Mental Prayer

(take from Fr. Lehodey "The Ways of Mental Prayer")

Prayer (requires Attention and Devotion)
1. Vocal Prayer
2. Mental Prayer
    a. Active Prayer (Affective)
    b. Passive Prayer (Prayer of Simplicity)


Purgative - Meditation
Illuminative - Affective Prayer
Unitive - Prayer of Simplicity


Elements of Success
1. Adopt that which suits our degree of progress (meditation, affective, or simplicity)
2. Choose a subject suitable to your needs
3. Beginners should plan the subject of their meditation (think of the subject before sleep and waking up)
4. Determined Will


Causes of Failure
1. Distractions
    a. levity
    b. passions
    c. employment
    d. weakness
2. Want of devotion and resolution 
3. Illusions
4. Bodily indispositions


Remedies to Distraction
1. Humble yourself
2. Gently bring your mind back
3. Not examining distractions


3 Rocks to be Avoided in Transitioning from one form of prayer to another
1. Deciding for ourselves by a fixed determination (to remain in a former stage of prayer)
2. Quitting the former prayer too late
3. Quitting the former prayer too soon


2 Rocks to Avoid During Prayer
1. Deliberately suppressing considerations and affections
2. Persisting in logical affections, vocal prayer, and other acts


3 Signs of the Night of the Senses
1. Total dryness of sensible faculties
2. Powerlessness and vacuity of the mind when praying
3. The soul delights in being alone with God quietly 


Conduct to be observed in Night of the Senses
1. Accept this state trustingly
2. Persevere in prayer courageously 


Sufferings of the Night of the Spirit
1. Aridity in spiritual things
2. Pained by the light communicated by God to the soul
3. Horrible suffering. Purgatory on earth (St Theresa advises distracting self with pious occupations)
4. Tortures of love


4 Degrees of Mystical Union
1. State of Quiet
    a. silent quietude
    b. praying quietude
    c. active quietude
2. Full Union
    a. absence of distractions
    b. personal efforts reduced to almost nothing
    c. certitude of God's presence
3. Ecstatic Union
    a. after prayer, the body needs a little time to regain suppleness
    b.heroic promises and resolutions
    c. detachment
    d. knowledge of God, oneself, and earthly things
    e. desire of death
    f. torments of love
    g. excess joy
4. Transforming Union


Obstacles in Perfection
1. Intellect
    a. supernatural ignorance
    b. want of reflection, levity, routine, inadvertance to truth
    c. self ignorance
2. Will
    a. Our affections
    b. sluggishness, weakness, inconstancy, cowardice


Fourfold Purity
1. Conscience (hate venial sin)
2. Heart (sever all affections that do not have God as their beginning or end)
3. Intellect (strictly regulate imagination, memory, and thoughts
4. Will (only desire will of God)


5 Guardians of Purity
1. Love of God
2. Your Victim 
3-4. Heaven and Hell
5. The Passion


Meditation
1. Preparation
    a. Presence of God
        1. Acts of Adoration
        2. Sincere contrition
        3. Beg for Grace
2. Body
    a. Considerations (reflect on a subject)
    b. Affections
    c. Petitions
    d. Resolutions
3. Conclusion
    a. Thank God
    b. Beg for pardon
    c. Offer ourselves to him and beg for help and grace
    d. spiritual nosegay


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