Prayer is a moral act

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There seems to be four levels or acts of prayer.

GOD
  1. Contemplation (and it has level or acts)
  2. Affective
  3. Thinking prayers or Meditation (praying about our moral life)
  4. Hearing or reading the Holy Bible
Levels of Scripture
  1. Angogical
  2. Moral
  3. Allegorical
  4. Literal and historical
Again, is there a connection between the four levels of Scripture and the four acts of prayer?

Thanks!!!
 
Sorry!

I would think that the levels of prayer and the levels of the Bible must be interrelated. I have no knowledge of how to do it. I have an idea:

The anagogical level of the Holy Bible must be understood by the mystic. She must be able to love and live it.

A mystic must see much more clearly the moral level of the Bible. She must be able to love and live it.

A mystic must be able to see Christ in Adam. She must be able to love Him better.

THe mystic would never stop at a literal level of the Bible.
 
Seamus Sully:
Sorry!

I would think that the levels of prayer and the levels of the Bible must be interrelated. I have no knowledge of how to do it. I have an idea:

The anagogical level of the Holy Bible must be understood by the mystic. She must be able to love and live it.

A mystic must see much more clearly the moral level of the Bible. She must be able to love and live it.

A mystic must be able to see Christ in Adam. She must be able to love Him better.

THe mystic would never stop at a literal level of the Bible.
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Well, the only comment I can think of making is that our aim should be to increase the depth of our prayer life. The more contemplative we become the more we love God above all things.
 
I still am meditating on the topic.

If one does not believe the literal level of the Bible is true, then one will not believe the creation accounts. One might even believe in the pagan teaching of evolution. This did lead to the pagan belief that some humans were not human, at least by some pagan influenced Christians. They could not have had much of a prayer life. They would also have a poorly developed level of morals. This seems to be joined to the moral level of the Bible.

If one does not believe in Adam, then Adam cannot be a type for Christ. And Christ cannot be the antitype for Adam. Thus there is no allegorical level of the Bible.

If one does not believe in the literal Noah, then Noah cannot be a type for Christ. Again, the Ark is a type for the Church. This is joined the moral life; at least I would think it to be. We need to get in the Church to be saved from the floods of evil and sin.

If one does not believe in the literal, one might not believe: “This is my body.”

Then one cannot have much of a life of prayer.

Again, I am just considering the point of how the levels of the Bible are joined to our prayer life.

Well, I am not sure if these thoughts are valid or invalid. I am just thinking out “loud.” I would give this more time, but my wonderful children need some love.
 
If one only believes the literal level of the Holy Bible one may run into great difficulties.

Jesus said something about cutting off your hand and cutting out an eye if they are sinful. I will do some evil things to my own body. The saints clearly teach that these eyes and hands are in the moral realm. We need to stop doing evil. Thus I need God’s grace. I must turn to the sacraments, prayers and good works.

It seems to me that the levels of scripture are interrelated or correlated or conjoined to prayer.

Well, these are just a few ideas.

Any ideas out there?
 
This idea may be a little crazy.

Are there any fundamentalist that are mystics?
 
Seamus Sully:
Are there any heretics that are mystics?
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Heretics is a negative word…there are Christians who are very sincere who are not aware that they do not have the fullness of truth as it is in the Catholic Church.

Would C.S. Lewis be considered a mystic? Maybe you should define mystic? Would you mean one who is advanced in contemplative prayer?
 
To be honest and loving, I would use the traditional definitions of heretic and mystic. I do not have a dictionary of Catholic terms handy.

Again: Are there any heretics that are mystics?

You may answer the question or not.

I only asked a question.

What is so negative about the word heretic?

What is so negative about heresiarch?

How do you define mystic?

I have read two or three books by Lewis–in 1979-80. I do not know if he was a Catholic or not.

Thank you for your time, energy and love.
 
Seamus Sully:
To be honest and loving, I would use the traditional definitions of heretic and mystic. I do not have a dictionary of Catholic terms handy.

Again: Are there any heretics that are mystics?

You may answer the question or not.

I only asked a question.

What is so negative about the word heretic?

What is so negative about heresiarch?

How do you define mystic?

I have read two or three books by Lewis–in 1979-80. I do not know if he was a Catholic or not.

Thank you for your time, energy and love.
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C.S. Lewis was an Anglican.

I would think that there are some non-Catholics who are “mystics”. Strictly speaking contemplative is the description. A contemplative is one who is open to listening to God in silent prayer.

But I do think that there are more Catholics who are into deep contemplative prayer.
 
Dorothy!!!

This is my real question–

There seems to be four levels or acts of prayer.

GOD
  1. Contemplation (and it has levels or acts)
  2. Affective acts or levels
  3. Thinking prayers or Meditation (praying about our moral life)
  4. Hearing or reading the Holy Bible
Levels of Scripture
  1. Angogical
  2. Moral
  3. Allegorical
  4. Literal and historical
Again, is there a connection between the four levels of Scripture and the four acts of prayer?

Thanks!!!
 
Seamus Sully:
Dorothy!!!

This is my real question–

There seems to be four levels or acts of prayer.

GOD
  1. Contemplation (and it has levels or acts)
  2. Affective acts or levels
  3. Thinking prayers or Meditation (praying about our moral life)
  4. Hearing or reading the Holy Bible
Levels of Scripture
  1. Angogical
  2. Moral
  3. Allegorical
  4. Literal and historical
Again, is there a connection between the four levels of Scripture and the four acts of prayer?

Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Sorry, I don’t know how to speak knowledgably about all of this!
 
I think so few people have joined this thread because like me they have no clue what your point is!!
 
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