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Further Reference to: Inspirations | Meditation | Contemplation
Prayer is necessary
Prayer is opening our understanding to God’s brightness and light, and exposing our will to the warmth of his love. (Read further in Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 1)
Recalling God’s presence during the day
In the course of the day, recall to mind the presence of God, as often as you can. (Read further in Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 12)
This exercise is not difficult. It can be interwoven with all our occupations and work without causing the least disturbance. All the more so because, both in the awareness of God’s presence and in these interior longings, we turn aside only in a small way and briefly. (Read further in Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 13)
Longing for God, Ejaculatory Prayers, and Good Thoughts
We recollect ourselves in God because we long for him, and we long for him in order to recollect ourselves in him. Thus, longing for God and recollection in God support one another. Both arise from and are born of good thoughts. (Read further in Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 13)
Prayer, a Heart to Heart with God
We express our love for God chiefly in two ways – spontaneously (affectively), and deliberately (effective; or, as St. Bernard puts it, actively). In the first of these ways we grow fond of God, of what he likes; in the second we serve God, do what he enjoins. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 1)
Meditation the first step in prayer
Meditating is an idea that finds a frequent place in holy Scripture. All it means is thinking intently and repeatedly about something in such a way as to give rise to good or bad emotions. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 2)
Contemplation and How it differs from Meditation
Contemplation is but a loving, artless, unremitting, mental preoccupation with the things of God. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 3)
Love demands knowledge, for we can never love the unknown; the more thorough does our knowledge of something good become, the deeper grows our love for it – as long as the emotion meets with no impediment. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 4)
Meditation is a reflection in great detail, point by point, on those things which are capable of touching our hearts; contemplation, however, takes a single concentrated look at what we love – a concentrated reflection that has greater energy, greater power to move the will. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 5)
Contemplation’s simple survey is made in one of these three ways… (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 6)
The Loving Recollection of a soul resting in God
By recollection, in this context, Theotimus, I do not mean the effort to be aware of God’s presence, which people make at the beginning of their prayers, when they rein in their souls (so to speak), to have a heartfelt talk with God. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 7)
When the soul is inwardly recollected like that, in God or in his presence, it occasionally becomes so secretly attentive to its beloved’s goodness, as to give the appearance of scarcely being attentive at all – so artless its attention, so unobtrusive. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 8)
A soul that knows stillness and tranquillity in God’s presence is like a baby at its mother’s breasts. As that tiny creature satisfies its hunger, its little eyes begin to close, and gradually it falls asleep. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 9)
How to preserve this prayer of quiet and tranquillity
Some people possess active minds, minds that are prolific, swarming with ideas. Others have minds that are flexible, introspective, minds that are greatly given to consciousness of their own working; they must sift all their mental processes; they must be constantly watching themselves to see how they are getting on. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 10)
It follows, from what I have been saying, that there are various degrees of holy tranquillity. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 6, Chapter 11)
How Love unites the soul with God in prayer
Here, I am not going to discuss habitual union of soul with God, but those special actions, impulses, which are the prayers of a recollected soul – its efforts to become more and more united or joined to God’s goodness. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 1)
Occasionally union is achieved without any corresponding effort on our part; we merely go along unresistingly, allowing God, in his goodness, to unite us with him. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 2)
The highest degree of union: Ecstasy or Rapture
In whatever way union of soul with God is achieved, then – consciously or unconsciously – God is always responsible for it. No one can become one with God without going out towards him; nor can anyone go out towards God unless attracted by him. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 3)
Types of Ecstasy or Rapture
Ecstasy is given the name of rapture, since it is a state in which God attracts us and lifts us up to him. Rapture is called ecstasy, because it takes us out of ourselves, holds us above and beyond self, to make us one with God. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 4)
The sun’s beauty and goodness are to be found in its light; but for that light, there would be nothing beautiful, nothing good, in this physical world of ours. By reason of its beauty the sunlight illuminates all things; by reason of its goodness it warms and quickens all. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 5)
In our own day, to be sure, there have been people convinced – and they were not alone in their belief – of being often rapt by God into ecstasy; yet, in the end, it turned out that they had been suffering from delusions, deceived by the devil. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 6)
How love is the life of the soul
Love is the active principle of the spiritual life, the life of devotion; it gives us vitality, sensitivity, emotion. Our spiritual lives are what love’s activity makes them: a heart devoid of emotion is devoid of love; while a loving heart cannot be devoid of love’s emotion. (Read further in Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 7)
Prayer
Begin each prayer, the silent as well as the vocal, by being aware of the presence of God. Keep to this without exception. In all petitions and prayers, the “We” carries weight, as the Lord taught us in the Our Father. In it, no “I” or “for me” is found. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 2, Prayer)
The necessity of prayer
Prayer is most necessary to help us to understand divine things and to open our wills to the warmth of heavenly love. It cleanses our souls of their imperfections and lessens our passions. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 2, Prayer)
Prayer of the heart throughout the day
There are five kinds of shorter prayers which flow out of our daily mental prayer. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
How should we receive inspirations
By inspirations we mean all the interior attractions, movements, reproaches, all the lights and rays of knowledge, which God causes within us through His Fatherly love and care. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
How should we carry out inspirations
Resolve to accept with a good heart all the inspirations God gives to you. Consider the love which inspired them. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
Living in God's presence
Recall the presence of God as often as you can during the day by one of the four ways I pointed out to you. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
Quite interval with the Lord
Before the evening meal, take time to recollect yourself in some quiet place, or before the Blessed Sacrament. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
Atmosphere of Spiritual Retreat
It is here that I wish you very earnestly to follow my counsel, for in this exercise of spiritual retreat – short prayers, scripture phrases, speaking to Christ throughout the day – lies one of the surest means of your spiritual advancement and the great work of devotion. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
The use of aspirations - Short Prayers and Scripture Phrases
Aspirations to God proceed from and are born of good thoughts. Aspire then very often to God, by short but ardent movements of the heart. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 3, Prayer of the heart throughout the day)
The Goal of Prayer
St. Bernard – whose memory is dear to those who have to speak on prayer – in writing to a bishop, advised him that all that was necessary for him was to speak well (meaning to instruct, to discourse); then to do well in giving good example; and finally, to devote himself to prayer. And we, addressing this to all Christians, shall dwell upon the third point, which is prayer. (Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer, Sermon 1, The Goal of Prayer)
The Spirit of Prayer
We have now to speak of the efficient cause of prayer. It is necessary for us to know, then, who can and who ought to pray. The question would soon be decided were we to say that all can pray and that all ought to do so. But in order the better to satisfy the mind, we shall treat this subject at greater length. (Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer, Sermon 2, The Spirit of Prayer)
The Kinds of Prayer
We have shown that the end of prayer is our union with God, and that all who are on the way to salvation can and ought to pray. But there remained to us a difficulty in our last exhortation, namely, whether sinners can be heard. (Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer, Sermon 3, The Kinds of Prayer)
The Heart of Prayer
I still have to point out the distinction that exists in prayer, whether mental or vocal prayer. In prayer we go to God in two ways, both of which have been recommended to us by Our Lord and commanded by our Holy Mother the Church – namely, sometimes we pray directly to God, and at other times indirectly, as when we say the anthems of Our Lady, the Salve Regina and others. (Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer, Sermon 4, The Heart of Prayer)
Prayer: The two reasons
(Letters of Spiritual Direction, Prayer: The two reasons) In prayer we approach God and place ourselves in His presence for two reasons. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Soulfour, Letters of Spiritual Direction)
We must bear ourselves
(Letters of Spiritual Direction, We must bear ourselves) You tell me you do nothing at all in prayer. But what would you want to do that you are not already doing, that is, presenting and re-presenting your nothingness and your misery to God. (Read further in Letter to Madame Brulart, Letters of Spiritual Direction)
The best prayer is that which keeps us so occupied with God
(Letters of Spiritual Direction, The best prayer is that which keeps us so occupied with God) Your kind of prayer is very good, indeed much better than if you made many reflections and used many words, for these are only meant to arouse our affections; if God is pleased to give us affections without the reflections and words, this is a great grace. The secret of secrets in prayer is to follow our attraction in simplicity of heart. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Granieu, Letters of Spiritual Direction)
Staying in God's presence
(Letters of Spiritual Direction, Staying in God's presence) I’d like to say more about your prayer, for I reread your letter late last night. Go on doing as you described. Be careful not to intellectualise, because this can be harmful, not only in general, but especially at prayer. Approach the beloved object of your prayer with your affections quite simply and as gently as you can. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Chantal, Letters of Spiritual Direction)
Two principal reasons for prayer
(Letters to Persons in the World, Two principal reasons for prayer) First, we pray in order to give God the honour and homage we owe Him. Second, we pray in order to speak with God, and to hear Him speak to us by inspirations and movements in the interior of our soul. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Soulfour, Letters to Persons in the World)
Little virtues prepare for contemplation of God
(Letters to Persons in the World, Little virtues prepare for contemplation of God) Each one must love the virtues that are suitable to him, each according to his vocation. The virtues of a widow are humility, contempt of the world and of oneself, and simplicity. Her exercises are love of her abjection, the service of the poor and ill; her place, the foot of the Cross; her rank, the last; her glory, to be scorned; her crown must be her misery: these are small virtues. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Chantal, Letters to Persons in the World)
We must remain in the presence of the Lord
(Letters to Persons in the World, We must remain in the presence of the Lord) To keep ourselves in the presence of God and to place ourselves in the presence of God are, in my opinion, two different things. For to place ourselves in this presence it is necessary to recall our minds from every other object and render it actually attentive to the divine presence. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Chantal, Letters to Persons in the World)
Living a life of prayer
(Letters of Spiritual Direction, Living a life of prayer) Don’t ever believe, my dearest daughter, that great distances can separate those whom God has united by the bonds of His love. The children of this world are all separated one from another because their hearts are in different places; but the children of God whose hearts are where their treasure is and who all have the same treasure – which is the same God – are consequently always bound and united together. (Read further in Letter to Madame de Villesavin, Letters of Spiritual Direction)
A method of prayer
(Letters of Spiritual Direction, A method of prayer) I hope I will be able to understand clearly what you will tell me about your prayer, although I don’t want you to be curious in observing your method of praying. (Read further in Letter to Angélique Arnauld, Letters of Spiritual Direction)
Commentary on Prayer
To find God, to experience His presence in our lives, and to make progress on our way to holiness, it is very important that we go apart some time every day to pray. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 2, Prayer)
Prayer of Praise
Holiness, in the spirit of St. Francis de Sales, means happiness. As Christians, we are exhorted by St. Paul to rejoice always. (Read further in In the Midst of the World: A Call to Holiness, Chapter 2, Prayer)
Prayer and Surrender to God
Traits of Salesian Spirituality
To Francis, God is a person who can be met, understood, related to and loved without intermediary. If God is a person, then interaction between God and human beings is at the level of relationship and love. Holding such a view so distinctly helps us to discard some spurious thinking that God only manifests Himself in His creation, works and in human beings. Therefore, service and commitment to humanity and creation is the only authentic way of meeting God, the only genuine form of prayer that is possible. (Read further in Agnelo Fernandes, Traits of Salesian Spirituality, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Prayer: From St. Ignatius Loyola to St. Francis de Sales
The practice of prayer has always been an important part of Christian life and especially of monastic life. Guidance and encouragement to pray well are to be found in the teachings of John Cassian and St. Augustine, both of whom lived in the early 5th century, and of St. Benedict in the early 6th century. (Read further in Armind Nazareth, Prayer: From St. Ignatius Loyola to St. Francis de Sales, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Ecstasy in St. Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales impact during his time and continues his influence in the present day. The Genevan bishop led seventeenth-century France, tainted with Quietism, Jansenism, and pessimism, into true devotion and the love of God. "No one could approach Francis de Sales both in the comprehension of the range of spiritual development and in the deep tenderness that touched everything he treated." (Read further in Joseph S. Kulathunkal, Ecstasy in St. Francis de Sales, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
“Cry of the Poor”: The Encounter between Human Need and Divine Generosity in the Exodus Story and in St. Francis de Sales
Francis was not a critical exegete in the contemporary sense of the term. He often employed Scriptural examples and phrases, but as he himself admits, he made use of them "not always to explain them, but to explain myself by means of them." (Read further in Anthony Ceresko, “Cry of the Poor”: The Encounter between Human Need and Divine Generosity in the Exodus Story and in St. Francis de Sales, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Prayer of Quiet
All prayer originates from God, Therefore, the foundation of prayer is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We must confess that we know very little about praying. It is a mystery which lies somewhere deep in the recesses of our heart, of our innermost being. (Read further in Anthony D'Souza, Prayer of Quiet, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Types of Union in Prayer
Prayer, in the strict sense, is the filial expression of one's desires for self and for others to the heavenly Father from whom come all good things natural and supernatural. Prayer, in its essence, is a God-experience. St. Francis de Sales' method of prayer derives basically from the 'Abba' experience of Jesus. It is the Father-Son relationship which Jesus experienced and lived, that has become the model of Christian life and prayer. In a wider sense it is the ascent of the mind to God, and in its widest sense it is speaking with God. (Read further in Sr. Celine Kunnel, Types of Union in Prayer, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Transcending Self-traits in Prayer
Growth in prayer and experience of God is preceded by and often accompanied by intense sufferings and trials. Such distress initiates and brings to fulfilment a process of purification. By this means, God enables a person to transcend egoism and self-centred-ness. He leads him or her to intimacy and union with him. (Read further in Antony Mookenthottam, Transcending Self-traits in Prayer, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Love in Prayer
The interior impulses in prayer are impossible to put into words because they are inevitably subtle, beyond the reach of the human mind. Therefore St. Francis says that this book on 'Love in prayer' is difficult especially for one who is not deeply prayerful. (Read further in Benedict D'Souza, Love in Prayer, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
Mary, Model of Love and Union in Prayer
St. Francis de Sales is a mystic and spiritual Alpinist. He reached the heights of sanctity through a perfect bond of love with God and with the assistance of Mary, his dear "Mother and Queen," as he calls her affectionately. (Read further in Midathada Mariadas, Mary, Model of Love and Union in Prayer, in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)
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Updated on Saturday, March 12, 2005 14:00:26
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