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SammyJankis90
Guest
I’m looking for some sort of a solid treatise on prayer. I’ve found a lot of books of prayers, but not a lot dealing with the subject more academically. Any suggestions?
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Rejoice_Always
Guest
I’d recommend three books by Fr Thomas Dubay, from basic level and up.
Prayer Primer: Igniting A Fire Within
This primer begins at the beginning: the very roots of the human person–a needy, aching, yearning being who is ultimately satisfied by nothing that even an extremely beautiful universe can offer. Learning to pray is really learning to fall in love–with supreme Beauty.
Prayer Primer is written for intelligent adults (not teenagers) who want God and a serious prayer life, but it does not presuppose that they need or have a theological background. It does take up many questions rarely answered adequately in the classroom or from the pulpit, indeed often not mentioned at all: Why pray? (be ready for some surprises) Why vocal prayer is important and yet should be limited? What contemplation is and is not. Praying with Scripture. Family Prayer–even how to introduce children to group meditation. Prayer in a busy life. Pitfalls and problems–together with solutions. Buddhism? New Age? Centering prayer? What should you do when dry and empty and not at all inclined to pray? How do you even get started? Where and how to begin? Assessing progress. Growing in depth. All of these subjects, and more, are clearly and concisely explained for citizens of this 21st century.
Deep Prayer/Deep Conversion
This goes deeper than Prayer Primer. Though short, I don’t think one can ever be finished with this book.
For contemplation, Dubay’s Fire Within is essential.
Of course, one could instead just pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Magnificat, and/or the Psalter, and learn more about prayer than any book could ever teach – though sometimes a guide is needed and desirable.
Prayer Primer: Igniting A Fire Within
This primer begins at the beginning: the very roots of the human person–a needy, aching, yearning being who is ultimately satisfied by nothing that even an extremely beautiful universe can offer. Learning to pray is really learning to fall in love–with supreme Beauty.
Prayer Primer is written for intelligent adults (not teenagers) who want God and a serious prayer life, but it does not presuppose that they need or have a theological background. It does take up many questions rarely answered adequately in the classroom or from the pulpit, indeed often not mentioned at all: Why pray? (be ready for some surprises) Why vocal prayer is important and yet should be limited? What contemplation is and is not. Praying with Scripture. Family Prayer–even how to introduce children to group meditation. Prayer in a busy life. Pitfalls and problems–together with solutions. Buddhism? New Age? Centering prayer? What should you do when dry and empty and not at all inclined to pray? How do you even get started? Where and how to begin? Assessing progress. Growing in depth. All of these subjects, and more, are clearly and concisely explained for citizens of this 21st century.
Deep Prayer/Deep Conversion
This goes deeper than Prayer Primer. Though short, I don’t think one can ever be finished with this book.
For contemplation, Dubay’s Fire Within is essential.
Of course, one could instead just pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Magnificat, and/or the Psalter, and learn more about prayer than any book could ever teach – though sometimes a guide is needed and desirable.
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SammyJankis90
Guest
Thanks! I just finished another book by Dubay (Happy Are You Poor) and loved it. I definitely want to read more from him.
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SammyJankis90
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Has anyone read Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Prayer? It looks good.
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Rejoice_Always
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That’s the first book I read from him. It is an amazing, transformative read. I try to reread it (in parts or in whole) often, and each time I do I learn that I have more to do.
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Bookcat
Guest
If your looking for works of “Spiritual Theology” --there for example “Spiritual Theology” by Fr. Aumann OP or The Three Ages of the Interior Life by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange…or “Mental Prayer” by Dom Lehodey OCR …etc etc etc
(but then your not getting a short work…but a treatese…)
The one I noted in the post above is short but very good.
(but then your not getting a short work…but a treatese…)
The one I noted in the post above is short but very good.
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HonoraDominum
Guest
When you say “academically”, could you clarify? Are you looking for a clear outline of a specific method of prayer? What specifically are you trying to learn?
There are multiple saints who have written excellent tomes about mental prayer, with very speicific methods of how to pray, but while they all have variants, they all revolve around a few key concepts:
*]Put yourself in the presence of God
*]Make an act of faith, an act of contrition, and a short intro prayer to basically be given the grace to pray well
*]Spend a short time meditating on a specific subject, and using a book to keep focused is recommended for beginners
*]Give thanks and make resolution
*]Make time for this prayer every day
I know that this basic structure works with the Teresian method of prayer, as well as the methods taught by St. Frances de Sales, St. Ignatius of Loyala, and St. Alphonsus de Liguori. There are some basic variants on the different styles, however. For example, Teresa of Avila’s focus is prayer as a simple heartfelt conversation with God. She recommends a book to get the ideas flowing, but the heart of the prayer should be simply conversing, and spending time with God, and learning to love Him more and more. St. Ignatius is more of the school that a person should immerse themselves through their imagination into moments in the life of Christ, and spend time in those times and at those places to learn the greater truths about Christ and his life on earth. St. Francis de Sales uses the analogy of using a book as a honeybee floating through flowers. When one finds a sweet passage, hover over that thought, and meditate on it as long as it is sweet or produces good fruits.
Here’s some primary sources for these sources of mental prayer:
Way of Perfection - St. Teresa of Avila
An Introduction to the Devout Life - St. Frances de Sales
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius - St. Ignatius of Loyola
How to Converse Familiarly with God - St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Three books about prayer that I have read and would recommend that help to teach methods of mental prayer are:
How to Pray Always - Raul Plus, SJ
Conversation With Christ: The Teaching of St. Teresa of Avila about Personal Prayer - Peter T. Rohrbach
Catechism of Mental Prayer - Very Rev. Joseph Simler
And lastly, I cannot finish a post about prayer without recommending the book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. Brother Lawrence is a fantastic teacher of the concept that when one lives in the presence of God, all actions become prayer. One of my favorite sayings from him is “I flip my little omelette in the pan for love of Thee.” It’s a short read, but one I go to again and again.
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SammyJankis90
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HonoraDominum - “Academic” may not be the best word. I’ve read Introduction to the Devout Life (saved my faith) and I’m currently reading de Sales’ Treatise on the Love of God. I love the treatment of prayer in both of those; I’m looking for something like that but which deals more exclusively with prayer, something with greater breadth and/or depth in the topic of prayer, something dealing with what it is and how it works as well as how to do it. Maybe that’s not something I can get from just one book.
My perception of the Spiritual Exercises is that you need to go through it with a spiritual director. Is that the case?
Thanks for the in-depth reply. It’s a big help.
My perception of the Spiritual Exercises is that you need to go through it with a spiritual director. Is that the case?
Thanks for the in-depth reply. It’s a big help.
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Skygor
Guest
The Art of Praying: the principles and methods of Christian prayer by Romano Guardini
This is a very nuts and bolts how to pray describing the spiritual conditions, relationships, and activities of the persons involved. See more of the reviews for details.
This is a very nuts and bolts how to pray describing the spiritual conditions, relationships, and activities of the persons involved. See more of the reviews for details.
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Rejoice_Always
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It seems like we’re on the same wavelength!
I love the treatment of prayer in both of those; I’m looking for something like that but which deals more exclusively with prayer, something with greater breadth and/or depth in the topic of prayer, something dealing with what it is and how it works as well as how to do it. Maybe that’s not something I can get from just one book.
This is generally true, but there are guides for those who can’t make it to retreats. One is Margaret Silf’s Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality.
There is also a Do It At Home Retreat, which I have but I haven’t done, though I have made silent retreats in the past and attended several monthly events called the Saturday Day of Renewal at my local Jesuit Retreat House.
And there are more. Many books on Ignatian Spirituality will necessarily have the Spiritual Exercises at their core.
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HonoraDominum
Guest
Ah, okay, that clarifies things a bit. I love ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’ and its simplicity. St. Teresa of Avila is a most excellent teacher of the stages and types of spirituality, but hers is definitely one that has to be read with discernment, as it can be quite heavy reading at times. The most basic book is “Way of Perfection”, written for the novices in her convents. The book starts out with many chapters about the virtues needed for a good prayer life, and then she begins her dialogue at the heart of the book, how to pray the Pater Noster (Our Father). Through this prayer, she explains how to begin to pray, the beginning stages of prayer, and how to use the techniques of mental prayer while saying vocal prayer. I just finished the book, and it is quite beautiful.
Her book “Life of Terese de Jesus”, while written before “Way of Perfection”, is actually an in-depth guide to prayer in addition to a chronicle of Teresa’s spiritual journey. “Perfection” was actually written as a simplified version of this book for learning how to pray. She talks about the higher levels of contemplation, and their mystical effect on her.
The book “Interior Castle” was written ten years after these first two books, and takes the four-step explanation of the spiritual path, used with the metaphor of water in “Life”, and breaks it down even further into seven specific milestones in the spiritual journey to true union with God. It is said by Teresian scholars that she had only reached the Fifth or Sixth castle in the “Life” and “Way”, and had reached the true union possible when writing this book. This is the weightiest of her books, so much so that I have yet to be able to finish it. But, as with “Life” and “Way”, I feel confident that when it is time, God will lead me there.
The most important thing to remember is that the ultimate goal of prayer is union with God while here on earth. It is helpful to have a pathway to walk so as not to be walking in the dark (although John of the Cross says that arid spirituality in darkness is a key part of the spirituality process). However, as long as the path is being walked, I don’t think it matters much which path is taken.
Another book I just thought about to recommend is a book called Soul of the Apostolate by Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard. It was considered bedside reading by St. Pius X. It gives techniques and ideas on how to live a recollected life amid the activity of everyday life. It also highlights weaknesses of beginners and ways to combat those weaknesses.
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