Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within – Book Recommendation

Prayer Primer : Igniting a Fire Within – by Thomas DuBay

This is a must read for those looking either to begin, or to deepen their prayer lives. Father Dubay, with brevity and clarity, covers all the foundational elements of each type of prayer (vocal, liturgical, mental, contemplative, etc.). For those already experienced with vocal or liturgical prayer, this book will help you evaluate your prayer life and determine how to further develop your relationship with God. For those who already have a solid understanding of meditation and contemplation (within the context of the definitions provided by the Church and the spiritual doctors of the Church), you might look to “Fire Within” instead (also by Fr. Dubay). However, even with experience in these areas, this book will equip you with the perspective you need to evaluate your prayer life in each important area and to navigate deeper waters as you grow in grace.

Regardless of who you are, if you are beginning or reigniting your prayer quest – this book should be the first book you pick up. Click here to learn more.

My wife and meditation

My wife loves flowers. She is a beautiful woman inside and out and deserves flowers. Recently, I was driving home and began to think about her. I thought about how she has suffered and overcome. I was musing on her ability to stick with me when deeply fettered with illness, sin, and selfishness. As I pondered her face and her virtue in my mind I was moved to feelings of admiration and love. I decided it was time for flowers again.

It occurred to me that this is a perfect illustration of affective mediation as it plays out in our love relationship with God. When we meditate, we ruminate on the goodness of God and how he has sustained us and continued to love us even as we reject him in so many ways. As we ponder his goodness, kindness, gentleness, and perseverance, our will becomes inflamed. When our will is rightly inflamed to love, we act in service to him.

True meditation always results in living out the love that is inflamed in our hearts.

Contemplation and Meditation – What is the difference?

A. Contemplative prayer consists of a more passive (and more sublime) experience of God. If Christian meditation is the soul’s inspired quest to discover God (our work of seeking God), contemplation is God’s lifting of the soul into himself (God’s work of embrace), so that it effortlessly basks in the divine light. The key distinction here is that contemplation, in the strict sense, is purely the work of God. Meditation, though aided by God and predicated upon the grace and work of Christ, is the result of our seeking him. That basic distinction is often blurred, causing confusion, because both contemplative and meditative prayer have multiple forms. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to clarify further.

In general, meditative prayer can be mostly discursive or mostly affective. A discursive meditation follows a more logical development, analyzing a truth of the faith or a scripture passage in order to discover an insight or deepen one’s Christian understanding. That discovery or deepening leads the soul out of analysis and reflection and into conversation with God – acts of thanksgiving, praise, contrition, or petition. An affective meditation puts less emphasis on analysis or reflection, and more emphasis on the conversation, the acts of thanksgiving and praise that flow from the soul’s spiritual (not necessarily emotional) affections. Sometimes a mere glance at a biblical phrase can stir up a strong affection in the soul, and that is enough for the soul to enter into conversation with God; this is a (mostly) affective meditation. Other times, a long period of reflection, of analytical searching, finally yields an affection that leads to conversation; this is a mostly discursive meditation.

In certain seasons of the spiritual life, and often as the soul increases in spiritual maturity, meditation naturally becomes more affective. When a soul finds itself regularly and easily entering into contact with God, with hardly any discursive effort, this is often called the “prayer of quiet” or the “prayer of simplicity.” The soul finds itself easily gazing silently at the grandeur of God. Because so little effort is required in this kind of almost exclusively affective meditation, it is often called contemplative prayer. This is a common and valid use of the term. But it can cause confusion, because in a strict sense, and in the writings of mystics and theologians, contemplative prayer (“infused contemplation” is the technical term) goes even beyond this adoring gaze. We can gaze at the ocean and experience a deep sense of wonder, but it is another thing altogether to be submerged in the water. Infused contemplation is when God submerges us in himself; we no long gaze at God from without, but experience an ineffable union with him. Think of the piece of iron that is thrust into the fire and takes on the qualities of the fire.

And so, the most active type of mental prayer (as opposed to vocal prayer) is discursive meditation, which dovetails with affective meditation, which in turn culminates in the prayer of quiet, in which the soul enters effortlessly into extended acts of thanksgiving, praise, contrition, or petition. This is so effortless that it is akin to and often called contemplation. Infused contemplation, however, actually goes to a new level, lifting the soul out of itself and into the divine.

How can I better praise God?

Q: Dear Dan, Can you give any help on how to learn to praise God? I enjoy going to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and would really like to learn how to praise Him. I don’t feel my words are adequately expressing the praise I really would like to give. Thanksgiving is easier, but I would be grateful for some advice on the praise side.

A: Dear Friend, thank you for asking. This is a very touching question… a beautiful expression just in the asking alone.

The most helpful means to me in developing my own language of praise and adoration is praying the prayers of the saints. As an example, one of my favorite prayers during Lent is expressed in St. Alphonsus Ligouri’s version of The Way of the Cross. In his reflection at the second station he says,

My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the sufferings You have destined for me until death. I beg You by all You suffered in carrying Your cross, to help me carry mine with your perfect peace and resignation. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never let me separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

The first time I prayed this I felt uncomfortable. I just didn’t feel that it was completely true. Yes, I love Jesus, but, I know that my heart is divided. I love him with what seems to me to be a deep love, but I am also very aware of my sin and the fact that my love is not always as whole-hearted as I desire it to be. So, it felt a bit disingenuous saying the words, “I love you Jesus my love.” It seemed more honest to pray, “I don’t love you as much as I should, but I want to love you far more than I do.”

My rescue came in the writings of St. Catherine of Sienna. She relays how it is not possible for us to atone for even the smallest sin (if there is such thing as a small sin). She notes that even though this is true, with God’s grace working through us to love him, we are far more capable, by that virtue-amplifying grace, to repent and thus love God more completely. I realized that when I am expressing even the most meager half-hearted and poorly worded praise, that my words are reaching God in a way that has far more beauty and grace than I could ever muster on my own. It is something like little poorly skilled boy producing a painting that expresses his love for God. He works as hard as he can but from a human standpoint the painting is artistically pitiful. However, by God’s empowering grace, he receives, in the boy’s desire and his own amplifying grace, a painting that is more beautiful than Michelangelo could ever produce.

I was further comforted by the amazing words of a poem written by Saint Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, O.C.D.

…How can you say you do not love God when your very desire of loving is love itself?

It is the sweet flame which escapes from the secret furnace of your heart…

With respect to praying with the saints, there are many good books available. One that I have found a particular blessing is Divine Intimacy. For every day of the year, following the Liturgical calendar, there are meditations and very beautiful prayers from Carmelite saints and other holy men and women. Praying these prayers and making them my own has been extremely helpful.

Another approach that I have found helpful is to personalize the treasure of our traditional prayers. For instance, I begin almost all of my meditation times with an adaptation of the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love. When I first began this practice I simply prayed them as they are. Over time, I began to pray extemporaneously through the ideas and sentiments that they contain. That is, I made these acts my own either in the traditional form or adapted them to personal experience and the state of my heart each time I entered into meditation. This morning I prayed something like this for my act of faith:

Lord, I believe in you. Thank you for being present to me. I am grateful that you desire my presence in spite of my sin. Before the foundation of the world you formed me out of nothing in order to be in communion with me. You sent your son to help me understand that no matter the depth of my sin, there is redemption for me. I believe in your love. Therefore, I hope in you…

When I am feeling less able to express myself, I simply return to the traditional forms and pray them as my own prayer or I just sit in the quiet and gently repeat, “I love you Jesus my love. Grant that I might love you always, and then do with me what you will.”

For all of our devout friends out there, what approaches have you taken to improve your ability to praise God?

Dan

My spiritual director has recommended centering prayer, what should I do?

Q: Dear Dan, I have recently sought the guidance of a Spiritual director which I would say was greatly influenced by your and Fr. John’s suggestions. My concern is that my Spiritual Director has suggested Centering Prayer. I’d appreciate it if you can share your thoughts on that. Thanks.

A: First things first – I am greatly encouraged by your steps toward deepening your faith through spiritual direction! With respect to your question, we actually get a lot of questions like this. Because of the effects of the fall and the inherent differences and nuances that effect each person’s ability to understand the other, communication is hard work. So, the key is to seek understanding by determining exactly what your spiritual director means by what they are saying or suggesting.

This matter is complicated when we approach the topic of prayer in general and is even more problematic in the area of “centering” prayer. Why is this? It is because there is no universally held definition of centering prayer. Different people mean different things when they use the term. The Church itself does not officially recognize “centering” prayer in any form. The good news, is that the time-tested prayer forms of the Church are clearly defined in part four of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This makes things easier. When there is a misunderstanding regarding central matters of our faith, we can go to the source to clear things up.

So, the first step is to find out what your director means by the term “centering” prayer. They may simply be using it as a synonym for some traditional form of prayer. The issue becomes more problematic if your director is advocating a form of prayer or approach to prayer that the Church, in her wisdom, recognizes as problematic and leading to error, confusion, or even spiritual harm.

In the late 80s, recognizing the serious challenges with how some were developing and teaching ideas on prayer, then Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) wrote a letter to all the Bishops regarding his concerns. As you might suspect, the challenges addressed were widespread and serious enough for the Prefect of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to issue a very precise and authoritative warning. This letter was entitled, “A Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation.”

The bottom line is that if you 1) seek to understand what your director meant by what they said, and 2) seek to understand the time tested, true, spiritually safe, and efficacious forms of prayer that the Church in her wisdom recommends, you will be better able to navigate the situation safely.

No matter what, keep seeking to deepen your relationship with Him!

Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him

Dan