Prayer

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

Saint John Chrysostom

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It is said that 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 persist in prayer, regardless of whether it pleases us or wearies us. We must fight all distractions, pray attentively, and then, in God's time, the weeds of the world will be removed, and a garden of graces can take root within our hearts.

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 as victors.

Dryness in prayer is not an obstacle to holiness; if one persists, one can trust that he gains more merit than when his prayer is easy and sweet. His reward may not come immediately, but he must remember that it will come and that 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 in suffering than in pleasure. This is true because, in pleasure, it is more likely that self-interest is at play; however, when we press forward courageously under trial, we may trust that we do God’s will with purer intentions.

To assist in the development of recollection, it is good to develop a routine. Francisco de Osuna tells us in the Third Spiritual Alphabet--a book greatly praised by the patron of mystics, St Teresa of Avila--that every day has its harvest that must be reaped. The prayers that we have committed to praying should always be completed, to reap the full harvest. For if we fail to say a prayer one day, the opportunity is lost to us forever.

Saint Philip Neri advises that we have one devotion we never give up. Similarly, Saint Francis de Sales warns that we do not take on too many devotions, as the devil is tries to encourage us to do (this so that we become overwhelmed and abandon the practice of all devotions, entirely).

It would seem the ideal would be to pray the rosary each day, as Padre Pio tells us it is “the weapon” and to choose one other vocal devotion, one that appeals to our spirits, such as that of the Holy Face of Jesus, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, or Our Lady of Sorrows. To know the promises attached to each devotion will give us confidence to trust in God’s goodness, and form us to hope in His mercy, as the saints did, rather nurture confidence in ourselves.

For example, one of the promises of the Sacred Heart is that Our Lord will make tepid souls fervent and fervent souls will rapidly reach perfection. Let it be so, Lord! I need only to pray this devotion well, with reverence, and I may have peace that God will take care of the rest! Indeed, He will.

There is also mental prayer, which has been lost to the current generations. It is indispensable and the Saints tells us it must never be excluded from our days. Saint Teresa of Avila tells us 30 minutes is the minimum, as does Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Alphonsus. The later goes so far to say that if we neglect to practice mental prayer even for one day, we must confess this. The former, Saint Teresa of Avila, tells us that the devil knows he has lost the soul that practices mental prayer...If only souls knew!

If we struggle to begin, we need do nothing but ask Our Lady for help. One soul found that, at times, when she simply admitted to Our Lord that she was bored with His company, her spiritual dryness disappeared. Not because Our Lord wished to suddenly entertain her, but because He was waiting for her to humble herself before Him.

Let us not be afraid to speak honestly with Our Lord. After all, He already knows our hearts. Let Him purify them, and let us only ask for the graces to cooperate with this, trusting that He knows exactly what we need and will never abandon us on this journey.

Finally, let our trust in God be so much 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 prayer, that His will be done—as Saint Teresa of Avila would often pray fifty times a day—we will find ourselves advancing rapidly in holiness. 

In fact, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga once saw some of his neighbors in Heaven. He saw they had reached the level of the Seraphim, despite outwardly never demonstrating extraordinary virtue. It was revealed to him that these souls has reached the height of the Seraphim because they always willed what Our Lord willed.

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