1. Beginning to Pray and Progress in Prayer
Introductory Class for Spiritual Directors – Community of Jesus Crucified
Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC

2. I. Prayer in General Definition
The elevation of heart and mind to God in order to converse with Him
The asking of good things from God
A glance of love cast toward heaven...a surge of the heart to God...in times of both joy and sorrow

3. Various Types of Prayer
Kinds of Prayer
Prayer of Blessing – God’s gift and man’s acceptance (Eph.1:3ff)
Prayer of Adoration – Attitude of creature before Creator (Ps. 95)
Prayer of Petition – every need, forgiveness (Lk. 18:13)
Prayer of Intercession – a participation in Christ’s prayer for others (for leaders [1Tim. 2:1]; for our persecutors [Rom.12:14])
Prayer of Thanksgiving – Eucharist par excellence; “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God” (1 Thess. 5:18)
Prayer of Praise – recognizes that God IS! H.S. joins to our spirits to witness we are children of God (1Cor.8:6)

4. Progression in Prayer
Like a human love relationship – a movement from talking much (vocal prayer) to asking questions and pondering the other (meditation) to just silent in one another’s presence (contemplation).

5. Novo Millennio Ineunte
“The great mystical tradition of the Church of both East and West has much to say in this regard. It shows how prayer can progress, as a genuine dialogue of love, to the point of rendering the person wholly possessed by the divine Beloved, vibrating at the Spirit's touch, resting filially within the Father's heart. This is the lived experience of Christ's promise: "He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him" (Jn 14:21). It is a journey totally sustained by grace, which nonetheless demands an intense spiritual commitment and is no stranger to painful purifications (the "dark night"). But it leads, in various possible ways, to the ineffable joy experienced by the mystics as "nuptial union". How can we forget here, among the many shining examples, the teachings of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila?”

6. Progression in Prayer (cont.)
Teresa of Avila – 4 Waters; 7 Mansions
Guigo II: “Seek in reading (lectio) and you will find in meditating (meditatio); knock in mental prayer (oratio) and it will be opened to you by contemplation (contemplatio)” [CCC 2654]

7. Praying the Scriptures
Different Expressions of Prayer
Lectio – Spiritual reading
Meditatio – Meditation
Oratio – Intimate conversation and Interior recollection
Contemplatio – Simple gaze
“Seek in reading (lectio) and you will find in meditating (meditatio); knock in mental prayer (oratio) and it will be opened to you by contemplation (contemplatio)” (CCC 2654).

8. What is Meditation?
a seeking
a becoming familiar with Jesus
a “pondering all these things in our hearts”
“Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking” (CCC 2705).

9. What does meditation involve?
A process = an “eating” or “chewing”; a “ruminating”; a “pondering”; a “questioning” in faith and love
An object (material to ponder) = Christ and His Mysteries
Fruit = Nourishment and Growth

10. Catechism on Meditation
“The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history – the page on which the “today” of God is written” (CCC 2705).

11. A Look at the Meditation Process
Look at Jesus
Look at Me
Make an Adjustment

12. Catechism on Process
“To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened: the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality. To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’” (CCC 2706).

13. The “How to” of Meditation
Fixed place and time
Choose and prepare a passage
Pray for Light of Holy Spirit
Read slowly and ruminate (chew)
Use your reason power and imagination to “dig-into” the Scriptures
Allow the Word of God to confront you
Make a resolution
Pray in thanksgiving and for strength to keep resolution

14. Catechism on Use of Faculties
“Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ” (CCC 2708).

15. II. Prayer of Petition Petition and Predestination
Things God has pre-destined to give us absolutely – whether we pray for them or not
Things God has pre-destined to not give us – whether we pray for them or not
Things God has pre-destined to give us conditionally – that is, only if we pray for them

16. “they must always pray and not lose heart” (Lk. 18:1)
Necessity of Prayer
“watch and pray” (Mt. 26:41)
“they must always pray and not lose heart” (Lk. 18:1)
“ask and it shall be given to you” (Mt. 7:7)
“pray without ceasing” (1Thess 5:17)
“be assiduous in prayer” (Col. 4:2)

17. “If you wish to be saved pray; if you do not pray you will certainly be damned” (St. Alphonsus Liguori)
“If you do not pray, you cannot stay” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

18. Prayer to Saints
Prayer as to be fulfilled by the one praying to – only God can grant grace as Cause
Prayer as to be obtained through the one praying to – here the Saints can intercede for us

19. Difficulties in Prayer
Distractions
Attention
words – pronouncing them
words – attention to their meaning
to Whom we are addressing

20. Possible causes of distractions
constitutional factors
physical or mental illness
sinfulness and vice
improper spiritual direction
devil
circumstances or environment

21. Dryness
Causes
individual
God
Devil

22. III. Grades of Prayer in the Active Way
Vocal Prayer
Definition – prayer expressed in words either vocally or written
Importance
arouse interior devotion
give homage to God with body as well as heart
opportunity to give vent to spiritual sentiments

23. Components
attention – mind
piety – heart
Without both, St. Teresa of Avila did not consider it worthy of being called prayer at all

24. Duration
Individual prayer time
often will be limited by ability to sustain devotion
Fittingness of vocal prayer
most common prayer and liturgical prayer
can never be completely omitted

25. Meditation
Definition: “a reasoned application of the mind to some supernatural truth in order to penetrate its meaning, love it and carry it into practice with the assistance of grace” (Royo, 514).

26. It is discursive
Thus the need for attention
Its place within the different expressions of prayer
It is a seeking and a becoming familiar with Jesus
It involves a process and a subject matter
supernatural object
appropriate with one’s circumstances

27. It is prayer properly speaking It has a double finality
Difference from theological speculation
It is prayer properly speaking
It has a double finality
intellectual – forming firm convictions
affective – movement of love in the will and practical resolutions (love expresses itself in deeds, thus the resolution is essential)

28. This is important for beginners – knowing how to meditate
Methods of Meditation
This is important for beginners – knowing how to meditate
use of methods (cf. Royo pp )
use of meditation books
a simple method and the 3 stages (cf. handout)

29. Affective Prayer
Definition: “type of prayer in which the operations of the will predominate over discursus of the intellect” (Royo, 521).

30. It is a simplified meditation, without being specifically different from it
Acts of love (a predominance of the heart over mind)
The transition into this type of prayer is normally gentle and gradual

31. One should not abandon discursive meditation too quickly
Affective prayer flows naturally from Meditation
the will is a blind faculty and needs the intellect to present the supernatural truth to it in order to be moved to love it
One should not abandon discursive meditation too quickly
problem of source of illusion
problem of wasting time

32. One should let such movements happen but not force them
one should stop reading/discursing when some thought has stimulated a movement in the will.
When the movement passes, one should again pick up the subject matter and continue considerations until the next movement

33. Benefits of Affective Prayer
gives a respite from the labor of meditation
keeps one from depending too much on the labor of reasoning
deepens the soul’s union with God via acts of love
thus all the virtues are increased
helps in exercise of virtue in view of the consolation that the soul receives
disposes the soul for the prayer of simplicity

34. Dangers
forcing the affections
attachment to consolations
spiritual gluttony
spiritual sloth

35. Prayer of Simplicity (Simple Gaze, Acquired Recollection)
Definition: “a simple loving gaze upon some divine object...it is a form of ascetical prayer which is extremely simplified” (Royo, 525).

36. It is a transition point from active to passive prayer
As a result it is often mixed with some infused elements
The prayer is so simple, no method is needed

37. Dangers
One may end up not meditating when one is able and thus waste time and fall into spiritual sloth
One may fail to cease meditating when prayer becomes simplified and thus resist the movement of the Holy Spirit which is trying to lead the soul into passive prayer (St. Teresa of Avila)

38. The effects are seen throughout one’s entire life
Fruits of Prayer of Simplicity
The effects are seen throughout one’s entire life
One’s entire life is simplified as is the prayer
The soul experiences a deep recollection in God in the midst of duties of life outside of prayer time
The soul is disposed for infused contemplation