Conference – Learning to Meditate

Introduction:

What is prayer? Saint Teresa said: an intimate sharing between friends; taking time to be alone with God. Saint John of Avila says: prayer is a secret and interior speech which the soul communicates with God, sometimes thinking, sometimes petitioning, at other moments giving thanks, by contemplating, and generally, all that which comes to pass in one’s secret conversation with God.

And what is meditation?  Meditation is a quest where the mind seeks to understand the why and the how of the Christian life in order to respond to adhere and to respond to what the Lord is asking.

It usually involves a method by which a person finds it easier to pray.  Almost nobody arrives at St Teresa’s understanding of prayer — an intimate sharing between friends — without first relying on the steps.  Sometimes a person becomes convinced that prayer must be totally spontaneous, or they become anxious because they think that it is unnatural to have a set structure by which they will journey to God.  They prematurely abandon the help, but if they had patiently remained, they would have gained many things.

Saint Ignatius understood two important things when he wrote the Exercises:

(1) the need to be supported by structure and

(2) that the Holy Spirit guides us individually. One size doesn’t fit all!

“God sees and knows what is best for us, and as He knows all, He points out the way to follow.  But we, even with His grace, have a hard time finding it, and may have to try several ways before we travel by that which is evidently the one for us.” – St. Ignatius P24

We need structured prayer, even though many times we will leave the structure behind when the Holy Spirit moves us. 

Four points on the practical understanding of Saint Ignatius:

• Love of God isn’t the result of an abundance of consideration
• Prayer requires effort on our part
• Grace must do its part
• Use only what helps you toward the final end

The Structure of Prayer:

Preparing the subject matter, meditating, dialoguing, examining

Preparing the Subject Matter:

This is supposed to be simple. St. Ignatius does not advise us to wait in a state of blissful expectancy.  He doesn’t advise us to wait for God.  He advises us to dispose ourselves for his divine intervention by doing everything that depends on us as though God were to do nothing.  But when God rewards us, we should pause to gather these good lights and to relish the consolations as long as they last.  (Ignatian Methods of Prayer)

• Before the meditation: Ask yourself, where are you going and for what purpose? You are going to speak familiarly with Him Whom you know loves you. You are going to converse with God, infinite truth and wisdom.
• Bodily Posture in prayer: Assume the most helpful posture, not the most bothersome, nor the most comfortable… seek total stillness.
• Preparatory Prayer: to humbly place oneself in God’s presence, requesting grace. “Ask our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, and operations may be ordained purely to the service and praise of His divine Majesty.” We are addressing the divine Majesty, adoring Him, asking His help. 
• Composition of Place: Quick and easy.  It serves to assist the mind in staying grounded.  Don’t be concerned with the historical accuracy of your picture.  We must be aware that visual images by their nature are unstable.  They will never be as helpful as we may wish them to be, nevertheless, they can be very helpful for us at times.  If the imagination will consent to be reasonable, use it to assist your prayer.
• Requesting a particular grace: What fruit do you want? As for it from your heart. 

Meditating:

• Remembering, thinking about, exerting oneself to understand
• Giving permission to be influenced. The emotions and affections are influenced when the mind considers.  Ignatius wants this to happen. We need our emotions to do their part. We shouldn’t fear using the emotions in the meditation–when guided by sound reason, they to put things into action.  They should be seen as a source of energy and movement.
• Do not pre-determine your expectations of how God will act: by remaining in the present meditation and doing what we can, we must also respect the Holy Spirit’s timing.

Dialogue: This is an exercise of trust, dependence, placing confidence in another

• Dialogue with God: narrate the scene to Him, explain to Him your recognition of the truth. Be saturated with His light and His warmth. Allow God to meditate in you and with you. Give Him your mind and heart.
• Voluntary acts: Adoration, Praise, Contrition, Confidence, Resolutions
• Show your confidence by asking for good things: By way of Mary, through Christ to the Father. Example: “I prayed the Mother to help me with her Son before the Father; I prayed the Son to intercede with His Mother….My heart was seized with feelings of devotion for these Mediators…I prayed to our Lady, and then to the Son, and lastly to the Father, to give me the Holy Spirit.”
• Endeavor to be united so many fervent ones who pray and love at the same time
• Savor the effects and feelings which God stirs up in your heart.

Examination of Conscience:

• Emphasis of St. Ignatius’ prayer life. He did it almost continually throughout his day.  He had the gift to do this without becoming scrupulous…(Ignatian Methods of Prayer; Brou/Young)
• While sitting or strolling recall how was your prayer, as one who contemplates from a mountain-top the path which has led him to such heights.
• Matter of Examination:
  • Did you adequately prepare and anticipate the fruits you hoped to gain?
  • Were you active in exercising your understanding, without rush, with sincerity and determination?
  • Did you take heart in moments of distraction or dryness? Did you humble yourself in moments of fervor?
  • Did you speak with God, did you let Him speak? Did you plead to Him for the graces you needed, with humility and confidence?
• Ignatius placed a great amount of importance on the Examination. We should always do it, without exception. It can of course be more relaxed than the meditation. Also, guarding against too long of an examination

Mortification:

“If you wish to make a good meditation, be faithful in mortifying yourselves…” – St Margaret Mary

Our prayer should translate itself into a loss of our own will in God’s will…We should offer ourselves for this in advance when we go to prayer.  God holds great graces in reserve, but they are for souls who are great in their generosity.

Smart Mortification:  The efforts can be many: Effort to overcome ourselves, to ask for the graces which are appropriate to meditation, the sight of our sins, striving for compassion for the suffering of Jesus.  All of this involves working against one’s will and will contribute to good prayer.

St Ignatius about doing penance: they are done to help.  Penance should “increase your strength rather than lessen it.  When the soul is determined to do nothing contrary to God and temptations have subsided, we should do less penance.  A weakened body weakens the soul.  We should love the body when it obeys the soul and is a help to it.  Prefer whatever causes tears of devotion to flow and unites you closer to God to what causes blood to flow.”

More is not always better:  “In the eyes of God, a short prayer by a mortified man is worth more than the longer prayers of others.  The worth of prayer is measured not by tears and such things, but by submission of the mind.”

“Love is to labor to rid oneself and deprive oneself for GOd of all that is not God.” (Ascent Mt Carmel, Bk2)

Conclusion:

What is prayer?

Saint Teresa said: an intimate sharing between friends; taking time to be alone with God.

Saint Ignatius understand the need for structure, while also advocating that the Holy Spirit will move as He wills.  For love of God does not consist in an abundance of material. During the meditations, a soul exerts itself as though God were doing nothing–making free and generous acts to do everything within his power to gain the fruit: preparing, enduring difficulties, requesting, examining, mortifying the will to gain self-control.  When these things are done, God will quickly visit the soul and give His reward. 

Meditation is a quest by which we seek to understand the how and why of Christian life. It is a great skill to learn how to meditate well–understanding when to exert myself in generosity and when to exert myself in patience, by waiting on grace.

This is how we will gain the fruit of meditation: doing what we can (according to our personal ability) and trusting in God who wishes to reward his faithful.