prompts it, and for this reason several different methods have been mentioned here. With- out doubt, that is a fortunate soul which God fills to the very depths with the exquisite sweetness of His presence—an unusual spir- itual consolation. Such a favor is not always granted, however, and then it is better to seek God elsewhere.
And lastly, the fourth method of placing oneself in the presence of God is to regard Him as present in the sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. This method naturally suggests itself when the meditation is on the life and death of Our Lord, but especially when in presence of the most Blessed Sacrament.
PRINCIPAL ACTS OF PRAYER
CHAPTER III
SECOND PRELIMINARY ACT: ADORATION
ADORATION is an act of the virtue of religion by which we confess God's infinite perfection and consequently our absolute dependance. This virtue of religion is con- nected with the cardinal virtue of justice, and so we pay to God this supreme honor of adoration because it is just to do so.
The necessity for making an act of adora- tion at the very beginning of prayer is evident. The first act of a subject when admitted to the audience of an earthly king should be a profound inclination. For a much stronger reason ought we, when admitted to the presence of God, King of Heaven, and Lord of all things, to pay Him the respect and supreme honor which are His due. The homage of which God alone is worthy is called adoration.
Let us not seek to excuse ourselves from rendering this homage by saying that prayer is a familiar intercourse between God and the soul, like that of father with son, for neither
PRACTICE OF MENTAL PRAYER
familiarity nor tender and affectionate inter- course dispenses a son from respecting the author of his being.
God exacts this homage from us when He tells us: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore and Him only shalt thou serve."1 And again: The son honoreth his father; if then I be a father, where is my honor?" 2
There is certainly a difference between adoring God and humbling ourselves before Him, the reason which bends us before His all powerful Majesty not being the same in both cases. In adoring God we confess our absolute dependence as the result of His infinite perfections, whilst in humbling ourselves before Him we make confession of our lowliness.
In prayer, however, there is practically no difference between adoration and self- humiliation, since in neither case do we separate the idea of God*s infinite Majesty from that of our extreme lowliness, but we attribute our absolute dependence to these two causes combined. Again, those Saints who have treated of prayer in their writings, when they speak of the necessity of adora-
1 Matth. 4: 10. 2 Mal. 1: 6.
PRINCIPAL ACTS OF PRAYER
tion or self-humiliation at the beginning of the exercise, use the terms indifferently.
The soul may make its own choice as to the manner of adoration or self-humiliation: the act is essential, the method immaterial.
St. Ignatius advises us to humble our- selves by prostrating ourselves before God.1 copying our Lord's example when He commenced His prayer in the Garden by throwing Himself fiat on the ground: And going a little further, he fell on His face praying.''2 Other Saints thought the recita- tion of the Confiteor preferable; others again that of the "Miserere. "'
In short, whatever method is used, we should fill our souls with the same thought as Abraham, the privileged friend of God: I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes;"3 or, better still, imitate the humility of Our Lady, the most Blessed Virgin Mary, when she said: My soul doth magnify the Lord . . . because He hath regarded the humility of his hand- maid." 4
1 Spiritual Exercises, Addit. 3. 2 Matth. 26: 39.
2 Gen. 18: 27. 4 Luke 1: 46, 48.
PRACTICE OF MENTAL PRAYER
CHAPTER IV
THIRD PRELIMINARY ACT: PETITION TO THE HOLY GHOST FOR GRACE
PRAYER is a supernatural work, essen- tially requiring the grace of the Holy Ghost. To obtain this, prayer is necessary.
The ignorant and uneducated may watch an earthly king from a distance, but a private audience is never granted to them; their mean condition prevents such a favor. For the same but yet stronger reason, we must be worthy of being admitted to the friendly audience granted by the King of Heaven. Since nature here has no power, it is most imperative that we beg for help from the Holy Ghost.
Prayer, again, may be considered as the souls's flight towards God. As the prophet says: "Who will give me wings like a dove and I will fly and be at rest?"1 The Holy Ghost has the power of giving us these heavenly wings, but we must make petition for them,
1 Ps. 54:7.
PRINCIPAL ACTS OF PRAYER
Prayer is likewise a hymn praising God's glory: I will sing to the Name of the Lord, the most High!1 O God I will sing to Thee with the harp, Thou holy One of Israel!"2 And again: "To Thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle; on the psaltery and an instru- ment of ten strings I will sing praises to Thee!"3
In this sacred canticle, the soul is the living instrument, the Holy Ghost the Divine Artist Who touches it. When He is not present, the harp remains silent, but when He enters our heart to touch its strings our soul resounds with melody and becomes so pleasing to God that He never tires of listen- ing to it and saying to it: Arise, my love, my beautiful one, . . . let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet."4 We must implore this Divine Spirit to come to our assistance.
In short, God never refuses His grace to a just soul in its efforts to pray, but He only gives it in abundance to those who, like the Apostles in the Cenacle, ask for it in
1 Ps. 7: 18. 2 Ps. 70: 22.
3 Ps. 143: 9. 4 Cant. 2: 13, 14.
PRACTICE OF MENTAL PRAYER
prayer, supplication and tears. The peti- tion must be fervent.
Let us examine how, in practice, this request may be suitably made.
St. Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises coun- sels the following prayer: I will ask Christ our Lord that all my intentions, actions and operations may be directed purely to the service and praise of His Divine Majesty."1 St. Francis Xavier had a special affection for the "Veni, Creator Spiritus." Other Saints preferred the Veni, Sancte Spiritus." Here again, the prayer is essential, but a set form of words is not; each is free to choose for himself.
After praying to the Holy Ghost, it is a useful practice to invoke the Holy Angels, to whom divine Wisdom has entrusted the office of assisting us in prayer. "When thou didst pray with tears, I offered thy prayer to the Lord,"2 the angel Raphael said to Tobias. And with the same mean- ing David
