Reflection #15
The Ends of Mental Prayer
To make mental prayer well and derive from it great profit to the soul, we must determine the ends for which we intend to make it. First, we must meditate in order to unite ourselves more with God. It is not so much good thoughts in the mind as good acts of the will, or holy affections, which unite us with God; and such are the acts which we make in meditation--of humility, of confidence, of detachment, of resignation, and above all, of love and repentance for our sins. The acts of love, says St. Teresa, are those which keep the heart inflamed with holy love.
Secondly, we must make mental prayer in order to obtain from God, by petitions, the graces which are necessary in order to enable us to advance in the way of salvation, and especially to obtain the divine light, in order to avoid sin and take the means which will lead us to perfection. The best fruit, therefore, of meditation is the exercise of the prayer of petition. Almighty God, ordinarily speaking, does not give graces to any but to those who pray. St. Gregory writes: "God desires to be entreated, He desires to be constrained, He desires to be conquered by a certain importunity." Observe his words, "to be conquered by importunity." At times, in order to obtain certain graces of special value, it will not suffice simply to pray, but it will be necessary to insist, and, as it were, compel God by our prayers to give them to us. It is true that at all times He is ready to hear us, but at the time of meditation, when we are more recollected with God, He is more liberal in giving us His aid.
Above all, during meditation we must be careful to ask Him for perseverance and His holy love. Final perseverance is not one single grace, but a chain of graces, to which must correspond the chain of our prayers; if we cease to pray, God will cease to give us His help, and so we shall be lost. He who does not practice mental prayer will with difficulty persevere in Gods grace till death. Bishop Palafox, in his note on St. Teresa's letters, writes thus: "How will the Lord give us perseverance if we do not ask Him for it? And how shall we ask for it without meditation? Without mental prayer, there is no communion with God."
Thus, likewise, must we be urgent with petitions to obtain from God His holy love. St. Francis de Sales used to say that with holy love all virtues come united. "All good things came to me together with her." (Wisdom 7:11). Let our prayer for perseverance and love, therefore, be continual; and in order to make it with greater confidence, let us ever bear in mind the promise made to us by Jesus Christ, that whatever we seek from God through the merits of His Son, He will give it to us. "Amen, amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you." (John 16:23). Let us then pray, and pray always, if we desire that God should make us abound in every blessing. Let us pray for ourselves; and if we have zeal for the glory of God, let us pray also for others. It is a thing most pleasing to God that we should pray to Him for unbelievers and heretics and all sinners. "Let people confess to Thee, O God; let all people give praise to Thee." (Psalms 66:4). Let us say: "O Lord, make them know Thee, make them love Thee." We read in the lives of St. Teresa and St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi how much God recommended these Saints to pray for sinners, let us also add prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Thirdly, we must go to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in order to learn in it what God requires of us. "Speak, Lord," let us say with Samuel, "for Thy servant heareth." (I Kings 3:10). Lord, make me know what Thou wilt of me, and I will do it. Some persons continue meditation as long as consolations last, but when these cease, they leave off mental prayer. It is true that God is accustomed to console His beloved souls at the time of meditation and to give them some foretaste of the delights He prepares in Heaven for those who love Him. These are things which the lovers of the world do not comprehend; they who are accustomed to have no relish except for earthly delights despise those which are heavenly. Oh, if they had but experienced them, how surely would the leave all their pleasures to shut themselves in a cell to converse alone with God! Mental prayer is nothing else but a conversation between the soul and God: the soul pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, its fears, its petitions; and God speaks to the heart, causing it to know His goodness and the love which He bears it and what it has to do to please Him. "I . . . will lead her into the wilderness, and I will speak to her heart." (Osee 2:14).
But these delights are not always experienced; for the most part, holy souls suffer dryness in meditation. "By dryness and temptations," says St. Teresa, "the Lord makes trial of those who love Him." And she adds: "Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not the soul leave off mental prayer; the time will come when it will be very well paid for all." The time of dryness is the time of greatest pain. "Let us humble ourselves then and be resigned, seeing ourselves without fervor, without good desires, and as it were, unable to make a good act; let us humble ourselves, I say, and resign ourselves, for this very meditation will be more fruitful than others. It is enough then to say, if we can say nothing more, "O Lord, help me, have pity on me, abandon me not!" Let us also have recourse to our comfortress, the most holy Virgin Mary. Happy is he who does not leave off meditation when in desolation. God will make him abound in graces. Then let him say, "O my God, how can I expect to be consoled by Thee, I who at this hour should deserve to be in Hell, forever separated from Thee and deprived of all hope of being able to love Thee anymore!
I do not therefore complain, O my Lord, that Thou dost deprive me of Thy consolations; I do not deserve them, nor claim them. It is enough for me to know That Thou canst never reject a soul that loves Thee. Deprive me not of the power of loving Thee, and then treat me as Thou wilt. If it is Thy Will that I continue thus afflicted and desolate even till death, and through all eternity, I am content; it is enough if I can say with truth, "My God, I love Thee, I love Thee!"
Mary, Mother of God, have pity on me!
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
Secondly, we must make mental prayer in order to obtain from God, by petitions, the graces which are necessary in order to enable us to advance in the way of salvation, and especially to obtain the divine light, in order to avoid sin and take the means which will lead us to perfection. The best fruit, therefore, of meditation is the exercise of the prayer of petition. Almighty God, ordinarily speaking, does not give graces to any but to those who pray. St. Gregory writes: "God desires to be entreated, He desires to be constrained, He desires to be conquered by a certain importunity." Observe his words, "to be conquered by importunity." At times, in order to obtain certain graces of special value, it will not suffice simply to pray, but it will be necessary to insist, and, as it were, compel God by our prayers to give them to us. It is true that at all times He is ready to hear us, but at the time of meditation, when we are more recollected with God, He is more liberal in giving us His aid.
Above all, during meditation we must be careful to ask Him for perseverance and His holy love. Final perseverance is not one single grace, but a chain of graces, to which must correspond the chain of our prayers; if we cease to pray, God will cease to give us His help, and so we shall be lost. He who does not practice mental prayer will with difficulty persevere in Gods grace till death. Bishop Palafox, in his note on St. Teresa's letters, writes thus: "How will the Lord give us perseverance if we do not ask Him for it? And how shall we ask for it without meditation? Without mental prayer, there is no communion with God."
Thus, likewise, must we be urgent with petitions to obtain from God His holy love. St. Francis de Sales used to say that with holy love all virtues come united. "All good things came to me together with her." (Wisdom 7:11). Let our prayer for perseverance and love, therefore, be continual; and in order to make it with greater confidence, let us ever bear in mind the promise made to us by Jesus Christ, that whatever we seek from God through the merits of His Son, He will give it to us. "Amen, amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you." (John 16:23). Let us then pray, and pray always, if we desire that God should make us abound in every blessing. Let us pray for ourselves; and if we have zeal for the glory of God, let us pray also for others. It is a thing most pleasing to God that we should pray to Him for unbelievers and heretics and all sinners. "Let people confess to Thee, O God; let all people give praise to Thee." (Psalms 66:4). Let us say: "O Lord, make them know Thee, make them love Thee." We read in the lives of St. Teresa and St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi how much God recommended these Saints to pray for sinners, let us also add prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Thirdly, we must go to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in order to learn in it what God requires of us. "Speak, Lord," let us say with Samuel, "for Thy servant heareth." (I Kings 3:10). Lord, make me know what Thou wilt of me, and I will do it. Some persons continue meditation as long as consolations last, but when these cease, they leave off mental prayer. It is true that God is accustomed to console His beloved souls at the time of meditation and to give them some foretaste of the delights He prepares in Heaven for those who love Him. These are things which the lovers of the world do not comprehend; they who are accustomed to have no relish except for earthly delights despise those which are heavenly. Oh, if they had but experienced them, how surely would the leave all their pleasures to shut themselves in a cell to converse alone with God! Mental prayer is nothing else but a conversation between the soul and God: the soul pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, its fears, its petitions; and God speaks to the heart, causing it to know His goodness and the love which He bears it and what it has to do to please Him. "I . . . will lead her into the wilderness, and I will speak to her heart." (Osee 2:14).
But these delights are not always experienced; for the most part, holy souls suffer dryness in meditation. "By dryness and temptations," says St. Teresa, "the Lord makes trial of those who love Him." And she adds: "Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not the soul leave off mental prayer; the time will come when it will be very well paid for all." The time of dryness is the time of greatest pain. "Let us humble ourselves then and be resigned, seeing ourselves without fervor, without good desires, and as it were, unable to make a good act; let us humble ourselves, I say, and resign ourselves, for this very meditation will be more fruitful than others. It is enough then to say, if we can say nothing more, "O Lord, help me, have pity on me, abandon me not!" Let us also have recourse to our comfortress, the most holy Virgin Mary. Happy is he who does not leave off meditation when in desolation. God will make him abound in graces. Then let him say, "O my God, how can I expect to be consoled by Thee, I who at this hour should deserve to be in Hell, forever separated from Thee and deprived of all hope of being able to love Thee anymore!
I do not therefore complain, O my Lord, that Thou dost deprive me of Thy consolations; I do not deserve them, nor claim them. It is enough for me to know That Thou canst never reject a soul that loves Thee. Deprive me not of the power of loving Thee, and then treat me as Thou wilt. If it is Thy Will that I continue thus afflicted and desolate even till death, and through all eternity, I am content; it is enough if I can say with truth, "My God, I love Thee, I love Thee!"
Mary, Mother of God, have pity on me!
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
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