I love the way that the Spiritual Life is such an adventure with new discoveries and its own apparent little ups and downs. Last week I had a few days of work. I had been doing a lot of night work and this meant I had to work a lot of weekends and had little time of. I was always tired and doing night shift and day shift at the same time can often throw me for a loop. We are not angels, we have a body. I constantly have to remind myself of this, that how I am feeling physically can appear to effect my spiritual sate , how and when and how I pray and relate to God. SO having a week off , time to recharge to replenish the spiritual batteries so much more time in Church , time for pray alone, time for spiritual reading. But I think our Spiritual relationship with God is or should be much deeper that hat. We are hopefully much deeper than these passing things. We may seem very far from God but this only has to do with how we feel , rather than how we are. Feeling are just that, feelings ; love is deeper than feelings. I suppose any married couple could have told me that. That love is not just about romance; about how we feel. Other things pass , love endures. I took a day when I was off to go up a mountain I had never been up before called , 'Eagle Mountain'. I met two shepherds and asked advice on directions. The older one warned me it would be very tough going which it was. I keep forgetting I am 61, not 17. The guide book on the way down took me through a bog called the Red Bog which was horrific, I lost all sense of direction and it was getting dark and looked apt to rain. But I kept on slogging and praying for help and got down just as it was getting dark. I think the Spiritual Life can often seem like this, often for many years, slogging away , head down, lost in the dusk. But love endures. 1 Corinthians 13:1 Love 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.…
How do you move from one level of prayer to another, Padraig? There are times when I hit a sweet spot of contemplation and adoration when it is as if I am adoring the Triune God in all His glory. But mostly it is dry and boring prayer of the will as I pray the Rosary a lot. Mostly it is like an engine just motoring along nicely but with only occasional pit-stops along the way and it is in these times one can be raised high upon contemplating the wonders and glory of God when I am overwhelmed by the sense of God's goodness and presence. I am talking about an interior state of prayer. What is the ultimate goal of prayer and how do the saints differ in this regard to us mere mortals? I suppose what I am asking is 'what is the highest form of prayer'?
I had to take this away and chew over it for a while, John. But when you think of it where does the Highest most intense prayer take place? Heaven. Because: 1 Corinthians 13:12 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ..and of course in heaven Faith gives way to the Eternal Reality. Faith, I think is a virtue rather than a prayer, a launching pad for prayer rather than prayer itself. In heaven seeing God face to face is the launching pad.
'How do you move from one level of prayer to another, Padraig?' That is such a profound good Question.. I believe we move from one level of prayer to the next through growing in humility. The smaller we grow, the more God grows. It is a bit like building a sky scrapper, the higher the building the deeper the foundations must be. The Holy Spirit is always standing by with an ocean of graces but the little cups of our hearts must enlarge themselves in deeper humility in order to receive them. It is God who carries us, not we who carry God. If God sent us graces we were not predisposed to receive then they would simply leak out and be wasted from the cups of our hearts. In a real sense life itself can be considered a work shop in which we learn over and over again that it is not all about us; it is all about God. If in a few seconds we had sufficient humility qwe would be made saints in seconds. For God's grace would pour in, rather than leaking out. This is at the heart of what Jesus said: Matthew 20:16 The Parable of the Workers …15Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” 17As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said,… Matthew 23:12 Woes to Scribes and Pharisees …11The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.… So that Hell is the Kingdom of the Proud and Heaven that of the Humble. The best woman of prayer that ever lived was Mary, because she was the hand maiden of the Lord and the whole life of Jesus is a lesson in Great Humility. Philippians 2:1-11 Imitating Christ’s Humility 2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very naturea]">[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very natureb]">[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I always thought that the Secret of the Little Way of St Therese was simply this; humility. Others write of her teaching us to pick up little flowers along the way by making each act and moment a giving to God. But that is a spiritual tactic rather than her grand spiritual strategy . Her secret is I think that God must carry us, rather than we God. That we must become very little in order for God to lift us us. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:2 'Jesus...! How great is your humility, O divine King of Glory, in submitting yourself to all your priests without distinguishing between those who love you and those who, alas!, are lukewarm or cold in your service. You come down from heaven at their call; they can make the hour of the holy sacrifice earlier or later, but you are always ready. O my Beloved, how meek and humble of heart (Mt 11,29) you seem to me beneath the veil of the little, white host. You could not have humbled yourself more to teach me humility; in the same way, in response to your love, I want to desire that my sisters should always set me in the lowest place and to be able to convince myself that this place is truly mine... I know, O my God, that you cast down the proud soul but give an eternity of glory to those who humble themselves. I want, then, to set myself in the lowest place, sharing your humiliation so as to «have an inheritance with you» (Jn 13,8) in the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet, Lord, you know my weakness. Each morning I take up my resolution to practice humility and, by evening, I realise I have still committed many failings of pride. Seeing this, I am tempted to discouragement. However, as I well know, discouragement is also an act of pride! And so, O my God, what I want to do is to base all my hope on you alone. You can do all things, so be pleased to bring to birth in my soul the virtue I am looking for. And to obtain this grace from your infinite mercy, I will say repeatedly: «O Jesus, meek and humble of heart: make my heart gentle and humble as yours!' St Therese
Thanks Padraig - food for the journey. Grace of course is key. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3v18) Prayer opens us up to contemplate the glory of the Lord. And if we keep going to the well of prayer then it will eventually bear fruit in due season. Like the deer panting for the water so my soul it longs for you.
You hit the nail on the head Padraig. Humility is the key! Both to the battle we are fighting and to spiritual growth in general. When I first came back to the Church a couple of years ago and saw what was happening I was full of anger. Once I realized that I am so small and insignificant and there is really nothing I can do things changed for me. I am still angry, but it is more of a righteous anger now. I am mad at the sin, not the men as much (though I still have my bad days). Yes we need to fight for Christ's truths, but in the end God's got this one. We will never bring the Church back to it's former state by human means. We are awaiting Our Lady to right the ship!
Yes but humilty itself is such a mystery. For instance why did Lucifer at the start of the war choose the way of Pride and the rejection of God he and the other third of the angels who fell like stars from the Heavens? Why do some here on Earth choose to learn the lessons of humility and others never do? Such a mystery. I was thinking of many Christmas's ago when we were children we were bought little walking, flashing robots. They were good fun but when they reached a corner of the room they often got jammed. Simply constantly walking into the wall and banging their little heads forever and ever. Life is like that for us. Some of pick ourselves up and learn a little of our dependence on our creator. Some of us never seem to do so and stay in our little corners banging away forever. Perhaps it is because humility at bottom is a decision. An act of will. We either choose for God or we choose not. That choice reveals our true spiritual reality. Who or what we really are. Perhaps that is what hell is. A little corner were people bang against the walls of their own pride forever and ever.
Padraig, in your lovely post on prayer, you put Heaven as the Kingdom of the proud as well as the humble. I know you meant to put hell as the kingdom of the proud. Thought you might want to edit, in case it confuses any visitors.
'What is the ultimate goal of prayer and how do the saints differ in this regard to us mere mortals?' The ultimate goal of prayer is unceasing prayer, in the West called, 'Spiritual Marriage' and in the Eastern Church , 'Divinisation'. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. This sounds impossible, humanly speaking , to pray all the time and never stop and of course it is. But as St Paul also tells us; Romans 8:26-27 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. There are some really beautiful descriptions of this entrance into Spiritual Marriage which I used to be very fond of reading up on . Now let me see if I can find one. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09703a.htm Mystical Marriage of St Catherine of Siena by Memling.
Prayer as it follows along its road towards heaven does not become more complicated but more simple. St Teresa of Avila compares it to water which spreads more and more through the soul. Eventually it becomes a constant river or stream which never , ever ceases. It may appear to go underground at times but if we listen we can hear it burbling away underground and as we listen it bursts to the surface. A good analogy is, I think the rosary. At first we say the rosary , but the end point is that we become the rosary. Every second of our lives a passing bead.
Padraig, I asked on another thread, but did not receive a response from you. When Mother Mary taught you to pray the rosary, what did she teach exactly?
She taught me basically what she seems to have done at Medugorje and other apparition sites to say the prayers slowly and thoughtfully, from the heart paying attention to meditating on the mysteries , thoughtfully , lingeringly. We most of us say the rosary far,far, far too fast. Which is why I like to pray it alone. St Teresa of Avila said if we had the right dispositions we could become a saint by saying one, 'Our Father', though to do so we should have to say it like an angel. A good mark of good prayer is that we should get lost in it , well at least a little. I asked a hermit one time what he thought of a French Abbot who wrote widely on prayer. He answered me simply, 'The man is a saint'. When I asked him why he thought this he said he noticed as he was talking to him he had a small crucifix in his hand and kept running his fingers over it, lovingly. When we say the rosary lovingly we are saying it right. You don't hurry love.
Prayer is such a personal thing that it's difficult to speak of it except in general terms. St Teresa of Avila's 'Interior Castle' is not a particularly easy read but I found it at the time when my own prayer life had developed in a way that I found initially confusing. Had I tried to read it any earlier, I wouldn't have understood it at all. Basically, Teresa divides the stages of prayer into seven 'mansions' - the first three being those which require personal effort, turning from sin, etc, until one reaches the fourth, in which God begins to take over. It's called the Prayer of Quiet but there are other names for it. In this way, the one who prays is still before God, who then quietens the soul. These periods are, to begin with, short, but are intensely pleasing to God. The remaining mansions are more mystical, ending in the mystical 'marriage' of the soul and God. Fr Thomas Dubay's book Fire Within covers similar ground, though I admit that I find his writing style much drier than his speaking style. To be honest, a saint may not have any mystical experiences at all. We are all different. Having said that, I have made a study of the prayer life of St John Paul II and it is clear that he became a great master of prayer. He began by being intensely disciplined from youth onwards. He prayed for hours before the Tabernacle. I believe that the discipline which sent him often to his knees resulted in a special grace of prayer.
I'm guessing that I must still be saying it too fast, even though I'm always trying to slow my family down when we pray it together. One other thing - do you pray the original 3 mysteries, or with the added luminous mysteries? Did Mother Mary indicate this?
I think our parents have much to do with our personality and disposition to the virtues. I think our ancestors also have much to do with our faith and characteristics. I feel so sorry when I see people I know that seemed to have little chance from the start of life with the parenting, or lack of, when they had no religious upbringing. Christmas was all about toys. Easter was all about candy. The joy of these holy events was never known. I thank God for my parents and family. I thank God that I married a young lady who was open to learn and teach our children the faith. It is a mystery to me as well that some go through life without ever understanding the very purpose of their being. I guess that is why our Lady of Fatima told the children that most go to hell because they have no one to pray for them.
