Prayer and the Interior Life

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In reading The Interior Life of Jesus and Mary by Fr. Grou, SJ, I found this passage to be very helpful , in which Father ponders humility in prayer – so necessary to the interior life of a soul seeking to imitate Jesus and Mary:

…It is not surprising that Christians who seek only their own satisfaction in the practice of piety should greatly dread the interior life which is a perpetual death to nature. Self-love seeks to insinuate itself everywhere, and endeavors to gain strength under all circumstances. It willingly foregoes sensual pleasures, provided they be replaced by those sweet consolations of the spirit which are far more exquisite and more delicately refined. The proud soul will cheerfully sacrifice everything to attain the gift of sublime prayer; she will rejoice in the light which seems to reveal her own excellence ; she will feed on the heroic sentiments which inspire her with an equal share of esteem for self, and contempt for others. Speak to such a soul of the obscure prayer of pure faith—prayer divested of all consoling impressions and sensible feelings—she will not hear of it ; she will rather give up all than submit to such mortifying subjection… (Chapter 5)

I was reminded of Mary, our Mother of our faith, who endured the darkness of Calvary and also of some of the saints, especially Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Please let us pray for one another, and for all souls in need of God’s Mercy. Come Holy Spirit, kindle in us the Fire of Your Love!

 

[puzzledtoo]

Thank you for sharing this passage. St. Josemaria shares that “Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.” Be well.

 

[drforjc]

I realize the author doesn’t state anything to the contrary as far as I know, but we also need to clarify that God sometimes does give consolations and light, particularly in the early stages of one who is beginning to seriously practice prayer. So we shouldn’t jump to the other extreme and always to consider consolations as bad, or less perfect, or if that we do receive them we are filled with pride. God guides the soul as He sees fit.

I’m sure the author means that we should not seek sweetness and consolation in prayer as an end in and of itself, or become discouraged should they cease.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you for sharing this passage. St. Josemaria shares that “Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.” Be well.

Yes, how truly the saints learn from Jesus and Mary the beauty and necessity of silence. We cannot listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. If we are not silent at certain times how will we hear Him?

It is difficult sometimes to keep an “interior silence” when we are sorely tempted to “worry” or like Martha to be concerned about so many things that we forget only one thing is necessary, as Jesus told Martha in Luke 10: 40-42:

…Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

We make choices every day, and we need the Holy Spirit to guide us in fostering our relationship with God. Without Him we can do nothing. Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet listening. Jesus says “Mary has chosen the better part”, so I ask myself: “How often am I listening to the Lord? Is there enough silence in my soul for Him to speak to me?”

Thanks for the quote from St. Josemaria. He was a good example of one who listened and helped others to listen to the Lord – no matter how busy they were. They kept silence within where they could hear and speak to the Lord moment by moment.

 

[MariaChristi]

I realize the author doesn’t state anything to the contrary as far as I know, but we also need to clarify that God sometimes does give consolations and light, particularly in the early stages of one who is beginning to seriously practice prayer. So we shouldn’t jump to the other extreme and always to consider consolations as bad, or less perfect, or if that we do receive them we are filled with pride. God guides the soul as He sees fit.

I’m sure the author means that we should not seek sweetness and consolation in prayer as an end in and of itself, or become discouraged should they cease.

Thanks for your reply, drforjc,

You are correct in that the author does not say anything contrary. I only posted a small excerpt from his 2 Volume work, The Interior Life of Jesus and Mary. He does speak about the consolations God often gives in the beginning of the spiritual life. You are perhaps familiar with the three stages, of beginner, proficient and perfect which are found in the works of St. Thomas Aquinas and other Saints and spiritual writers. In the excerpt I posted he is merely pointing out the dangers on the journey. A beginner is in danger of becoming discouraged when he finds that consolations may not continue and unless a person is willing to persevere in faith, that person can begin to turn back to a former, less devout life. There is no standing still in the spiritual life we either go forward or backward.

The reason I posted that particular excerpt is that it seems to me, many people are unaware of the spiritual journey taught by the Catholic Church for centuries. Some are unaware of the need to grow in prayer and in the living of the spiritual life. Some have never heard of “growing” in prayer or the stages of spiritual growth. I’m glad you asked, in case there are some who may think that consolations are not “good” or to receive them is a sign of pride. That would certainly be a misunderstanding of God’s work in our lives. Our Father knows how to give good gifts to His children. By grace, we learn to see His Divine Providence is always working good for us. Our search, however, needs to focus on Him and not merely for the good He can give us.

Hope that clarifies it better. A great book for anyone who would like to learn more about the stages of the spiritual life written by a layman for lay persons is: The Ordinary Path to Holiness. Fr. Grou and many spiritual writers who wrote in times past, wrote more for clergy and religious than for lay persons, although now --especially since Vatican II – lay persons have been greatly encouraged to understand holiness is not merely for clergy and religious but we are all called to holiness. See HERE for more on this little gem of a book.

 

[puzzledtoo]

From Mother Teresa>> “Silence gives us a new outlook on everything.” I have found that Silence whether external or internal allows me a whole new perspective. Very refreshing-more clarity.

 

[MariaChristi]

From Mother Teresa>> “Silence gives us a new outlook on everything.” I have found that Silence whether external or internal allows me a whole new perspective. Very refreshing-more clarity.

Thanks for your reply, puzzled,

Ah the wisdom of the saints! Mother Teresa was certainly a woman of action; her silence in prayer brought forth such beautiful fruit. By God’s grace she heard in silence God’s Truth and by His grace, she lived it. By God’s grace may we do the same!

 

[Glacies]

Dear MariaChristi,

The first sentence of the quote strikes a chord with me. It reminds of the great danger of self-will as warned by many saints. For example St. Bernard tells in a quote in Dignities and Duties of the Priest by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori: “A great evil is self-will, which causes the good that you do not to be good to you.” How holy will I ever became if I do only what I choose for myself? I pray the Rosary, I go to Holy Mass and pray my favourite prayers… but only because I like it. How much more would I benefit if I did the good actions that are repulsive to me? Remember the Lord’s Prayer: Fiat voluntas tua! It is not surprising that the satanist motto is the exact opposite: do what thou wilt. Happily we have this forum, with which it is easier to busy yourself with prayer intentions of other people, rather than using only your own ones day after day.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear MariaChristi,

The first sentence of the quote strikes a chord with me. It reminds of the great danger of self-will as warned by many saints. For example St. Bernard tells in a quote in Dignities and Duties of the Priest by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori: “A great evil is self-will, which causes the good that you do not to be good to you.” How holy will I ever became if I do only what I choose for myself? I pray the Rosary, I go to Holy Mass and pray my favourite prayers… but only because I like it. How much more would I benefit if I did the good actions that are repulsive to me? Remember the Lord’s Prayer: Fiat voluntas tua! It is not surprising that the satanist motto is the exact opposite: do what thou wilt. Happily we have this forum, with which it is easier to busy yourself with prayer intentions of other people, rather than using only your own ones day after day.

Dear Glacies,

“Self-will” is evil when it opposes God’s will, and chooses what the self wants instead of what God wants; but we need to use the free-will God gave us order to choose good over evil. There is nothing “evil” about “liking” to go to Mass or praying the Rosary, it seems to me. Love needs to be freely chosen. We need to choose God’s will over our own, when there is a conflict between the two.

When prayer becomes difficult and someone would rather do something else, choosing for instance not to go to Mass on Sunday even when God has made it clear that Sunday Mass is His will for us, but we’d enjoy a movie more so we miss Mass. God doesn’t ask us to look for repulsive things to do, but rather to be willing to deny ourselves when we have a choice to choose His Will rather than our own. So much depends on the purity of our intention. “Fiat voluntas tua” (“Thy Will be done”) is a beautiful response to God’s Will. We freely choose to do whatever He asks – whether enjoyable or not.

Thanks for your reply. Let us Remember our Lady’s “Magnificat”. She rejoices in God!

 

[GLam8833]

After breakfast today I had an hour before
going to mass, I wasn’t feeling too holy,
so I decided to say a five minute prayer
to “right” myself, well that five minute
prayer turned out to be a fifty-one minute
one!! I still wasn’t my best self, and I
was “proud” that I had persisted in prayer
for “that long”. However, in retrospect, GOD
was the one who was PATIENT with me
and ALLOWED me to spend that time with
Him even tho I was offensive to Him in His
holy presence!! I was the one who should
thank Him for His mercy to grant me the
PRIVILEGE of spending time with Him!!

 

[MariaChristi]

After breakfast today I had an hour before
going to mass, I wasn’t feeling too holy,
so I decided to say a five minute prayer
to “right” myself, well that five minute
prayer turned out to be a fifty-one minute
one!! I still wasn’t my best self, and I
was “proud” that I had persisted in prayer
for “that long”. However, in retrospect, GOD
was the one who was PATIENT with me
and ALLOWED me to spend that time with
Him even tho I was offensive to Him in His
holy presence!! I was the one who should
thank Him for His mercy to grant me the
PRIVILEGE of spending time with Him!!

Dear Glam,

It seems to me that any of us are poor judges in our own case. Only God can see truly into each heart and know how “right” we may or may not be, or how “proud”, “patient” or “offensive” we may or may not be in His presence.

It seems to me, the important thing is to focus on Him. A priest once told my husband and me: “More saints are made by praying before a crucifix than anything else”. Jesus told us to learn of Him for He is Meek and Humble of Heart.

 

[Glacies]

Dear Glacies,

“Self-will” is evil when it opposes God’s will, and chooses what the self wants instead of what God wants; but we need to use the free-will God gave us order to choose good over evil. There is nothing “evil” about “liking” to go to Mass or praying the Rosary, it seems to me. Love needs to be freely chosen. We need to choose God’s will over our own, when there is a conflict between the two.

When prayer becomes difficult and someone would rather do something else, choosing for instance not to go to Mass on Sunday even when God has made it clear that Sunday Mass is His will for us, but we’d enjoy a movie more so we miss Mass. God doesn’t ask us to look for repulsive things to do, but rather to be willing to deny ourselves when we have a choice to choose His Will rather than our own. So much depends on the purity of our intention. “Fiat voluntas tua” (“Thy Will be done”) is a beautiful response to God’s Will. We freely choose to do whatever He asks – whether enjoyable or not.

Thanks for your reply. Let us Remember our Lady’s “Magnificat”. She rejoices in God!

Dear MariaChristi,

It is never evil to do holy things, but by doing them under obedience, rather than by self-will, our own preference is not exercised, making it easier to deny our will when the real trial comes. This makes having a spiritual director or a superior such a precious thing.

When living in a deep relationship with God, the repulsive starts to become delightful. It is like Saint Alphonsus says, again in the Dignities and Duties of the Priest: To the friends of God the bitter is sweet, and the sweet bitter. St. Catherine of Siena won her repulsion and drank ooze coming from an ulcerous breast, by which Christ told she made herself especially pleasing to Him. At the beginning of his conversion, St. Francis of Assisi won his repulsion and kissed a leper, though he previously was horrified by lepers. By starting from small repulsive things and moving to greater ones one prepares himself to obey the command of the Divine Saviour you refer to: “Deny yourself!”

The Magnificat is a lasting favourite if you read Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort. In Treatise On True Devotion To The Blessed Virgin he quotes a scholar saying that Our Lady Herself used it as a post-Communion prayer.

 

[spina1953]

I pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a OCDS and it morning, noon,evening and night prayers and silent prayer throughout the day and evening 30 minutes each time as it really helps to keep focused on God.

 

[MariaChristi]

I pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a OCDS and it morning, noon,evening and night prayers and silent prayer throughout the day and evening 30 minutes each time as it really helps to keep focused on God.

Dear spina,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, prayer is like oxygen for a Christian; we simply cannot live a supernatural life without it. The Liturgy of the Hours is a special blessing for many of us – not only is it a help to my husband and me personally to focus on God, but praying together with the Universal Church gives us an increased awareness of the importance of building up the Body of Christ in love. (cf Eph 4:16)

 

[spina1953]

Dear spina,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, prayer is like oxygen for a Christian; we simply cannot live a supernatural life without it. The Liturgy of the Hours is a special blessing for many of us – not only is it a help to my husband and me personally to focus on God, but praying together with the Universal Church gives us an increased awareness of the importance of building up the Body of Christ in love. (cf Eph 4:16)

Thank you Maria Christi fro your thoughts! yes you are quite correct in what you said:“We simply cannot a supernatural life without it!” Yes the Liturgy of the Hours is a very special gift in so many ways and being the prayer of the Church we become more a part of the Church as one body in Christ. As you know St. said “Pray unceasingly” and when we pray as St. Teresa of Avila wrote in her Way of Perfection “to know to whom you are praying to” and also that “praying to God is like talking to a good friend” When we read Scripture we come a little closer to knowing God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. When we pray in silence and solitude we are listening to God speak. OH the life of interior prayer! it is food for the soul that bring the only true happiness no matter what.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you Maria Christi fro your thoughts! yes you are quite correct in what you said:“We simply cannot a supernatural life without it!” Yes the Liturgy of the Hours is a very special gift in so many ways and being the prayer of the Church we become more a part of the Church as one body in Christ. As you know St. said “Pray unceasingly” and when we pray as St. Teresa of Avila wrote in her Way of Perfection “to know to whom you are praying to” and also that “praying to God is like talking to a good friend” When we read Scripture we come a little closer to knowing God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. When we pray in silence and solitude we are listening to God speak. OH the life of interior prayer! it is food for the soul that bring the only true happiness no matter what.

Dear spina,

Thanks again for another thoughtful reply. Being a Carmelite you may be interested in two of my husband’s books especially: The Ordinary Path to Holiness in which he speaks about the spiritual journey traveled by our Saints, and written about predominantly by St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa, and others. The particular beauty of this book is: it is written by a layman for all but particularly for lay persons who perhaps never heard of the interior castle or the stages of spiritual growth. Click on the title for more info.

His second book is an outgrowth of the first entitled The Interior Liturgy of the Our Father. This link describes the book and also gives a link to an interview by Doug Keck on this book with my husband as his guest on EWTN. I hope you’ll take a look at both books. Needless to say I’ve read both and been blessed by them, but I’ve also heard others tell me how blessed they were in reading them too!

 

[spina1953]

Dear spina,

Thanks again for another thoughtful reply. Being a Carmelite you may be interested in two of my husband’s books especially: The Ordinary Path to Holiness in which he speaks about the spiritual journey traveled by our Saints, and written about predominantly by St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa, and others. The particular beauty of this book is: it is written by a layman for all but particularly for lay persons who perhaps never heard of the interior castle or the stages of spiritual growth. Click on the title for more info.

His second book is an outgrowth of the first entitled The Interior Liturgy of the Our Father. This link describes the book and also gives a link to an interview by Doug Keck on this book with my husband as his guest on EWTN. I hope you’ll take a look at both books. Needless to say I’ve read both and been blessed by them, but I’ve also heard others tell me how blessed they were in reading them too!

Dear Maria Christi, Thank you for you reply. I will of course look into the two books your husband wrote as it seems very interesting and helpful in one’s interior spiritual life and journey. At the moment i am teaching an on going Formation class in my OCDS Community which at present takes up considerable time to do for the class to function in a way that helps each of in our Carmelite spiritual and interior life. In the meantime I wish you and your husband a blessed journey in yours spiritual and interior life and may God bless you always.