Toward God

There is strength in a stolid faith that refuses to be interested much in miracles, visions, apparitions or signs.

The best way to protect ourselves from delusive experiences is not to seek spiritual “highs” too ardently, but to be content with the ordinary Gospel way of fidelity and hope.

But if it becomes the center of attention, God has been displaced and it is counter-productive.

The greater failure is not realizing that God’s attitude to my sin is pity, not blame.

After giving myself time to slow down and clear my head for meditation, at the regular time I go to my prayer place and assume my posture.

After a moment I make a formal beginning with the Sign of the Cross or a brief opening prayer, or by some other means. Then I recite slowly and reverently the short prayer which I have selected. I do not think about its meaning or try to analyze its contents; I simply give myself to saying it and repeat it a few times.

After some time I may notice the prayer tending to slow itself down. If I am using a longer text, one part may begin to stand out more strongly than the rest. I should devote most of my attention to this.

I try to feel the prayer as coming from my heart, as coming from the situation in which I find myself before God, and I allow it to lead me. I follow. I do not fear.

Without becoming too self-conscious I allow the sense of spiritual presence to strengthen. I do or say whatever seems to reinforce that sense and I withdraw from anything that weakens it.

I allow the prayer to act as my guide.

If other thoughts come along, I leave them aside gently, no matter how holy or useful they appear – even if they seem to be important insights. Now is not the time. If they persist, I remove them from sight by starting the short prayer again.

As time goes on, I will learn to gauge the length of my prayer; in the meantime, I should be content to pass in and out of deeper prayer until I have a sense that my prayer is complete or that the time has elapsed.

I gently wind matters up. Perhaps I close with a formal prayer or add some word of intercession. Then I wait for a few moments and withdraw.

Whatever Christ had by nature, we have by grace

forgetfulness of God is the principal cause of all human woes, then remembering God becomes a significant step on the path to recovery.2 And if evil thoughts are the beginning of moral decline,

You should select something that is in keeping with your calling and in line with your personal orientation, something which will seize hold of your mind and not allow it to

How do I pray or meditate or reach contemplation? Many answers are offered, and nearly all of them can take us some distance

We offer our time to God; we keep aside at least a portion of our lives specially. We allow God freedom to act upon our hearts