Reflection

No time to pray? Try contemplation

Fr Leo J. Trese

Contents - Jul 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Separation of Church and State? - Michael Gilchrist Liturgy: New improved English Mass translation nears completion - Michael Gilchhrist Feminist 'rituals': no substitute for prayer - Joanna Bogle News: The Church Around the World Pastoral Letter: The secular challenges to our faith: how to respond - Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett Eucharistic Adoration: heart of evangelisation - Fr Sebastian Camilleri OFM Croagh Patrick, Ireland's Holy Mountain: 'Sure, it's a bit of a hill' - Paul Russell Letters: Synod (letter) - Lance Eccles Letters: Courageous lead (letter) - Tom King Letters: Ineffective system (letter) - John Mulholland Letters: Catholic schools (letter) - George Simpson Letters: Dating the Gospels (letter) - Fr G.H. Duggan SM Letters: Informative talk (letter) - Frank Bourke Letters: Gay lobby (letter) - Alan A. Hoysted Letters: Abusive letters - Maureen Federico Letters: Christian models (letter) - Brett Powell Letters: Christians the most vilified group (letter) - Arnold Jago Letters: Disappointment (letter) - Cathy Cleary Letters: The Passion of the Christ (letter) - June Forester Letters: Parish concerns (letter) - Peter Gilet Letters: No kneelers (letter) Letters: The power of one (letter) - Brian Harris Letters: Sacred Heart (letter) - V. Mulligan Letters: CD response (letter) - Melanie and Christopher Duluk Books: Flee To the Fields - The Founding Papers of the Catholic Land Movement - Peter Chojnowski (reviewer) Books: An Essay on the Restoration of Property, by Hilaire Belloc - John Ballantyne (reviewer) Books: Ethics and the National Economy, by Heinrich Pesch - John Williamson (reviewer) Redemptionis Sacramentum (Sacrament of Redemption) abridged version - Fr M. Durham Books: More new titles for 2004 from AD Books Reflection: No time to pray? Try contemplation - Fr Leo J. Trese

To the question "How well do you pray?" the average Catholic probably would answer. "Not as well as I'd like to." The better the Catholic, the more likely it is that such would be his answer.

To those of us who are dissatisfied with our efforts at prayer, it is a comfort to remember that God asks of us only that we do our best. It may be that we are not praying as well as we might wish; but, if we are praying as well as we can, we are praying well.

However, it is possible that some of us are more imperfect in prayer than we need to be, simply because we understand poorly the nature of prayer. We all learned, in childhood, that prayer is "the raising of our mind and heart to God." In spite of having learned the definition, a surprising number of persons think of prayer as "talking to God," as though words were the important element in prayer.

Some of our best prayer is prayer in which we use no words at all. Silently we turn our thoughts to God in a spirit of reverence. We think of Him, of His goodness and His mercy perhaps. Our heart moves in an act of gratitude to Him, or we experience a sense of shame and sorrow at not having done more for Him.

Mental prayer

We think of His lovableness and wish that we could love Him more ardently; perhaps resolve that we shall try harder to deserve His love. All this is done - or can be done - without any words at all. This activity of mind and heart is called mental prayer, as distinct from vocal prayer (i.e., a set form of words).

To make more graphic the nature of mental prayer, let us imagine a father standing at a window, watching his children playing in the yard. Wordlessly he gazes at the children, while his heart goes out to them in an act of love and protectiveness; with a determination, too, to be a good father to them. Similarly, in mental prayer we "look at" God, and our heart goes out to Him in an act of love. Perhaps with our love are mixed sentiments of gratitude, or of repentance, or of renewed and more generous loyalty. This is a moment of prayer at its best.

If we wish to make progress in prayer, we have only to make room for more such moments in our life. We can do it in church, prayerbook closed as we gaze at the tabernacle. We can do it in the privacy of our own room. We can do it on a solitary walk. We can do it on the bus, with eyes closed to the passing scene. There are many opportunities, if we watch for them.

The great advantage of mental prayer is that it gives God a chance to speak to us, and this is essential to fruitful prayer. I am not saying that vocal prayer is to be abandoned. There are times and places when vocal prayer is the best prayer; at Mass, for example, and in other public services when we pray together.

There are times, too, when the mind is too distracted or tired to focus wordlessly upon God, and times when we wish to gain the indulgences attached to certain vocal prayers. The point I am making is that prayer is (or ought to be) an interchange with God. It is an occasion of special and intimate union with God.

If it is to be a true interchange, a genuine union, God must have His opportunity. There must be moments of silent contemplation when God can speak (wordlessly, as we have spoken) in His turn to our heart.

These moments will come more easily if we try, habitually, to live our lives in union with God. This means that we begin our day with a wholehearted offering of our day to God - all our thoughts, words, actions, joys and sufferings. In this way, through our Morning Offering, our day becomes one great prayer, every moment a source of eternal merit.

Our mind will not consciously be on God all the time. We must give attention to our work and other activities. However, the thought of God will not be far below the surface. We shall find it easy to cast Him, now and then, a quick glance of love.

Taken from 'You Are Called To Greatness' (Geoffrey Chapman, London 1964, pp. 87-90).

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 6 (July 2004), p. 20