Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard, in his book The Soul of the Apostolate, explained the necessity of mental prayer for apostolic workers. He pointed out that fidelity to mental prayer will guarantee our life with Christ. Without mental prayer it is morally impossible
Mental prayer is also a sure defence against dangers. Father Achilles Desurmont, CSSR, an experienced preacher of ecclesiastical retreats, used very strong and blunt language saying: “A priest in constant contact with the world faces the choice between mental prayer or a very great risk of damnation.”
Dom Chautard strongly emphasized that a half-hour of mental prayer each day is essential for the interior life of priests and religious. He wrote, “The experience of priests and religious vowed to active works is enough to establish that an apostolic worker who, under pretext of being too busy or too tired, or else out of repugnance, or laziness, or some illusion, is too easily brought to cut down his meditation to 10 or 15 minutes instead of binding himself to half an hour’s serious mental prayer from which he might draw plenty of energy and drive for his day’s work, will inevitably fall into tepidity of the will.”
St. John of the Cross: “The end of meditation and mental consideration of divine things is to obtain some knowledge and love of God.”
Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen explained: “We see at once that the emphasis is not placed on the work of the intellect, nor on the ‘speculative knowledge’ of God and of the truths of faith. Rather, it rests on ‘loving knowledge,’ which, of course, has its support in thought, but thought that is affectionate, permeated with love, and that surges from a loving heart. When we love a person, we come to know him intuitively, and thus, better and more easily than those who might study him more minutely, but without love.”
St. Teresa said, “Mental prayer is nothing but a friendly conversation in which the soul speaks, heart-to-heart, with the One Who we know loves us.” She pointed out that prayer consists “not in thinking much, but in loving much.” The saint was prepared to pledge salvation to anyone who will spend a quarter of an hour in daily meditation. Only, let it be daily!
For many people, the help of a book is needed for mental prayer. St. Teresa wrote, “I passed more than fourteen years unable to meditate, except with the help of a book.”
The daily Mass Readings are excellent subjects for daily meditations. Meditation books such as Divine Intimacy by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen and In Conversation with God by Father Francis Fernandez are valuable resources. Some people have found apps such as iPray with the Gospel and Hallow very practical.
Based on the method and writings of Father Athanasius Bierbaum, OFM, I would like to suggest to following steps for daily mental prayer.
- Read over the meditation the evening before.
- Begin mental prayer by placing oneself in the presence of God and pray: “My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here; that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence; I beg your pardon of my sins, and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.”
- Re-read the meditation, this time meditatively, sentence by sentence, giving each thought time to make its impression.
- Thereupon turn to God, to Our Savior, to the blessed Mother, and in familiar terms speak to them about what you feel you must do, and will do, and would like to do as a result of your meditation.
- In closing, pray: “I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me in this meditation. I beg your help for putting them into effect. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.”
心禱在於多點愛
若翰肖塔爾院牧在他的著作『使徒的靈魂』一書中解釋心禱在使徒業務工作者的必需。他指出忠於作心禱能確保我們與基督的生活。没有心禱是確實不可能的。心禱也肯定可以抵抗危險。德蘇爾蒙神父是位富經驗的退省神師，他用强烈的直接的話語說：『一位神父經常與世俗接觸面對心禱或極大的喪亡的危險的選擇』。
肖塔爾院牧強調每天半小時的心禱為一位神父和修會會士的内修生活是必需的。他寫道：『投入積極的工作的神父和修會會士的經驗足以證明：一位使徒工作者，托詞因為太忙，太疲累或是出於厭惡，懶惰，錯覺，很容易把心禱减到十分或十五分鐘，不再約束於半小時能夠為他挣到每天大量的能量和動能的嚴肅心禱，這樣就很難避免地墮入意志的冷淡。』
聖十字架若望說：『默想和用心思考神聖的事的目標是獲得一些天主的知識和愛。』聖瑪利亞、瑪達肋納的佳播神父說：『我們立刻看見，要強調的不是理智的工作，也不是關於天主和信仰真理的「推理知識」。反而是在於「關愛知識，」這知識，當然被思想所支持，這思想卻是充滿愛情的，滲透著愛的，這些都由一個關愛的心湧現。當我們愛一個人，我們直覺的認識他，因此比那些會細心調查他，但並不愛他的人為好，為容易。』
聖女德肋撒說：『心禱不是什麼，卻是一友好的對話，在那裡我們靈魂在談話，心對心，與我們認識的那一位愛我們的談話。』她指出這祈禱不在於多作思考，而是多點愛。這聖人準備為那些每天花四份一小時作默想者的作保證救恩。
很多人都需要一本書的幫助作默想。聖女德肋撒寫道：『我經歷了多於十四年，也不能默想，除了得到一本書的幫忙。』每日的彌撒讀經是每日默禱非常好的主題。默想的書一如聖瑪利亞、瑪達肋納的佳播神父的『Divine Intimacy』和方濟費南德斯神父的『心靈語主In Conversation with God』都是珍貴的資源。一些人找到應用程序一如『iPray with the Gospel』和『Hallow』非常實用。
基於達修·比爾巴姆神父的方法，我願提議以下每天默禱的步驟。
- 早一天的黃昏，閱讀有關的默想。
- 自己走到天主跟前作祈禱：『我的主，我的天主，我堅決相信袮在這裡；袮看見我，袮聽見我。我以至深的恭敬朝拜袮；我懇求袮寬恕我的罪過，懇求袮的聖寵讓我這祈禱得見果實。我無玷之母、聖若瑟—-我父我主、我的護守天使，請為我代禱。』
- 再次閱讀這默想，這時按每一句一句地默想，每一個思想都花一些時間讓它留下印象。
- 然後，轉向天主，我們的救主，聖母，以相熟的詞語跟他們說有關的說話，在你默想的結果，你覺得你應該做的，你會做的，和你想做的。
- 結束祈禱：『我的天主，我感謝袮，感謝袮在默想中給我好的志向、熱愛和啟迪。我懇求袮幫助，讓我把它們實踐。我無玷之母，聖若瑟—-我父我主、我的護守天使，請為我代禱。』
