Session I – Mystical Prayer and Christian Meditation

Session I – Mystical Prayer and Christian Meditation

1. Introduction
   • Intent of the series
     • The title of this four-part series of lectures is “The Universal Call to Mystical Prayer.” Tonight’s lecture is titled “Mystical Prayer and Christian Meditation.”
     • The series is intended to address the main elements that form the foundation of an authentic spiritual life, in which priority is placed on the development of a prayer life that is characterized by discernable growth in both the practice of virtue and prayer depth over time.
   • Our goal, this evening is threefold:
     • First, to give you a general idea of what mystical prayer is, particularly in its early stages
     • Second, to give you a good understanding of what Christian meditation is
     • Third, to encourage you to take up the practice of Christian mediation, if it’s not something that you already are familiar with.
   • The Teaching of the Church on Mystical Prayer
     • The Church’s teaching on this topic is clear. It is found explicitly in the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. These two Carmelite saints lived in Spain, in the 1500s. Working together, they were the principal actors in bringing about a reform of the Carmelite order.
     • Both of these saints are Doctors of the Church: Teresa is informally known as Doctor of Prayer; John is known formally as Doctor of Mystical Theology.
       • Doctor of the Church: “A title given since the Middle Ages to certain saints whose writing or preaching is outstanding for guiding the faithful in all periods of the Church’s history” (Hardon, “Modern Catholic Dictionary”).
       • In the Church’s two thousand year history, there are only thirty-five Doctors of the Church (soon to be thirty-six with the addition of St. Gregory of Narek). This is an indication of how rare and extraordinary are the writings of the Doctors of the Church in general.
       • Teresa and John are the only two Doctors of the Church whose particular charism is centered on mystical prayer.
         • St. Teresa’s writings emphasize the practice and experience of mystical prayer. St. John’s emphasis is on the theology of mystical prayer. Their writings are complimentary; they do not have a large area of overlap.
   • The Church’s Teaching in Contemporary Terms
     • We have in our own age a great blessing in the writings of Fr. Thomas Dubay, who died in 2010 at the age of 88.
       • Two years prior to his death, “Dr. William E. May, the noted philosopher, theologian and professor, hailed Fr. Dubay as ‘certainly among the greatest experts on the spiritual life in the Catholic Church today’” (EWTN obituary).
       • Some years ago, while leading a retreat (circa 2000), Fr. Benedict Groeschell, longtime associate of Mother Angelica, spoke of the three men who had most influenced his own spiritual formation. He listed St. Augustine, St. John Paul II, and Fr. Thomas Dubay.
     • Fr. Dubay was an expert on the writings of Ss. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. In his own writings, especially the modern-day classic Fire Within, he has synthesized the writings of these two great Carmelites, thus providing the Christian world with a much-needed contemporary expression of their teachings.
     • This series will draw heavily from the writings of our two Carmelite saints, but that will often be done through the writings of Thomas Dubay.
2. Mystical Prayer – an Overview
   • Mystical Prayer – a False Characterization
     • We begin by looking at one of the terms in the title of the series: mystical prayer. The concept of mystical prayer typically invokes images of those saints who are sometimes referred to as mystics because they are known for phenomena such as:
       • Visions, locutions, levitation, bi-location, the stigmata, ecstasy/rapture, flight of the spirit/transport, impulses, spiritual wounding, and spiritual betrothal (see Dubay, Fire Within, p.100).
     • This leads us to think of mystical prayer as something exclusive to those saints who are commonly referred to as mystics.
     • We make this association between the mystics and mystical prayer for two reasons:
       • First, in the case of visions, locutions, levitation, bi-location, and the stigmata we are identifying mystical prayer with extraordinary phenomena. This is a mistake. These various expressions of extraordinary phenomena are not of the essence of mystical prayer.
         • In the Church’s canonization process, the presence or absence of extraordinary phenomena in a person’s life plays no part in the process. The Church judges holiness according to the “perfection with which we live the Gospel: humility, obedience, love, patience, chastity, honesty, kindliness and all the other virtues” (Dubay, Fire Within, 268)
       • Second, in the case of phenomena such as ecstasy/rapture, flight of the spirit/transport, impulses, spiritual wounding, and spiritual betrothal we are failing to realize that these things are not at all extraordinary. They are a normal part of prayer development.
         • Such phenomena can be called extraordinary only in the sense that they are uncommon, but that is because so few people make the effort to grow their spiritual lives to a state of heroic virtue.
           • “Most people strongly resist growing from ordinary to heroic sanctity” (SSD, p. 268).
     • A Brief Statement on the Universal Call
       • Though we are conditioned to think otherwise, the reality is that we are all called to mystical prayer.
       • In the next lecture we will devote some time to the “universal call” aspect of this series and show convincingly that every Christian is so called. For now, I ask you to assume the universal call as a fact with the help of a quotation from Fr. Dubay:
         • “With generous people, that is, with those who try to live the whole Gospel wholeheartedly and who engage in an earnest prayer life, [mystical prayer] is common” (Dubay, Fire Within, p. 58).
   • Mystical Prayer: If Not Extraordinary Phenomena, Then What?
     • We can begin to get an idea of what mystical prayer is by examining the word “mystical.” In the context of authentic prayer, the word indicates “mystery.”
       • Note that we are using the word “mystery” in the theological sense, which has two important characteristics:
         • First, it refers to things that are unknown to us and are incapable of being known to us by human reason alone.
         • Second, they involve two or more truths that appear to be contradictory to one another; human reason cannot reconcile the apparent contradiction.
           • Example: The Holy Trinity, three divine persons in one divine nature is the prime example of a theological mystery.
       • Theological mysteries deal with supernatural realities; they have their origin in God and we can only know of the mystery by way of divine revelation.
     • Returning to the word “mystical,” and recognizing that mystical prayer is a theological reality, it follows that the word indicates the presence of a supernatural mystery; hence, mystical prayer must have its origin in God. It is not something that can be produced by man.
       • In this respect, mystical prayer is similar to sanctifying grace, another theological reality. Neither can be produced or understood by man, but both can be received by man under certain conditions.
       • The conditions for receiving sanctifying grace are well known. One merely has to receive one of the seven sacraments with the disposition proper to that sacrament, or while in the state of grace carry out some virtuous act.
       • The conditions for receiving mystical prayer are not so well known, but they are well understood. We will be speaking of those conditions in the next lecture.
     • The aspect of mystery in mystical prayer is well express by John of the Cross with this observation:
       • “Many individuals think they are not praying, when, indeed, their prayer is intense. Others place high value on their prayer, while it is little more than nonexistent” (Ascent, Prologue, 6).
       • Can you think of any other activity in which you could be consciously and intensely involved and yet be unaware that it is taking place?
     • Recognizing that mystical prayer has its origins in God, and not in us, we can begin to get some idea of what it is by looking at some of the traits of mystical prayer.
   • Traits of Mystical Prayer
     • The traits can vary considerably, but here is a list of some traits that are typical of the early stages of mystical prayer.
       • As described by Fr Dubay (Fire Within, p. 86) – Mystical prayer:
         • Is received (i.e., infused, as is sanctifying grace); not humanly produced or prolonged
         • Is nothing specific (i.e., no, images, ideas, or concepts)
         • Is not sensed (i.e., it’s not a matter of feelings or emotions)
         • Is something that grows over time but with many fluctuations
         • Can be experienced as dry yearnings for God or a delightful awareness of God
       • Notice two things about these traits:
         • They are experienced passively
         • They seem to describe almost nothing, as is the case when we try to describe spirit (non-material, no size, color, taste, smell, sound)
     • Traits of a more advanced stage of mystical prayer
       • As expressed by St. John of the Cross: “Gem definitions” (per Fr. Dubay) of mystical prayer (most of these are found in “Dark Night of the Soul” book II). Mystical prayer is:
         • A secret and peaceful and loving inflow of God
         • A living thirst of love
         • A loving light and wisdom
         • A burning of love
         • A calm and repose of interior quietude
         • An unintelligible peace
     • Traits of mystical prayer as expressed in Scripture (there are many others that could be added to this list – the Psalms are full of such references.)
       • “O God, you are my God, for you I long. For you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary, to see your strength and your glory” (Ps 63:1-2 GP)
       • “My soul is longing and yearning, is yearning for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my soul ring out their joy to God, the living God” (Ps 84:2 GP).
       • “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
   • Mystical Prayer and Contemplation
     • The term “mystical prayer” may be unfamiliar to you, but you have probably heard of its synonym, “contemplation.” These two terms refer to exactly the same reality; they are completely interchangeable, in the theological sense.
     • However, I have not used the word “contemplation” up to this point because in everyday language the word “contemplation” tends to be used interchangeably with the word “meditation.”
     • Theologically, the words meditation and contemplation describe two very different realities. Their meanings, in the theological sense, are mutually exclusive. They have, essentially, nothing in common, apart from the fact that they are both forms of prayer.
     • However, if you look up “contemplation” in a dictionary, you will find something like the following (note how these definitions indicate human activity):
       • From the Free On-Line Dictionary for “contemplation”
         • Thoughtful observation or study
         • Meditation on spiritual matters, especially as a form of devotion
       • From the On-Line Merriam-Webster Dictionary for “contemplation”
         • An act of considering with attention: study
         • The act of regarding steadily (i.e., focused attention – ddl)
         • Concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion
         • A state of mystical awareness of God’s being
     • If you look up “meditation” in a dictionary, you will find something like this:
       • From the Free On-Line Dictionary for “meditation”
         • A devotional exercise of [contemplation] or leading to contemplation
         • A contemplative discourse, usually on a religious or philosophical subject
     • In summary, when examining the usage of these three terms, meditation, contemplation and mystical prayer, we find the following:
       • In contemporary usage, meditation and contemplation are seen as synonyms,
       • In theological usage, contemplation and mystical prayer are synonyms, and together they speak of something that is very different from what is meant by meditation.
     • Needless to say, throughout this lecture we will be working with the theological meanings of these words. Let us clarify what we mean by meditation and contemplation by pointing out a significant difference between the two.
       • Meditation, in a general sense, is a natural human activity; it is an essential aspect of our ordinary thought process.
         • It is a willed exercise of the human intellect. You can do it, essentially, whenever you want to (with one exception that we will discuss later). You have gone through the basic stages (or steps) of meditation many times today alone, as you will see later.
       • Contemplation, on the other hand, is not a willed exercise of the human intellect. In fact, it is not an exercise of the human intellect at all. The intellect is in a passive state when it receives infused prayer. Intellectual activity will stop the infusion.
   • Mystical Prayer: The Church’s Best-Kept Secret
     • It is possible that what I have told you thus far about mystical prayer comes across as something new. Even if you have heard something about this topic, it is not likely that you have heard it spoken of often. Consequently, you may conclude that the subject really isn’t all that important.
     • The conclusion is erroneous, but reasonable, because mystical prayer is rarely spoken of in homilies. Fr. Dubay gives us the unfortunate reason for the lack of attention given to the subject of mystical prayer:
       • “The academic training of our clergy bears almost exclusively on work. Despite the fact that the apostles themselves considered their duty to be prayer first of all, and then proclaiming the word [Acts 6:2], seminaries rarely, if indeed ever, direct serious course attention to equipping the students to lead the faithful to drink deeply, to taste and see how good the Lord is and to do the same themselves. Despite the fact that Vatican II laid it down that for all men and women ‘action is subordinated to [mystical prayer],’ rare is the seminary that pays much attention to the latter, to the ‘one thing’ [Lk 10:42]” (Dubay, Fire Within, p. 9).
         • “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:2-4).
         • “One thing only is required. Mary has chosen the better portion and she shall not be deprived of it” (Lk 10:42).
     • In the next lecture, we will have more to say of mystical prayer and how it develops in one’s spiritual life. For now, we need to turn our attention to an important practice that leads to mystical prayer: Christian meditation
3. An Overview of Christian Meditation
   • The Catholic Church and Christian Meditation
     • We begin with a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
       • “Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ” (CCC 2708).
     • The purpose of this quote is to provide the assurance that when we speak of Christian meditation we are speaking of something the Catholic Church heartily promotes for all of its members.
       • Note that Christian meditation is not the “pseudo-mysticism” found in some pagan Eastern religions.
       • It is not “transcendental meditation”; that is a Hindu practice.
       • It is not some esoteric exercise to be practiced only by cloistered monks and nuns.
   • Scripture and Christian Meditation
     • Let us consider a few references to Christian meditation found in Scripture. The following are among the most prominent.
       • “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:1-2).
       • Following the Nativity of the Lord and the visit by the shepherds:
         • “But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).
       • Following the finding of Jesus in the Temple:
         • “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart” (Lk 2:51).
       • We see in these last two verses that the most famous practitioner of Christian meditation is the Mother of Jesus. She sets an example for us.
     • Also see Ps 104:34, 119:11, 15, 97-99, Jos 1:8.
   • Mechanics of Meditation
     • Using the word “meditation” in a general sense, let us now look at the mechanics of the practice.
       • Meditation is the prolonged act of thinking about some object or idea. The object that is chosen for meditation determines whether the meditation is or is not prayer, that is, whether it is prayer or something else.
     • As you will see, meditation is as natural as taking a breath of air. In its simplest form there are three principle elements or stages: consideration, affection, and resolution.
     • These terms are understood here as follows:
       • Consideration is the activity of the intellect by which it reasons about some object or idea so as to draw a conclusion.
       • Affection is the awakening of a desire within the will.
         • Technically, this is prayer – St. Francis de Sales
       • Resolution is a firm commitment to carry out some particular act.
     • A note about the word “affection”
       • Though the word “affection” is commonly thought of as a “feeling” or an “emotion” (the words are synonymous) as used here it has nothing in common with emotions.
       • A key difference between affections and emotions, then, is that affections are rooted in the will whereas emotions are rooted in the senses.
         • For this reason, affections are under our control, that is, they are voluntary. On the other hand, emotions, at least in their early stages, are involuntary responses to some sense experience.
       • The word “affection,” refers to a “movement of the will,” and movements of the will are necessarily unfelt because they are not rooted in the senses, as are the emotions.
       • Hence, it must be recognized that the “affections” we are speaking of here have no emotional component. They are absolutely unfelt because “an act of the will cannot of itself be felt at all” (Dubay, Seeking Spiritual Direction, p. 232).
       • However, it is possible, at times, that these unfelt affections can stir the soul so deeply that there is an “overflow” into the emotions.
         • “While Scripture surely speaks often of genuine experiences of God, nowhere does it present feelings as decisive criteria of progress or dry ‘emptiness’ as an indication of fault of mediocrity. Yet this is how most people look at the matter” (Dubay, Seeking Spiritual Direction, p. 268).
4. The Practice of Meditation in the General Sense
   • A Car Purchase
     • Our example of meditation in the general sense will be based on the process that a typical consumer goes through in the purchase of a car. As you would surmise from what has just been said, the consumer goes through three stages prior to his purchase.
       • Consideration: At the beginning of the car-buying process, the individual considers the various options available in terms of the type of car, its cost, and the accessories that could be included in the purchase. Careful consideration of these items will lead him naturally into the second stage.
       • Affection: When he begins to find himself especially attracted to one particular car, he has entered the second stage, which is marked by a distinct interest in a particular car.
         • This affection, which may be weak at first, gains strength, and at some point he recognizes that “this car” is the right car. His will is being moved to purchase “this car”. He dwells on that thought for some time, and, in doing so, is led to the third stage.
       • Resolution: When the affection reaches maturity, the consumer recognizes that it is time to formally express the movement of his will (that is, the affection) with a resolution to purchase the car.
     • One can readily see from this example that we go through the three stages of meditation whenever we make a decision, be it large or small. The practice itself is intrinsic to our nature.
     • If the matter that needs to be decided is simple, the three stages may be so closely compressed that it is difficult to see that there are really three of them, but in matters of greater weight, these three stages are clearly visible.
     • At the conclusion of the meditation, there is still one thing left to do: the resolution must be put into practice, which refers, in this case to, the actual purchase of the car.
5. The Practice of Christian Meditation
   • A Passage in Scripture
     • Let us now apply this natural activity of the mind to a subject that is suitable for Christian meditation.
     • There is, essentially, no limit to the various subjects that we could draw upon. However, one typically reads from Scripture in an unhurried and reflective manner until coming upon a passage or verse that catches his attention.
     • As will be seen below, the only significant difference between the process of meditating on a topic of religious interest versus a non-religious topic is the topic itself.
     • Note that what follows is merely an example. There are a variety of ways in which Christian meditation can be approached, but all of those ways contain the basic elements described here.
     • We will begin our example of Christian meditation with an individual reading the Gospel of Luke with the intent of finding a passage containing a subject for meditation. His reading of Scripture has placed him in the proper frame of mind for what follows.
   • Consideration
     • In the first stage, consideration, the individual comes upon a verse that catches his attention:
       • “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Lk 6:27-28).
     • In order to “consider” the verse an interior conversation begins, one that may draw on other passages from Scripture, episodes from the lives of the saints, or any other source that is capable of contributing to the conversation. It begins like this:
       • Love has been defined as “willing the good of the beloved.” If I am to love my enemies, then, it follows that I am to view the enemy as my beloved, and not as my enemy.
       • Further, I am to do good to the enemy who hates me, bless the enemy who curses me, and pray for the enemy who abuses me, and, in all of this, I am to be willing the good of the enemy, with a genuine desire for the welfare of the enemy.
       • This is no simple thing. Do not my emotions get aroused when someone acts toward me in a hateful way, and curses me, and abuses me? Does not my inner being cry out for vengeance, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?
       • Yes, I want to love my neighbor, but what about justice? Does not justice require that the one who has injured me make restitution for the injury before I am under any obligation to love such a person?
       • It seems that this saying is an admirable ideal, but could it actually be something that God expects of us?
       • Perhaps I should consider who gave us this saying. It came from the lips of Jesus, and He had many enemies. How did He respond to those who hated Him, cursed Him, and abused Him?
       • His many enemies, after working against Him throughout His public ministry, finally brought about for Him a death of extreme torture on the cross, and His response to all of this was “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).
   • Affection
     • The second stage, affection, follows naturally from the first as the one at prayer is drawn to the example given by Jesus: “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”
     • He recognizes that the difficult commands of the Gospel, in this case, that of loving a neighbor who is causing me harm, were not merely given by Jesus, but also lived out by Him to an extraordinary degree.
     • This realization triggers a change in the interior conversation as the individual begins to see the example of Jesus to be eminently desirable in his own life. Moved by what he has come to recognize in the life of Jesus, he begins to express that desire in these words:
       • Jesus, you suffered extraordinary torments with great patience, while I, on the other hand, abhor the thought of patiently suffering even the slightest injury, and this is especially true when the injury comes from an enemy.
       • But, no sooner had your enemies nailed you to the cross than you prayed for them, begging your Father to forgive them, and even making an excuse for them: “They do not know what they are doing.”
       • So different are my ways. Not only do I fail to forgive my enemies, I search for secret ways in which to get my revenge on them. Though I call myself a Christian, I see that it is no more than an artificial Christianity that I practice, one that causes me no pain and views relationships with others as something like business contracts.
       • But you have shown me that this is not the way to live. O Lord, I beseech you, flood my soul with your grace that my cold heart of stone will be made warm and soft like wax, and molded in the way of virtue by what you have shown me here.
       • Help me to cast off my hidden deeds of darkness, so that I may enter into your wonderful light. Grant me the wisdom to see goodness in everyone, especially those who would be my enemies, for you are truly present in them, though your presence may be hidden.
       • Lord, grant me this grace, for I intend, this day, to begin the genuine practice of love of neighbor, though I freely admit that up to this day, I have loved my neighbor very little, if at all.
     • This interior conversation may go on for some time, or it may be short in duration. What is important is that the conversation be the result of a genuine affection in which the will is being moved to love God, to adore Him, to acknowledge His wisdom and to desire to serve Him, or is being moved to any of a thousand other similar acts of devotion.
     • The number of words is a small matter; what is important is the ardent desire to reform one’s life so as to grow in holiness by way of imitation of the life of Jesus.
     • One may experience strong urges as a result of such meditations but, whether weak or strong, as long as such movements are present, one should give way to them.
     • Their duration may be measured only in seconds, or they may last for several minutes. When they cease, as they surely will, the time has come to move to the third stage of meditation.
   • General Resolution
     • In the third stage, resolution, the individual desires to make a general commitment to put into practice the desires that have come about in the second stage. This is done with a general resolution of amendment in a particular area of life. The interior conversation continues:
       • Lord Jesus, I thank you for showing me the way that I must reform my life in regard to the way I treat my neighbor, especially the troubling neighbor.
       • From this day forward, I resolve to recognize your presence in my neighbor, especially the neighbor who would be my enemy, and to have a genuine love for my neighbor in whatever circumstances he presents to me.
     • This conversation completes a cycle of meditation. Note that the time required for one of these cycles can vary considerably. It could take as little as a couple of minutes, or it could take considerably longer.
   • The Specific Resolution
     • In any particular period of time allotted to meditation, it is likely that one will repeat this cycle some number of times until the time allotted for meditation has been expended, at which point the individual makes a specific resolution, drawn from the fruits of this time of meditation. The specific resolution is to be put into practice that day.
     • The specific resolution can be very simple, such as greeting an “enemy” with kindness, or it can be more complex. But whatever the resolution is, it must be chosen such that one can expect to be able to carry out the resolution that day.