I read this book often, and found it to be something that helped my faith greatly. Most of the book is about what not to do in religious life and is quite comical at times, especially when describing certain encountered behaviors of devotion. In the practice of repeating the word what I find happens for myself is that my mind and heart come to rest on their own after 10-15 minutes, this rest is often more refreshing than sleep. I believe it is resting in the being of God. The closest way I can explain this is that it is like being a little kid, drifting off to sleep in the company of loved ones, who are conversing quietly. There is a gentle peace and love present, and nothing to think about. All is calm and tranquil. I also learned through this devotion that I can carry on through the day repeating the word, thoughts ready to be engaged but not engaged. I can also more easily carry my crosses than before because I am not obsessing about how to run away from them. I also learned that thoughts really don't mean anything. This will likely sound crazy to a lot of you, but for someone like me whose mind never ever used to stop, it was life changing. If I remember correctly, this book also came out during the medieval inquisition, so the author decided to keep himself anonymous. Especially after seeing what happened to others, such as Meister Ekchart who was put through many trials. I am not saying the inquisition was bad, but it had its share of innocent casualties.
Mind if I ask you, Pax Prima, when you say "repeating the word", what are you referring to? I am wondering if it is different from the practice of hesychasm, i.e., practiced by Eastern Orthodox monks? In that case however, they repeat the phrase, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of [the Living] God, have mercy on me a sinner". I like that image of falling asleep in the presence of loved ones conversing quietly. It seems to have triggered a memory in me of that relaxed feeling when I was a child, half-listening to my parents chattering downstairs. Not even registering their words but just hearing the gentle undulations in tone of their voices. Especially on nights when visitors would come to the house (known in Ireland as 'coming to ceili').
It is so many years since I read this book, it is really nice to see it mentioned again like meeting an old friend out of the blue. In Western terms I think of this being like a set of aspirations endlessly said over and over again. A heart beat of prayer repeated endlessly over and over again, or like a endlessly repeating breath of the Spirit. It is rather like the Eastern prayer from , 'The Jesus prayer' taught so well in the Book, 'The Way of the Pilgrim'. But in the Eastern tradition it is taught as a kind of planned strategy, so the Jesus prayer is said ,say a hundred times a day and then a thousand and so on until it never ceases,as I say like a heartbeat, or like a rosary that never ends. But in the West it is not usually taught this way it just kind of grows and grows so even when we are sleeping it is said. For myself I say over and over and over again, 'I love you, I trust in you, I hope in you. ' I don't see the words themselves as so important they are, if you like like a radio signal a form of hugging God Eternally. A carrier wave if you like for love. In the Eastern Tradition this path is carried out under the careful instruction of an experienced master, someone who knows what they doing. I think it might be difficult to find such people in the West. But if we love the rosary, for instance it will grwon and grow in our lives naturally.
Basically the end point of prayer is that we become prayer. That it is unceasing. As it will be in heaven. Heaven on Earth.
I would say it comes about when the soul at some deep level understands that we are not the ones carrying God, but that it is God who is carrying us.
I loved Brother Lawrnce's book. I must pull off the shelf if I can find it. I often repeat without even thinking about it "Jesus Mary and Joseph I love you. Save souls."
Its nice to recall all these wonderful old books again. I have a very old copy of, 'The Way of the Pilgrim', on my book shelf, I might read it once again for the umpteenth time.
I am reading a book at the moment about a modern day American Saint who spent many years in a Soviet prison, I am especially looking forward to reading how he prayed in prison.
According to Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, prisons are the most religious place in Sweden, where prisoners often perform the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola on an ecumenical level. In a land ravaged by secularism but with a growing Catholic church, this seems to be generating good results.
I think so, but I cannot say for certain because I am not formally trained in what it is to be a hesychast. I just took a look at Wikipedia on hesychasm and the definition is "stillness, rest, quiet, silence" or "to keep stillness". I would say these definitions are very close to what I experience, because there is an inner rest and silence. The rest and stillness comes on its own however. It's not like my repeating of the word triggers it. It seems to be more like because my mind is focused on the word in a calm manner, it is no longer thinking about other things and rest comes. If my mind was going wild and I was in a panic reciting the Jesus Prayer in a superstitious manner, I do not believe the rest could come. It is my impression that the closest thing to the Hesychast tradition in the west is Lectio Divina, and while they are similar they are not the same. But the depth of prayer over time does seem to become more profound regardless of the prayer, as you said it grows naturally. For myself, I pray the rosary daily, but when it comes to meditation I follow the format mentioned in the Cloud of Unknowing. Mainly because then I don't have to think at all and simply allow the rest to come over me. With the rosary there is the need to pay attention to the mysteries and such. The Practice of the Presence of God is excellent. The continued return of the faculty of attention back to the presence of God. He also had strong inner urges to glorify God continuously as well as ecstasies. I have not experienced either of these things but believe they are true. Not that I search for these things.
Sometimes older people go to Confessors and complain, Father I can't pray!' When the priest asks them why they explain that they pray, say the, 'Hail Mary', but their thoughts and heart become so full of thoughts of God that they get lost in it all. This is the natural progression , in essence of Transformation from meditative to contemplative prayer. The Holy Spirit picks you up and runs with you, so to speak. Meditative prayer can not be leapfrogged or ignored by , 'Clearing the mind', in an effort to prematurely arriving at Contemplative Prayer as part of some formulaic strategy. It is pure gift. At to Heyschaistic prayer in the Eastern Tradition I would strongly suspect that beginners are instructed to not clear their minds but focus on the words and meaning of the Jesus Prayer, this rather than clearing their minds. I think this sounds remarkably like the practice in Far Eastern/ New Age Practices and could be extremely dangerous. Its the Spiritual equivalent of leafing the front door of your house wide open while you go on holiday. Also although we talk of different stages of prayer it is rather like the description of the angels in Scripture climbing up and down the ladder. It is not simply a matter of one fixed stage we can move from one to another several times a day up the ladder to heaven. St Teresa of Avila was asked by her nuns one time why she used a book at prayer time often to aid meditation when she was clearly in a state of very advanced prayer and she pointed this out to them. But I would warn against, 'Clearing the mind'. If the mind is indeed to be cleared let the Holy Spirit do it if He cares to, which He may very well not. This kind of prayer should not be forced, it is seeded from the rich Earth of good, hard working meditation.
My experience isn't a clearing of the mind, but more like focusing the faculty of attention in a peaceful manner on the prayer word. Then over a few minutes the peaceful rest comes. The mind just calms on it's own, nothing is forced and nothing is being cleared.
I have read cloud of unknowing. I thought it was a good book. Obviously, I prefer the Carmelite saints on prayer ….but it was good.
I like Carmelite spirituality too, I find it helpful. Especially the burnt log metaphor for God's action in our lives by St. John of the Cross.
It’s a beautiful example how the flame of love wounds the soul. I can’t seem to look at my wood stove the same way after reading it. Haha
Just watching it turn black, as the flame assaults it and removes all moisture. As the Holy Spirit wounds our souls,it seems oppressive at first until we are greatly purified and then aflame with His love. The log changes from black to being completely glowing and consumed by the flame. As our souls become ignited and more fully participates in the union of love.It’s no longer as oppressive.
