Sunday, August 28, 2011

On Preparing to Meditate



You may not understand how to practice mental prayer.  I will instruct you shortly and simply.

Place yourself in the presence of God by these four means.  First, keenly and attentively realize that God is everywhere; there is no place or thing in the world where he is not.  Let us go where we will, be where we will, we shall always be where God is.  We know this as an intellectual truth, but we do not always realize or act upon it.

We do not see God, and although faith tells us that he is present, not seeing him with our own eyes we soon forget, and act as though he were far away.  Though as an act of reason we know his presence everywhere, if we do not think about his presence everywhere, if we do not thing about it, the result is the same as if we did not know it.

Secondly, God is specially in your heart and spirit.  He is heart of your heart, spirit of your spirit.  David calls him the God of his heart (Ps. 17:28).

Thirdly, reflect that our Lord in his humanity looks down always upon us from heaven. 

Fourthly, in imagination behold Jus in his humanity as actually present with us.

Make use of some of these methods to place yourself in God's presence.  Let what you do be short and simple.

From Athirst for God
by St. Francis de Sales

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