Prayer

Prayer is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings.

Saint John Chrysostom

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It is said the Carthusian monk is “never less alone than when alone.” In solitude he enjoys the uninterrupted company of Heaven, who is always ready to assist him, enlighten him, and supply the peace the world cannot give. 

In quiet recollection, our hearts are filled with God and nothing—not all the world—can be so sweet. But how are we to achieve this recollection? The answer, Pilgrim, is that we continue in prayer, regardless of whether it pleases us or wearies us. We must fight all distractions, pray attentively, and, in God's time, the weeds of the world will be removed and a garden of graces will take root within our hearts.

To assist in the development of recollection, which fosters prayer, it is important to develop a routine. Francisco de Osuna tells us in the Third Spiritual Alphabet—a book highly praised by the patron of mystics, St Teresa of Avila—that every day has its harvest. We ought to commit ourselves to praying each day all those devotions we have previously chosen so that, in doing so, we reap a full harvest of grace. And while there will be days when not all prayers can be said, due to unexpected events, we ought to still strive to do all we can.

Prayer is the foundation of the spiritual life, so we must be careful never to neglect it.

Vocal Prayer

Saint Philip Neri advises that we choose one devotion (a vocal prayer) that we never give up so long as we live. Ideally, we ought to pray the rosary each day and in addition to it, choose one other devotion. This second devotion should be one that appeals to us personally, one that attracts our hearts like moths to a flame, such as the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus, His Sacred Heart, or Our Lady of Sorrows (but there are many others to choose from). These devotions have promises attached to them and knowing this will not only help us advance more quickly in holiness but also give us greater confidence to trust in God when we fall or feel threatened by an enemy. If we know that we are safe so long as we keep to the devotion, then we shall not despair so easily. We can trust that Jesus is faithful to His word, and we need only to try again.

One of the promises of praying to the Sacred Heart, for instance, is that Our Lord will make tepid souls fervent and that fervent souls will rapidly reach perfection. This means we need only to pray this devotion well, attentively, with reverence, and we may have peace that God will take care of the rest. We may still sin occassionally, but if we keep praying this devotion we know that the sins will grow less and less--not because of our own goodness but because Jesus has promised this to us.

However, be careful, Pilgrim, to also heed the words of Saint Francis de Sales who warns that we do not take on too many devotions. Though there are many benefits to be gained from all of the devotions, it is a common tactic of the devil to encourage a soul to take on more that it is able, so that the soul becomes overwhelmed and eventually abandons all prayers.

Mental Prayer

Next, there is mental prayer, which has been almost entirely lost to current generations. Indispensable, the saints tells us we must never exclude it from our day. Saint Alphonsus Liguori goes so far to say that if we neglect to practice mental prayer even for one day, we must confess it, for the devil makes great strides against the soul who neglects mental prayer.

If we struggle to begin, we do well to ask Heaven for help. One soul found that, at times, she needed only to admit to Our Lord that she was bored with His company and her spiritual dryness disappeared. Not because Our Lord wished to suddenly please her, and make Himself less "taxing" but because He was waiting for her to humble herself before Him before he rewarded her honesty with consolations. He knows that we are weak and incapable of seeing His goodness unless we receive the necessary grace but He still demands humility from us.

Therefore, let us not be afraid to speak honestly with Our Lord, for He already knows our hearts. This is what mental prayer is: an open conversation between the soul and God, or some other citizen of Heaven. We speak as though God is before us, in the room, sitting in a chair across from us. But, really, He is even closer, for He is in your very heart.

Bring all of your troubles, joys, regrets, and hopes to Him. Share the small moments of your day, thanking Him for the goodness He has shown you--be it pleasant or bitter, trusting that all that happens to you at each moment is what is best for your soul.

Mental prayer, formally, involves four parts: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and petition.

Adoration: It is appropriate to first greet God as we would any dear friend, with much warmth and excitement. To call to mind all the good He has done and will forever do, His limitless generosity, His great attention to caring for our souls, has a way of stirring us to greater love and making our time in prayer not only more enjoyable but often more penetrating.

Contrition: Then, upon recognizing His profound goodness, we ought to ask His forgiveness for our shortcomings, understanding that despite His great love for us we have often failed to return what little of our own love we have. If our adoration in Step One has been successful in stirring within us great affection, then our contrition will be heartfelt as well. But we must not dwell so long on contrition so that it brings us to despair. Rather, once we have expressed our sorrow to God, let us take the reins of hope and progress to the next stage, which is thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving: Thank Him, then, for never abandoning you despite your disloyalty and for supplying you with the grace to seek Him. Thank Him also for those graces that have helped sustain you thus far, even the ones you do not know you have received. Thank Him for graces you have recently received that you are particularly appreciative of and tell Him how you benefitted from them.

Petition: Finally, if there is anything on your heart that you should like to ask of our precious Father, let it be here, at the end of your prayer—confide in Him your worries, your hopes, your disappointments. Continue to speak to Him as a little child, curled up in a father's arms, trusting that He hears all you say and is listening with the greatest interest.

Above all, ask Him for the spiritual graces you need to become a saint. Ask especially for the grace of final perserverence, that you do not abandon the narrow way, and then, if needed, as Him for any material assistance or help related to worldly matters that you may be struggling with.

Remember the words of Saint Vianney, that "no prayer is ever lost." And upon leaving your prayer, thank Him again for the gift of your faith. Trust that He who has brought you this far has no intention of abandoning you. Even if this life is riddled with crosses, Jesus is with you and supporting you.

The saints tell us that the devil knows he has lost the soul that practices mental prayer. Practice it often, speak to the Lord throughout the day—your little victories, your little joys, your sorrows, all the we have already said—and in doing so, may you see that your friendship with God deepens, your sanctity grows, and your heart becomes more united to Him.

Should Prayer Be Dry or Sweet?

It can be tempting to think that we are not praying well if we do not feel consoled, but this is not true. We must accept that all dryness is willed by God and as long as we fight the temptation to give up and insist on praying well, we emerge victors.

Dryness in prayer is not an obstacle to holiness. In fact, if we persist in drynesss we can trust that we gain more merit than when prayer is easy and sweet. Our reward may not come immediately, but it will come, for Our Lord is never outdone in generosity.

Saint Francis de Sales tells us in Finding God’s Will For You that we are surer of fulfilling God’s Will when suffering than in times of ease and pleasure. This is true because in pleasure it is more likely that self-interest is at play and we are choosing things that bring us joy rather than the greatest glory to God; however, in times of trial, we often exercise greater purity because we choose to do what is best objectively, given the situation we are in.

The Importance of Trusting Jesus

Finally, let our trust in God be so great that we only pray that His will be done. Let us remember that we do not see what He sees or know what He knows. If we resolve to always pray this way, that His will be done, we will find ourselves advancing rapidly in holiness. 

It has been said that Saint Aloysius Gonzaga once saw some of his neighbors in Heaven. They had reached the level of the Seraphim, despite never appearing outwardly extraordinarily virtuous. It was revealed to him that these souls has reached the height of the Seraphim because they always willed what Our Lord willed.

So let us do the same.

May God’s will be done.

Holy Jesus, Sweet Jesus, Loving Jesus....

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Acquire the habit of speaking to God as if you were alone with Him,

familiarly and with confidence and love, as to the dearest and most

loving of friends.

Saint Alphonsus Ligouri