Third Sunday after Pentecost

Thoughts for the Week - Fr. R. Taouk 
10th June 2018

Practical Considerations on Meditation
by Rev. Fr. Joseph Simler

Mental prayer, in its essence, is necessary for every Christian who wishes to be saved. Everyone is obliged to pray. It is impossible for him to pray well without reflecting on what he says, consequently, without meditating. Without meditation, he does not know his wants, and therefore does not think of praying.

Without meditation, everything is done by routine; and, by degrees, routine leads to thoughtlessness, spiritual blindness, and insensibility. Hence, the Holy Ghost says: "With desolation is all the land made desolate; because there is none that considers in the heart" (Jeremias 12).

The great advantage of mental prayer is that by the light and strength it imparts to us, it keeps sin far from us and saves us from Hell. It preserves us from lukewarmness and cures us of it. It is the common source of all virtues and is thus the shortest way of arriving at perfection, and is the most efficacious means of persevering in our vocation.

Some practical points that will help us in making our meditation:

Consider that we should never make of our meditation a mere spiritual reading, still less a study. The meditation is essentially a conversation with God. Do not neglect to make a proper application of what you have meditated upon to yourself.

If meditation is preceded by a reading, the considerations need not take up much time because they are supposed to have been made already, to some extent at least, during the reading; if that was the case, apply yourself to make the considerations in the form of affections.

As much as possible, make your meditation in the form of colloquy to, (rather, than about) God and Our Lady. Always aim at what is practical. Be practical in making the considerations by applying to yourself what you are considering. Remember that meditation is the art of becoming better. Everything must be directed to this end. In this sense, meditation is a kind of daily retreat.

To make a good meditation only one thing is necessary; goodwill. Sublime views, nice expressions, learning, even correct language, are not necessary. On the other hand, distractions, drowsiness, fatigue, and even disgust, are no hindrance to a good meditation when there is goodwill.