. 18:13)
Prayer of Intercession – a participation in Christ’s
prayer for others (for leaders [1Tim. 2:1]; for our
persecutors [Rom.12:14])
Prayer of Thanksgiving – Eucharist par excellence;
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of
God” (1 Thess. 5:18)
Prayer of Praise – recognizes that God IS! H.S. joins to
our spirits to witness we are children of God (1Cor.8:6)
Progression in Prayer

Like a human love relationship – a movement
from talking much (vocal prayer) to asking
questions and pondering the other
(meditation) to just silent in one another’s
presence (contemplation).
Novo Millennio Ineunte
“The great mystical tradition of the Church of both East
and West has much to say in this regard. It shows how
prayer can progress, as a genuine dialogue of love, to
the point of rendering the person wholly possessed by
the divine Beloved, vibrating at the Spirit's touch,
resting filially within the Father's heart. This is the lived
experience of Christ's promise: "He who loves me will
be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest
myself to him" (Jn 14:21). It is a journey totally
sustained by grace, which nonetheless demands an
intense spiritual commitment and is no stranger to
painful purifications (the "dark night"). But it leads, in
various possible ways, to the ineffable joy experienced
by the mystics as "nuptial union". How can we forget
here, among the many shining examples, the teachings
of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila?”
Progression in Prayer (cont.)
 Teresa of Avila – 4 Waters; 7 Mansions
 Guigo II: “Seek in reading (lectio) and you will
find in meditating (meditatio); knock in mental
prayer (oratio) and it will be opened to you by
contemplation (contemplatio)” [CCC 2654]
Praying the Scriptures
I.
Different Expressions of Prayer
►
Lectio – Spiritual reading
Meditatio – Meditation
Oratio – Intimate conversation and Interior
►
►
recollection
►
Contemplatio – Simple gaze
►
“Seek in reading (lectio) and you will find in
meditating (meditatio); knock in mental prayer
(oratio) and it will be opened to you by
contemplation (contemplatio)” (CCC 2654).
What is Meditation?
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►
a seeking
a becoming familiar with Jesus
a “pondering all these things in our hearts”
“Meditation is above all a quest. The
mind seeks to understand the why and
how of the Christian life, in order to
adhere and respond to what the Lord is
asking” (CCC 2705).
What does meditation involve?
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A process = an “eating” or “chewing”; a
“ruminating”; a “pondering”; a “questioning”
in faith and love
An object (material to ponder) = Christ and
His Mysteries
Fruit = Nourishment and Growth
Catechism on Meditation
► “The
required attentiveness is difficult to
sustain. We are usually helped by books,
and Christians do not want for them: the
Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels,
holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or
season, writings of the spiritual fathers,
works of spirituality, the great book of
creation, and that of history – the page on
which the “today” of God is written” (CCC
2705).
A Look at the Meditation Process
a. Look at Jesus
b. Look at Me
c. Make an Adjustment
Catechism on Process
► “To
meditate on what we read helps us to make it
our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here,
another book is opened: the book of life. We
pass from thoughts to reality. To the extent that
we are humble and faithful, we discover in
meditation the movements that stir the heart and
we are able to discern them. It is a question of
acting truthfully in order to come into the light:
‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’” (CCC 2706).
The “How to” of Meditation
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Fixed place and time
Choose and prepare a passage
Pray for Light of Holy Spirit
Read slowly and ruminate (chew)
Use your reason power and imagination to
“dig-into” the Scriptures
Allow the Word of God to confront you
Make a resolution
Pray in thanksgiving and for strength to keep
resolution
Catechism on Use of Faculties
► “Meditation
engages thought, imagination,
emotion, and desire. This mobilization of
faculties is necessary in order to deepen our
convictions of faith, prompt the conversion
of our heart, and strengthen our will to
follow Christ” (CCC 2708).
II. Prayer of Petition

Petition and Predestination
► Things God has pre-destined to give us
absolutely – whether we pray for them or
not
► Things God has pre-destined to not give us
– whether we pray for them or not
► Things God has pre-destined to give us
conditionally – that is, only if we pray for
them

Necessity of Prayer
► “watch and pray” (Mt. 26:41)
► “they must always pray and not lose
heart” (Lk. 18:1)
► “ask and it shall be given to you” (Mt.
7:7)
► “pray without ceasing” (1Thess 5:17)
► “be assiduous in prayer” (Col. 4:2)
►“If
you wish to be saved pray; if you do
not pray you will certainly be damned”
(St. Alphonsus Liguori)
►“If you do not pray, you cannot stay”
(Mother Teresa of Calcutta)
 Prayer to Saints
► Prayer as to be fulfilled by the one
praying to – only God can grant grace
as Cause
► Prayer as to be obtained through the
one praying to – here the Saints can
intercede for us
 Difficulties in Prayer
► Distractions
 Attention
► words – pronouncing them
► words – attention to their
meaning
► to Whom we are addressing
 Possible causes of distractions
► constitutional factors
► physical or mental illness
► sinfulness and vice
► improper spiritual direction
► devil
► circumstances or environment
► Dryness
 Causes
► individual
► God
► Devil
III. Grades of Prayer in the
Active Way

Vocal Prayer
► Definition – prayer expressed in words
either vocally or written
► Importance
 arouse interior devotion
 give homage to God with body as well as
heart
 opportunity to give vent to spiritual
sentiments
► Components
 attention – mind
 piety – heart
 Without both, St. Teresa of Avila
did not consider it worthy of
being called prayer at all
► Duration
 Individual prayer time
► often will be limited by
ability to sustain devotion
 Fittingness of vocal prayer
► most common prayer and
liturgical prayer
► can never be completely
omitted
 Meditation
► Definition: “a reasoned
application of the mind to
some supernatural truth in
order to penetrate its
meaning, love it and carry it
into practice with the
assistance of grace” (Royo,
514).
 It is discursive
 Thus the need for attention
 Its place within the different
expressions of prayer
 It is a seeking and a becoming
familiar with Jesus
 It involves a process and a subject
matter
► supernatural object
► appropriate with one’s
circumstances
►
Difference from theological
speculation
 It is prayer properly speaking
 It has a double finality
► intellectual – forming firm
convictions
► affective – movement of love in
the will and practical resolutions
(love expresses itself in deeds,
thus the resolution is essential)
►
Methods of Meditation
 This is important for beginners –
knowing how to meditate
► use of methods (cf. Royo pp. 516518)
► use of meditation books
► a simple method and the 3 stages
(cf. handout)
 Affective Prayer
► Definition: “type of prayer in which
the operations of the will predominate
over discursus of the intellect” (Royo,
521).
 It is a simplified meditation, without
being specifically different from it
 Acts of love (a predominance of the
heart over mind)
 The transition into this type of prayer
is normally gentle and gradual
►
Affective prayer flows naturally from
Meditation
 the will is a blind faculty and
needs the intellect to present the
supernatural truth to it in order to
be moved to love it
 One should not abandon
discursive meditation too quickly
► problem of source of illusion
► problem of wasting time
 One should let such movements
happen but not force them
► one should stop
reading/discursing when some
thought has stimulated a
movement in the will.
► When the movement passes,
one should again pick up the
subject matter and continue
considerations until the next
movement
►
Benefits of Affective Prayer
 gives a respite from the labor of meditation
 keeps one from depending too much on the
labor of reasoning
 deepens the soul’s union with God via acts of
love
 thus all the virtues are increased
 helps in exercise of virtue in view of the
consolation that the soul receives
 disposes the soul for the prayer of simplicity
► Dangers
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forcing the affections
attachment to consolations
spiritual gluttony
spiritual sloth
 Prayer of Simplicity (Simple Gaze,
Acquired Recollection)
► Definition: “a simple loving gaze
upon some divine object...it is a
form of ascetical prayer which is
extremely simplified” (Royo, 525).
 It is a transition point from
active to passive prayer
 As a result it is often mixed with
some infused elements
 The prayer is so simple, no
method is needed
► Dangers
 One may end up not meditating
when one is able and thus waste
time and fall into spiritual sloth
 One may fail to cease meditating
when prayer becomes simplified
and thus resist the movement of
the Holy Spirit which is trying to
lead the soul into passive prayer
(St. Teresa of Avila)
►
Fruits of Prayer of Simplicity
 The effects are seen throughout
one’s entire life
 One’s entire life is simplified as is
the prayer
 The soul experiences a deep
recollection in God in the midst of
duties of life outside of prayer time
 The soul is disposed for infused
contemplation