From Surviving the Great Apostasy
Note, this is too good not to publish, but will be removed, if requested. I ask all to read and understand the following.
The most common definition of prayer is that it is any elevation of the soul toward God to render Him homage. But it would be wrong to think of prayer merely as vocal, such as the Rosary said in common; or even as standard prayers said morning and evening. The catechisms generally teach that mental prayer is most pleasing to God. The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us under prayer that: "Meditation is a form of mental prayer, consisting in the application of the various faculties of the soul, memory, imagination, intellect and will to the consideration of some mystery, principle, truth or fact. [This] with a view to exciting proper spiritual emotions and resolving on some act or course of action regarded as God's will and as a means of union with Him. In some degree or other, it has always been practiced by Godfearing souls. The writings of the Fathers themselves and of the great theologians are in large measure the fruit of devout meditation as well as of study of the mysteries of religion."
That great master of prayer, Rev. Augustine Baker tells us: "I would scarce permit souls living a contemplative life to be strictly obliged to a prescribed method in meditation, or to those many and nice rules which are ordained by some modern authors…Among solitary contemplative souls, such orders are indeed a disorder and a nice observance of such ceremonious methods would be more distractive and painful than the simple exercise itself…St. Teresa, with just reason, complains against those directors who fetter and encumber their disciples' minds with orders and rules which require more attention than the matter of prayer itself, " (Sancta Sophia). Rev. Jean-Pierre Caussade also noted that: "Today God still speaks to us as He used to speak to our ancestors at a time when there were neither spiritual directors nor any systems of spirituality," (Abandonment to Divine Providence).
Jesus told his Apostles to pray and watch on more than one occasion, "for you know not when the bridegroom cometh." The fact that His Apostles were sleeping when He was arrested, after He had implored them to watch with Him, should tell us a great deal. The Apostles did not realize the importance of this watching, but Jesus did. Watching usually refers to our death, and yet it also refers to persevering in faith, and not being taken by surprise where sin is concerned. The Blessed Mother prayed and watched following Jesus' death. St. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to pray and watch, that no one might steal Jesus' body. Prior to the descent of the Holy Ghost, we find the Apostles praying and watching in the Upper Room. Our praying and watching must encompass safeguarding the Divine Deposit and all that entails. It must find us at the feet of Jesus, learning this Deposit firsthand, and finally at the foot of the Cross, learning the true meaning of faith, hope and charity.
We must pray; that is we must engage in both vocal and mental prayer in order that we may do a better job of knowing, loving and serving God, knowing ourselves better, and more profitably performing our daily duties, (Catechism of Mental Prayer, Rev. Joseph Simler). We must perform all these duties, every day, for the honor and glory of God and in reparation for our sins, as we pray in the Morning Offering. Every pious thought, every pious desire, every lifting of our hearts to God is a mental prayer, (Ibid). As stated above, study can be joined to prayer — watching to praying — when one meditates on the subjects studied while writing them out for the benefit of others. In fact Rev. A. D. Sertillanges, O. P. tells us that study "is an active prayer to truth," because like prayer, "study is a desire and invocation of the True," (The Intellectual Life).
And in addition to praying, we also must rouse ourselves from the same sleep of
unknowing that afflicted the Apostles, who could not quite believe that Jesus would be put to death and did not understand that in three days He would rise again. We must watch lest those ravening wolves rob us of our faith, who already have robbed us of our Church. We also must watch because we know not when the Master cometh; we could be nearing the end of the world proper or the restoration of the Church could be only months away. No one knows the day nor the hour. In 2 Machabees 2: 26-28, watching also is associated with the labors of study, for we read: "We have taken care for those indeed that are willing to read that it might be a pleasure of mind; and for the studious, that they may more easily commit it to memory: and that all that read might receive profit. And as to ourselves indeed, in undertaking this work of abridging, we have taken in hand no easy task, yea rather a business full of watching and sweat. But as they that prepare a feast, and seek to satisfy the will of others: for the sake of many, we willingly undergo the labor." This, in a nutshell, explains the purpose of this work and all the rest.
Fair Use Notice
This web site may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, human, religious, and social issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
