A Short Method Of Prayer Part 2
CHAPTER VII.
ON MYSTERIES--G.o.d GIVES THEM HERE IN REALITY.
It will be objected that, by this way, mysteries will not be made known.
It is just the contrary; they are given to the soul in reality. Jesus Christ, to whom it is abandoned, and whom it follows as the _Way_, whom it hears as the _Truth_, and who animates it as the _Life_, impressing Himself upon it, imparts to it His own condition.
To bear the conditions of Christ is something far greater than merely to consider those conditions. Paul bore the conditions of Christ on his body. "I bear in my body," he says, "the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal.
vi. 17). But he does not say that he reasoned about them.
Often Christ gives in this state of abandonment views of His conditions in a striking manner. We must receive equally all the dispositions in which He may be pleased to place us, choosing for ourselves to abide near to Him, and to be annihilated before Him, but receiving equally all that He gives us, light or darkness, facility or barrenness, strength or weakness, sweetness or bitterness, temptations or distractions, sorrow, care, uncertainty; none of these things ought to move us.
There are some persons to whom G.o.d is continually revealing His mysteries: let them be faithful to them. But when G.o.d sees fit to remove them, let them suffer them to be taken.
Others are troubled because no mysteries are made known to them: this is needless, since a loving attention to G.o.d includes all particular devotion, and that which is united to G.o.d alone, by its rest in Him, is instructed in a most excellent manner in all mysteries. He who loves G.o.d loves all that is of Him.
CHAPTER VIII.
ON VIRTUE--ALL VIRTUES GIVEN WITH G.o.d IN THIS DEGREE OF THE PRAYER OF THE HEART.
This is the short and the sure way of acquiring virtue; because, G.o.d being the principle of all virtue, we possess all virtue in possessing G.o.d.
More than this, I say that all virtue which is not given inwardly is a mask of virtue, and like a garment that can be taken off, and will wear out. But virtue communicated fundamentally is essential, true, and permanent. "The King's daughter is all glorious within" (Ps. xlv. 13).
And there are none who practise virtue more constantly than those who acquire it in this way, though virtue is not a distinct subject of their thought.
How hungry these loving ones are after suffering! They think only of what can please their Beloved, and they begin to neglect themselves, and to think less of themselves. The more they love G.o.d, the more they hate themselves.
Oh, if all could learn this method, so easy that it is suited for all, for the most ignorant as for the most learned, how easily the whole Church would be reformed! You only need to love. St Augustine says, "Love, and do as you please;" for when we love perfectly, we shall not desire to do anything that could be displeasing to our Beloved.
CHAPTER IX.
OF PERFECT CONVERSION, WHICH IS AN EFFECT OF THIS METHOD OF PRAYER--TWO OF ITS AIDS, THE ATTRACTION OF G.o.d, AND THE CENTRAL INCLINATION OF THE SOUL.
"Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted"
(Isa. x.x.xi. 6). Conversion is nothing else but a turning from the creature to G.o.d. Conversion is not perfect, though it is necessary for salvation, when it is merely a turning from sin to grace. To be complete, it must be a turning from without to within.
The soul, being turned in the direction of G.o.d, has a great facility for remaining converted to Him. The longer it is converted, the nearer it approaches to G.o.d, and attaches itself to Him; and the nearer it approaches to G.o.d, the more it becomes necessarily drawn from the creature, which is opposed to G.o.d.
But this cannot be done by a violent effort of the creature; all that it can do is to remain turned in the direction of G.o.d in a perpetual adherence.
G.o.d has an _attracting virtue_, which draws the soul more strongly towards Himself; and in attracting it, He purifies it: as we see the sun attracting a dense vapour, and gradually, without any other effort on the part of the vapour than that of letting itself be drawn, the sun, by bringing it near to himself, refines and purifies it.
There is, however, this difference, that the vapour is not drawn freely, and does not follow willingly, as is the case with the soul.
This manner of turning within is very simple, and makes the soul advance naturally and without effort; because G.o.d is its centre. The centre has always a strong attractive power; and the larger the centre, the stronger is its attractive force.
Besides this attraction of the centre, there is given to all natural objects a strong tendency to become united with their centre. As soon as anything is turned in the direction of its centre, unless it be stopped by some invincible obstacle, it rushes towards it with extreme velocity. A stone in the air is no sooner let loose, and turned towards the earth, than it tends to it by its own weight as its centre. It is the same with fire and water, which, being no longer arrested, run incessantly towards their centre.
Now I say that the soul, by the effort it has made in inward recollection, being turned towards its centre, without any other effort, but simply by the weight of love, falls towards its centre; and the more it remains quiet and at rest, making no movement of its own, the more rapidly it will advance, because it thus allows that attractive virtue to draw it.
All the care, then, that we need have is to promote this inward recollection as much as possible, not being astonished at the difficulty we may find in this exercise, which will soon be recompensed with a wonderful co-operation on the part of G.o.d, which will render it very easy. When the pa.s.sions rise, a look towards G.o.d, who is present within us, easily deadens them. Any other resistance would irritate rather than appease them.
CHAPTER X.
HIGHER DEGREE OF PRAYER, WHICH IS THAT OF THE SIMPLE PRESENCE OF G.o.d, OR ACTIVE CONTEMPLATION.
The soul, faithfully exercising itself in the affection and love of its G.o.d, is astonished to find Him taking complete possession of it.
His presence becomes so natural, that it would be impossible not to have it: it becomes habitual to the soul, which is also conscious of a great calm spreading over it. Its prayer is all silence, and G.o.d imparts to it an intrinsic love, which is the commencement of ineffable happiness.
Oh, if I could describe the infinite degrees which follow! But I must stop here, since I am writing for beginners, and wait till G.o.d shall bring to light what may be useful to those more advanced.[1] I can only say, that, at this point, it is most important that all natural operation should cease, that G.o.d may act alone: "Be still, and know that I am G.o.d," is His own word by David (Ps. xlvi. 10).
1. This subject is pursued in the treatise ent.i.tled "Spiritual Torrents."
But man is so attached to his own works, that he cannot believe G.o.d is working, unless he can feel, know, and distinguish His operation. He does not see that it is the speed of his course which prevents his seeing the extent of his advancement; and that the operation of G.o.d becoming more abundant, absorbs that of the creature, as we see that the sun, in proportion as he rises, absorbs the light of the stars, which were easily distinguishable before he appeared. It is not the want of light, but an excess of light, which prevents our distinguishing the stars.
It is the same here; man can no longer distinguish his own operation, because the strong light absorbs all his little distinct lights, and makes them fade away entirely, because G.o.d's excess surpa.s.ses them all.
So that those who accuse this degree of prayer of being a state of _idleness_, are greatly deceived; and only speak thus from want of experience. Oh, if they would only prove it! in how short a time they would become experimentally acquainted with this matter!
I say, then, that this failure of work does not spring from scarcity, but from abundance.
Two cla.s.ses of persons are silent: the one because they have nothing to say, the other because they have too much. It is thus in this degree. We are silent from excess, not from want.
Water causes death to two persons in very different ways. One dies of thirst, another is drowned: the one dies from want, the other from abundance. So here it is abundance which causes the cessation of natural operation. It is therefore important in this degree to remain as much as possible in stillness.
At the commencement of this prayer, a movement of affection is necessary; but when grace begins to flow into us, we have nothing to do but to remain at rest, and take all that G.o.d gives. Any other movement would prevent our profiting by this grace, which is given in order to draw us into the _rest of love_.
The soul in this peaceful att.i.tude of prayer falls into a mystic sleep, in which all its natural powers are silenced, until that which had been temporary becomes its permanent condition. You see that the soul is thus led, without effort, without study, without artifice.
The heart is not a fortified place, which must be taken by cannonading and violence: it is a kingdom of peace, which is possessed by love.
Gently following in His train, you will soon reach the degree of _intuitive_ prayer. G.o.d asks nothing extraordinary and difficult: on the contrary, He is most pleased with childlike simplicity.
The grandest part of religion is the most simple. It is the same with natural things. Do you wish to get to the sea? Embark upon a river, and insensibly and without effort you will be taken to it. Do you wish to get to G.o.d? Take His way, so quiet, so easy, and in a little while you will be taken to Him in a manner that will surprise you. Oh, if only you would try it! How soon you would see that I am telling you only too little, and that the experience would far surpa.s.s any description that could be given! What do you fear? Why do you not throw yourself at once into the arms of Love, who only stretched them out upon the cross in order to take you in? What risk can there be in trusting G.o.d, and abandoning yourself to Him? Oh, He will not deceive you, unless it be by giving you far more than you ever expected: while those who expect everything from themselves may well take to themselves the reproach which G.o.d utters by the mouth of Isaiah: "Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope" (Isa. lvii.
10).