The Ways of Mental Prayer

Rt. Rev. Abbot Dom Vitalis Lehodey, O.C.R.

• Publisher: TAN Books
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781505103656
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

The Ways of Mental Prayer ranks as one of the Church s greatest classics on prayer, and was highly recommended as such by Fr. Garrigou-LaGrange, the 20th Century's greatest authority on mystical theology. Here Dom Lehodey, Abbot of Bricquebec, concentrates on the beginning stages of prayer, up through what is called the prayer of quiet, but he also describes the higher forms of prayer as well, including the very summit, or the prayer of union. In the process, he explains the advantages, the joys and—yes— the trials of mental prayer, plus he gives practical instructions on the methods of practicing this type of prayer. He also shows what to avoid and how to overcome the difficulties involved. By far the salient strength of this book is its description of how one goes from ordinary prayer to mystical prayer, which constitutes the giant step in the spiritual life. A wise and learned guide to spiritual matters, The Ways of Mental Prayer is a work destined to lead many to divine intimacy—a foretaste of Heaven on earth.

THIRD PART

ON MYSTICAL PRAYER

CHAPTER I

UTILITY OF THIS STUDY. FREQUENCY OF THIS PRAYER.

THE kinds of mental prayer hitherto described have nothing transcendental in them; there is no one who may not practise them by his own sole energy, aided by the ordinary graces of prayer. It remains for us now to supply some guidance to our brethren in ways less known; that is, with regard to mystical contemplation, for which a man can and ought to dispose himself, but into which God alone can introduce him. Amongst all the exercises of Christian piety, we have here without contradiction the most efficacious means to detach souls from earth and to unite them to God. It is the school of high virtue, "the short-cut,"¹ to perfection, and the most rapid conveyance to this goal, a pearl of priceless value, a treasure so desirable that a prudent merchant will not hesitate to sell all his goods in order to obtain it.

God, Who distributes His graces "as He wills, and according as each one disposes himself thereto and co-operates therewith,"¹ "bestows, likewise, His favours when He pleases, after the manner He pleases, and on whom He pleases; being master of His goods, He can bestow them thus without wronging any one."²—"He is not bound to grant us in this world graces, without which we can be saved."³—If the gift of mystical contemplation is not granted to us, there may be reasons on the part of God, who means, perhaps, to guide us to perfection by another road. Nevertheless, "there is nothing He so much desires as to find some one on whom to bestow these gifts, nor do these gifts in any way lessen His riches."⁴—The reasons of this refusal will, therefore, be most frequently found on the part of man, who neglects to prepare himself for, and to co-operate with, these gifts. We should seek a director, obey him with docility, generously embrace humility, obedience, self-renunciation, and all that there is of sacrifice and prayer in our holy state, because in these consists the active purification of the soul. Now all this costs our weakness no small effort, and very soon wearies our inconstancy. A thousand prejudices, perhaps, make us dread mystical prayer as a veritable bugbear, and hinder us from forming a right estimate of its value. Now God wishes His gifts to be appreciated; will He, then, ever give them to one who despises them? Hardly ever is this way entered upon save through the desert of passive purifications. In the midst of these disheartening trials a soul, that is not guided and sustained by a good director, may easily misunderstand the action of God in her regard, believe herself lost, and draw back discouraged. Those whose mission it is to guide her, if they have no knowledge of these ways by study or experience, exaggerating the dangers and illusions to be met with, and taking for miraculous operations the graces of prayer, will be tempted, through a false prudence and a mistaken humility, which in reality are opposed to God's designs, to shut the door of mystical prayer against her.

Every soul belongs to Him; He has the right to lead her by what way He pleases; no one would be so rash as to venture to set right the Divine Wisdom, or to hinder Him from leading His friends by the way that seems good to Him. The Holy Ghost is the supreme director of souls. What is to be feared when following a guide infinitely wise? The part of His ministers is to recognise and to second the divine action; hence, once that action is manifest, we have never the right to thwart it or to regard it with suspicion.

Mystical contemplation has its perils, which must not be exaggerated; ordinary mental prayer has dangers of its own, which should not be forgotten. The dread of these dangers does not prevent us from applying ourselves to meditation because of its advantages; neither, therefore, is it a sufficient reason for placing contemplation on the index, for systematically debarring from its ways a soul to whom God is throwing them open, for keeping souls imprisoned against His will in the ordinary kinds of prayer, wherein God no longer wishes them to remain. What progress could they make thereby in opposition to His Will? Is it not the greatest danger for a director to be in conflict with the Holy Ghost; and for the soul he directs to be placed outside the divine will, outside the graces of predilection; to enjoy no longer the advantages of meditation, and to lose the treasures of contemplation? The forms of mystical prayer are a golden mine, let us work it; they present certain dangers, let us be on our guard against them; let us follow with docility the divine attraction, avoiding at the same time the snares of the enemy. After all, experience will soon teach us that if contemplatives must dread the fumes of pride and the seduction of delights, far more must they fear discouragement. They have need of being tried, of being humbled, and, above all, of being comforted and strengthened; they will share more frequently in the crucifixion of Calvary than in the glory and joys of Thabor.

These are the reasons why we have deemed it well to call our readers' attention to the ways of mystical contemplation. Those who do not know these ways and have but little time to spare, will perhaps appreciate a short and substantial account of them. Those, too, who have spent much time in the study of these arduous matters, have been dazed, perhaps, by such divergence and confusion of opinions! God grant that our modest summary may furnish accurate and precise notions, clear up some points hitherto obscure, and dissipate prejudices! "It is a great happiness for a soul," says St. Teresa, "to find a description of what she experiences, she clearly recognises the path in which God has placed her. I say more, it is an immense advantage, in order to make progress in the various states of prayer, to know the line of conduct to be followed in each of them. As for myself, through the want of this knowledge, I have suffered much, and lost much precious time."¹

Is it well to put this work in the hands of a whole community? Ignorance is the evil most to be dreaded. Without some study of this kind, many persons' knowledge of mystical ways would be limited to vague, inaccurate, and dangerous conjectures, perhaps even to one-sided criticism and blind prejudices. Amongst those who would like to explore this science, so interesting but so laborious, many would be quickly discouraged by the difficulties of the task, whereas it will be easy for them to read over a few pages, in which the whole subject is to be found precisely stated and condensed. There are, besides, many souls who need a knowledge of these states of prayer. If the more elevated degrees are as rare as they are surprising, the passive purifications and the first degrees are much less so; these ought to be frequent in religion, especially in contemplative orders. Even in the world God has His privileged ones. However, these graces of prayer require purified souls, and are not, generally speaking, granted till after serious progress in virtue has been attained. Our monasteries, being schools of holiness, it is chiefly in them that God ought to find subjects prepared for this way. Would it, in fact, be anything strange that there should be a little mystical contemplation in an order essentially contemplative and entirely devoted to prayer and penance? Is it not rather the contrary that should fill us with astonishment?

Mystical contemplation, says St. Teresa, "is a general banquet, to which Our Lord invites us all. . . . . As He sets no limit to His invitation nor to His promise, I hold it for certain that all those who will not stop on the way will drink of this living water."¹ Contemplation, then, is offered, and, as it were, promised to souls of good will. The saint declares that the prayer of quiet "is that by which, she believes, the greatest number of souls enter upon this way."² She had already said in her Life³:"There is a very great number of souls who arrive at this state; but those who pass beyond it are few." "Some only," amongst you "are in ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• CONTENTS
• PREFACE
• FIRST PART: ON PRAYER IN GENERAL
• SECOND PART: ON ORDINARY MENTAL PRAYER
• THIRD PART: ON MYSTICAL PRAYER