If
your spiritual life is to develop properly, you must learn
how to meditate — the foundation of mental prayer. A great
deal can be said about meditation, but we’ll have to limit
ourselves to some basic points. I’d like to approach it
by sharing something of my own experience.
When I first entered the seminary, I was already used
to saying formal prayers, such as my morning and night
prayers and some devotional prayers out of a little prayer
booklet. But somehow, the idea of meditation seemed complicated.
There was talk of different methods and steps in the meditation
process. Even the meditation book from which a reflection
was read daily to the community in the chapel listed “meditation
points” to consider. I felt a bit apprehensive!
Nevertheless, after going to a few organized meditation
periods, I realized that this basic form of mental prayer
came quite naturally. There was nothing to be afraid of!
I began by simply thinking about Jesus in the Gospels,
about His words and actions, or about some important part
of my Catholic faith, such as the Mass or God’s mercy.
Then I found I wanted to talk to the Lord about what I
was reflecting on.
In this way I came to realize that my thinking or reflecting
(that’s the actual meditation) was leading me to new awareness
and insights about Jesus and the truths of my Catholic
faith. These insights, in turn, were stirring up various
feelings within me (such feelings are called sentiments
or affections). The more I meditated and came to new insights,
the more I was led to speak with the Lord in my own words,
having a loving conversation heart-to-Heart (mine with
His). And that, quite simply, was mental prayer.
The
Rosary and Stations of the Cross
In fact, I came to realize that I’d actually known for
a long time what it is to meditate. For example, I’d
done it for years whenever I prayed the Rosary. When
reciting each of the fifteen decades, we meditate on
one of the joyful, sorrowful, or glorious mysteries
or significant events in the life of Jesus and His Blessed
Mother.
As I constantly meditated on these mysteries, they became
more meaningful for me. I began to see Jesus’ and Mary’s
love in each mystery, and gradually realized they have
that same love for me, too. By meditating, I was growing
to know and love them more personally.
A similar thing was happening when I made the Stations
of the Cross. Meditating on fourteen scenes from the
passion and death of Our Lord, I experienced feelings
(those sentiments or affections) of deeper gratitude
to Jesus for all He suffered for me. There were feelings
of deeper sorrow for my sins as well, since they caused
Jesus to suffer so much. This, in turn, moved me to
be more resolved, with the help of His grace, not to
commit these sins again in the future.
Judging, then, from my own experience, I would say that
many of us Catholics first learn to meditate by simply
reciting the Rosary or making the Stations. As we seek
to deepen this part of our mental prayer life, a few
practical points about meditation and mental prayer
may be helpful.
Formal
Prayer vs. Mental Prayer
First, mental prayer (also called the prayer of
the mind) usually develops naturally from formal prayer
(or the prayer of the lips), as my own experience shows.
A comparison between these two types of prayer can be
useful. Recall St. John Damascene’s famous definition
of prayer as “the raising of the mind and the heart
to God.” In formal prayer, when we focus on the words
of the prayer with our minds, the heart is then moved
to love God with the sentiments contained in those words.
For example, if we recite an “Act of Faith,” the words
prayed would logically stir up feelings or sentiments
of faith in our hearts as we say something such as this:
“God, You are all-knowing, and You reveal to us what
we need to know and do to get to heaven. I believe in
all that You have revealed to us! Please grant me a
strong faith so that I will always believe what You
teach us through Your Church.”
In mental prayer, however, the focus is not restricted
by the words of a prayer formula. Rather, the focus
of meditation is usually on a story, such as an event
from the life of Jesus; or a teaching He gave, such
as a parable; or something from the life of a saint,
such as St. Thérèse; or something contained
in a good spiritual book. My mind isn’t limited to the
words, but moves through various details of the story
or ideas contained in the teaching.
The mind, by reflecting on these details, can produce
a far wider range of insights, which then stir more
sentiments in the heart. The mind is freer to roam through
this spiritual landscape. Thus the difference between
formal prayer and the meditation of mental prayer is
like the difference between reciting a poem, where each
specific word is already given, and telling a story
freely in your own words.
The
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation as form of mental prayer has many benefits.
One is a greater understanding and clarity regarding
the teachings of our Catholic faith. By meditating,
we go deeper into these realities and discover many
valuable new insights that weren’t obvious at first
sight.
St. John of the Cross used the image of mining for precious
metals to describe this spiritual activity. If “there’s
gold in them thar hills,” then the more you mine, the
more you’ll find! The treasures of the Sacred Scriptures
and other truths of our faith aren’t always obvious
on the surface, but they’re limitless for those who
bother to search for them.
Another benefit, as we’ve seen, is that our reflections
stir up the vital sentiments of the heart so needed
for loving and serving the Lord faithfully. These sentiments
are really the most important fruit of mental prayer.
They lead us to talk to God!
In fact, without these sentiments, we’d end up with
a purely intellectual exercise, a mere reasoning process.
Prayer requires talking with God, and that requires
the sentiments.
In this regard, we should mention that beginners practicing
mental prayer typically do much more reasoning or reflecting
in the mind than speaking from the heart. But as time
goes on, less reflection is needed to produce more sentiments.
It’s like the growth of a human friendship.
When friends first meet, they need to ask lots of questions
and share lots of facts about themselves to get to know
each other better. After the friendship has grown, however,
there are fewer questions but a deeper knowledge and
more intense love for each other. In fact, when the
reasoning in prayer becomes significantly less and the
sentiments in the heart begin to predominate, it’s usually
a sign that we’ve come to the third state or kind or
prayer, called affective prayer (or the prayer of the
heart).
Finally, the meditation of mental prayer helps us form
the resolutions we need to grow in the love of God and
our neighbor by a more conscious and consistent practice
of the Christian virtues. Our meditations, in the light
of the Holy Spirit and with the assistance of His grace,
give us insights into how to apply the values of the
Gospel, Church teachings, and the wisdom of the saints
to our own daily lives. For all these reasons, the meditation
that provides a foundation for mental prayer is a must
for growth in Christian holiness!
Fr.
Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., is a priest of the Franciscan
Friars of the Renewal, St. Felix Friary, 15 Trinity
Plaza, Yonkers, NY 10701; 914-476-7279; www.ministryalliance.com/
youth-evang/fortunaweb.htm.
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