Blog by-the-Sea

St. Teresa of Avila and Scripture: "Make our petitions . . .humbly wait . . . be silent."

"We should make our petitions like beggars before a powerful and rich Emperor; then, with downcast eyes, humbly wait. When He secretly shows us He hears our prayers, it is well to be silent, as He has drawn us into His presence; there would then be no harm in trying to keep our minds at rest (that is to say, if we can).  If, however, the King makes no sign of listening or of seeing us, there is no need to stand inert, like a dolt, which the soul would resemble if it continued inactive.  In this case its dryness would greatly increase, and the imagination would be made more restless than before by its very effort to think of nothing.  Our Lord wishes us at such a time to offer Him our petitions and to place ourselves in His presence; He knows what is best for us."

- St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, Fourth Mansion, Chapter 3.

And here is a group of Scriptures related, one way or another, to the same concepts:

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matt. 6:5-8)

"And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone." (Matt. 14:23, about Jesus)

"And Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah.'  He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.'" (Matt. 17:4-5)

"And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35, about Jesus)

"Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." (Eph. 6:18)

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; and pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison,  that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak." (Col. 4:2-4)

"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess. 5:16-18)

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!" (I Chron. 16:10-11, David's Song of Thanksgiving before the Ark of the Covenant)

"Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent." (Psalm 4:4)

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4)

"Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10)

"But I call upon God; and the LORD will save me.  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice." (Psalm 54/55:16-17)

"Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee." (Isaiah 26:3)

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hid from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"?  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:27-31)

"Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD; his going forth is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." (Hosea 6:3)

"But as for me, I will look to the LORD, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.  Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.  I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I shall behold his deliverance." (Micah 7:7-9)

"Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is at hand; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. . . . Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the wrath of the LORD." (Zeph. 1:7, 2:3)

"All authentic prayer is prayer of the church."

"All authentic prayer is prayer of the church.  Through every sincere prayer something happens in the church, and it is the church itself that is praying therein, for it is the Holy Spirit living in the church that intercedes for every individual soul 'with sighs too deep for words.'"

- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), from "The Prayer of the Church", published in The Hidden Life, ICS Publications.

St. Teresa Benedicta's feast day is August 9.  Sunday takes precedence over it.  For more, click on the link at the bottom of this post for the "St. Edith Stein" category of this blog.

Image: "Old Man in Meditation" by Jan Olis, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, France.  Photo by me.

 

May Feelings II: Pray the Rosary

Abbot Joseph: "Pray by Praying"

Abbot Joseph has two new posts on prayer titled Pray by Praying (Part 1) and Pray by Praying (Part 2):

"A certain man asked me some time ago to help him to pray.  The first thought that came to me was a quote from an author who said that we pray by praying, and we pray well by praying much. . . ."

Novena for an End to the Spread of Swine Flu

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico City, asked his city to begin a Novena to the Mother of God for an end to the swine flu and for wisdom for leaders who must make decisions for prevention and assistance in the spread of disease.  The Novena began on Sunday.  He also asked people to observe the guidelines to prevent the illness from spreading.  Catholic News Service has an article in English.

Catholic News Agency published an English translation of the prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Holy Mary of Guadalupe:
You love us with special tenderness,
You watch over us with maternal intercession
And you always grant us your efficacious help.
We implore your protection and aid
To quickly overcome this epidemic
That has affected our nation.
Shelter us under your mantle,
Deliver us from this illness.
Intercede for all leaders
And those who must make decisions,
That they may have the wisdom to establish measures and priorities
For prevention and the assistance of the entire nation
And especially for those who are most vulnerable.
Grant us prudence and serenity
In order to act responsibly
And thus avoid being infected or infecting others.
Come to the aid of health care workers
Watch over the recovery of the infirm
And give comfort to those who are in mourning.
Mother of the True God for whom we live,
You who have rescued us from other plagues,
Commend us to the mercy of the One who healed us by his wounds
And freed us from death by his Resurrection.
Teach us to unite our suffering to his
In order to find its redemptive meaning
And to come out of this adversity
Strengthened in faith, hope and love. Amen.

Thy will be done: What if . . .

By the time a person has prayed the Morning Office, Mass and a rosary in the morning, that person has prayed the Our Father 8 times.  I wonder what would happen if, one morning, God said, "Oh, why not . . . but just for one day in this one town.  She has already asked for it 8 times this morning."

I think that by noon, there would probably be a line of people stretching from the confessional to the ocean (about 4 miles away), about 25 guys in my priest's office waiting to talk to him about the seminary because they could see that the need was so great, and the phone ringing off the hook with calls from people who have been living together and want church weddings.  What my priest would actually think of all of that I am not quite sure.

When I was in high school, one of the boys I knew once said something over lunch about the things children pray for.  They pray without thinking about what would happen if they got what they say they want.  My high school friend said that, as a child, he once prayed for the room to fill up with ice cream cones, not realizing that if the room filled up with ice cream cones, he would be trapped and might freeze.

I suppose that "Thy will be done" and "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven" are prayers that are graciously answered a little bit at a time and not all at once, in this life, even for just one day and in just one town.  But it seems good to imagine, even briefly, how things might change if God answered that prayer completely and suddenly, even on that limited basis. 

In times when we have seen our financial world change very quickly, it is possible to imagine things changing in our spiritual environment very quickly, and how different our communities might be if it happened. 

And maybe that is part of becoming like a little child in faith (Matthew 18:3: "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.") 

The Transfiguration as Substantially an Experience of Prayer

In his words at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict mentioned the spiritual exercises of the past week as "a week of silence and prayer," a little bit like the Transfiguration, which is the subject of today's Gospel reading for Mass.  Jesus wanted His disciples to have a direct experience of His divine glory, so that they would be able to face the scandal of the Cross.  The Holy Father described the Transfiguration as "substantially an experience of prayer", which reaches its peak and becomes a source of interior light "when the spirit of man clings to that of God, and their wills blend almost to the point of forming a single whole."

He also mentioned today's observance of International Women's Day, and asked for prayer for his upcoming journeys to Africa and the Holy Land.

The original Italian text is available at the Vatican Press Office's Daily Bulletin.  Asia News has an article.  Full English translations are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Monks at Intercessory Prayer

"Prayer is the ministry of monks. All Christians are called to pray, but monks are called to pray as a way of life."

Abbot Joseph from the Mt. Tabor Monestary, at Word Incarnate, has posted Part 1 of an article titled "Monks at Prayer" about the monastic ministry of intercessory prayer in its various forms and aspects  Part 2 was added 9/26.

Prayer, Self-Knowledge and Humility

By St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions: 

"For it is thou, O Lord, who judgest me. For although no man 'knows the things of a man, save the spirit of the man which is in him,' yet there is something of man which 'the spirit of the man which is in him' does not know itself. But thou, O Lord, who madest him, knowest him completely. And even I--though in thy sight I despise myself and count myself but dust and ashes--even I know something about thee which I do not know about myself. And it is certain that 'now we see through a glass darkly,' not yet 'face to face.'  Therefore, as long as I journey away from thee, I am more present with myself than with thee. I know that thou canst not suffer violence, but I myself do not know what temptations I can resist, and what I cannot. But there is hope, because thou art faithful and thou wilt not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist, but wilt with the temptation also make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. I would therefore confess what I know about myself; I will also confess what I do not know about myself. What I do know of myself, I know from thy enlightening of me; and what I do not know of myself, I will continue not to know until the time when my 'darkness is as the noonday' in thy sight."

From Albert C. Outler, Ph.D.'s Introduction to his translation of St. Augustine's Confessions:

"One does not read far in the Confessions before he recognizes that the term 'confess' has a double range of meaning. On the one hand, it obviously refers to the free acknowledgment, before God, of the truth one knows about oneself--and this obviously meant, for Augustine, the 'confession of sins.' But, at the same time, and more importantly, confiteri means to acknowledge, to God, the truth one knows about God. To confess, then, is to praise and glorify God; it is an exercise in self-knowledge and true humility in the atmosphere of grace and reconciliation."

By St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Humility and Pride:

"Here is a definition of humility.  'Humility is the virtue by which a man recognizes his own unworthiness because he really knows himself.'"

By St. Angela of Foligno, Instructions:

"Through perseverance in true prayer, divine light and grace increase, and these always make the soul grow deep in humility as it reads, as it has been said, the life of Jesus Christ, God and man.  I cannot conceive anything greater than the manifestation of God and self.  But this discovery, that is, this manifestation of God and self, is the lot only of those legitimate sons of God who have devoted themselves to true prayer."

By St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle:

"I believe we shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavouring to know God, for, beholding His greatness we are struck by our own baseness, His purity shows our foulness, and by meditating on His humility we find how very far we are from being humble."

An Interview with Father Jacques Philippe

Zenit today published an interview with Father Jacques Philippe titled Interior Prayer: Founded on Loving Much.  Part of what he says is drawn from St. Teresa of Avila's statement that prayer "is not an act of thinking much, but of loving much."  He also discusses the differences between Catholic mental prayer, on the one hand, and yoga and Buddhist practices, on the other.

Father Jacques Philippe, who has written several books on prayer, is from the Community of the Beatitudes.  The Zenit article mentions one of his books, Time for God.  That book and a three other books by the same author have been added to the bookstore linked in the sidebar.