The Practice of Mental Prayer - Father Rene de Maumigny

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Prayer must be Humble, Confident and Per- sistent, if it is, without Fail, to secure Salvation 151 XXIV. Prayer for Temporal Favors is Good, but not Infallible 157 XXV. Different Ways of Praying 160 XXVI. The Circumstances in which Petition is espe- cially Fitting 166 XXVII. Oblation 170 XXVIII The End of Meditation 174 XXIX. Reflection 176 XXX. The Time, Duration, Place and Posture most Fitting for Meditation 179 PART III Affective Prayer. I. The Nature of Affective Prayer 185 185 II. The Advantages and Dangers of Affective Prayer 194 III. How far may Affective Prayer be Simplified? 206 IV. Frequent Elevation of the Heart to God 209

      CONTENTS

PART IV
Difficulties in Prayer.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. First Difficulty: Distractions 219
II. Second Difficulty: Dryness of Soul 221
III. Third Difficulty: Weariness 227
IV. Fourth Difficulty: Discouragement and Want of Perseverance
232
V. Fifth Difficulty: To Learn how to Meditate 235
VI. Sixth Difficulty: Inability to Follow a Course of Reasoning
244
PART V
Methods of Prayer in the Exercises of St, Ignatius.
I. The Method of Contemplation and its Perfection. 255
II. The General Method of Contemplation Applied Particularly to the Mysteries of Our Lord's Life
265
III. Method of Prayer Entitled Application of the Senses
283
IV. Method of Prayer Entitled the Second Method of Prayer
291
V. Method of Prayer Entitled the Third Method of Prayer
297
VI. The Annotations of the Exercises 300
VII. The Additions of the Exercises 312

      PART I

      Excellence and Advantages of Mental Prayer

      CHAPTER I

      EXCELLENCE OF PRAYER

      PRAYER is intercourse with God, as uncon- strained as that of children with their father, in which we speak with Him of what con- cerns His glory, His good pleasure and the interests of our soul.

      Such is the idea of prayer given us by Jesus Christ Our Lord in answer to the Apostle's request that He should teach them to pray: Thus shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven." This answer shows that in meditation we are holding converse not only with the Creator and Sovereign Lord of all things, but still more as respectful, loving and beloved children with their Father.

      Our Lord adds: Hallowed by thy name! Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" By these words He shows that the subject of the conversa- tion should be God's glory and His good pleasure, before all else.

      He concludes with these words: "Give

      PRACTICE OF MENTAL PRAYER

      us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." From which it is evident that the second subject of this con- versation are our own interests, that is, our eternal happiness and the means of attaining it.

      In conformity with the teaching of Our Divine Lord, St. Gregory of Nyssa says that prayer is a communing and conversation with God,1 and St. Chrysostom, that it is a colloquy with God.2

      Now if one remembers that on earth many subjects are received in public audience by their king but very few are admitted to his familiar intercourse, the excellence of prayer will easily be understood. It is not a reception by the Creator of the creatures in common with others, but an intimate con- versation between God, the tenderest of Fathers, and His well beloved children. This is such a signal favor that reason could not con- ceive it; it had to be revealed to us by faith.

      Isaias3 represents the Seraphim cover- ing their faces with their wings, to show

      1 De oral, domin,, cap. 1.

       2 De orando Deo. lib. 1, and Homil. 30 in Gen. 3Is. 6: 2.

      

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