MENTAL PRAYER
according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Chapter 6. The Manner of Making Mental Prayer
Mental prayer contains three parts: the preparation, the meditation, and the conclusion
I. THE PREPARATION
Begin by disposing your mind and body to enter into pious recollection.
Leave at the door of the place where you are going to converse with God all extraneous thoughts, saying, with St. Bernard, O my thoughts! wait here: after prayer we shall speak on other matters. Be careful not to allow the mind to wander where it wishes; but should a distracting thought enter, act as we shall tell you in Chapter 7.
The posture of the body most suitable for prayer is to be kneeling; but if this posture becomes so irksome as to cause distractions, we may, as St. John of the Cross says, make our meditation while modestly sitting down.
The preparation consists of three acts: 1. Act of faith in the presence of God; 2. Act of humility and of contrition; 3. Act of petition for light. We may perform these acts in the following manner:
Act of Faith in the Presence of God, and Act of Adoration
"My God, I believe that Thou art here present, and I adore Thee with my whole soul".
Be careful to make this act with a lively faith, for a lively remembrance of the Divine presence contributes greatly to remove distractions. Cardinal Carracciolo, Bishop of Aversa, used to say that when a person is distracted in prayer there is reason to think that he has not made a lively act of faith.
Act of Humility and of Contrition
"Lord, I should now be in Hell in punishment of the offenses I have given Thee. I am sorry for them from the bottom of my heart; have mercy on me."
Act of Petition for Light
"Eternal Father, for the sake of Jesus and Mary, give me light in this meditation, that I may draw fruit from it."
We must then recommend ourselves to the Blessed Virgin by saying a "Hail Mary," to St. Joseph, to our Guardian Angel, and to our holy Patron.
These acts, says St. Francis de Sales, ought to be made with fervor, but should be short that we may pass immediately to the meditation.
#stalphonsus #prayer #reading
according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Chapter 6. The Manner of Making Mental Prayer
Mental prayer contains three parts: the preparation, the meditation, and the conclusion
I. THE PREPARATION
Begin by disposing your mind and body to enter into pious recollection.
Leave at the door of the place where you are going to converse with God all extraneous thoughts, saying, with St. Bernard, O my thoughts! wait here: after prayer we shall speak on other matters. Be careful not to allow the mind to wander where it wishes; but should a distracting thought enter, act as we shall tell you in Chapter 7.
The posture of the body most suitable for prayer is to be kneeling; but if this posture becomes so irksome as to cause distractions, we may, as St. John of the Cross says, make our meditation while modestly sitting down.
The preparation consists of three acts: 1. Act of faith in the presence of God; 2. Act of humility and of contrition; 3. Act of petition for light. We may perform these acts in the following manner:
Act of Faith in the Presence of God, and Act of Adoration
"My God, I believe that Thou art here present, and I adore Thee with my whole soul".
Be careful to make this act with a lively faith, for a lively remembrance of the Divine presence contributes greatly to remove distractions. Cardinal Carracciolo, Bishop of Aversa, used to say that when a person is distracted in prayer there is reason to think that he has not made a lively act of faith.
Act of Humility and of Contrition
"Lord, I should now be in Hell in punishment of the offenses I have given Thee. I am sorry for them from the bottom of my heart; have mercy on me."
Act of Petition for Light
"Eternal Father, for the sake of Jesus and Mary, give me light in this meditation, that I may draw fruit from it."
We must then recommend ourselves to the Blessed Virgin by saying a "Hail Mary," to St. Joseph, to our Guardian Angel, and to our holy Patron.
These acts, says St. Francis de Sales, ought to be made with fervor, but should be short that we may pass immediately to the meditation.
#stalphonsus #prayer #reading