Introduction to Real Prayer
Lesson 5
Moving into Meditative Prayer
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Lesson Five
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- What is the simple definition of meditation?
Answer: Meditation is attentive reflection on God helped by some kind of physical input. It’s a quiet, interior conversation between us and God using a physical tool like a book, art, or even nature. It’s a quiet movement of our heart and mind in communion with God.
- Why are we not trying to empty our minds in Catholic meditative prayer?
Answer: Because we’re trying to fill our minds up with God. As Jesus says in Luke 10:27, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” Our goal is to enter into conversation with God, to enter into relationship with a Person. So instead of trying to empty our minds like in some non-Catholic forms of meditation, we’re trying to fill our minds up with God.
- Why do we use physical things to help us talk to God?
Answer: As human beings with five God-given senses, we relate to God through the physical universe because that’s the way he made us. As we said previously, we aren’t pure spirits. We are a union of body and soul. So we use physical objects to help point us to spiritual realities. The Catholic faith is very tactile and recognizes our humanity. That’s why we have smells, bells, and beautiful churches with high ceilings that raise our hearts to God. That’s why we use beads, books, beauty and other physical stimuli. Used correctly, they work to point us toward God.Â
- How do you set the exterior stage for meditative prayer?
Answer: Find a good time and a quiet place. Remember, we are a union of body and soul, so we need to set ourselves up for success. We have to silence the exterior noise which is always threatening to drown out our interior lives. The saints say that the best time of day for meditation is early in the morning because you haven’t started filling your mind with other things and there’s less to distract you.
If possible, it’s also a good idea to go to the same prayer spot on a daily basis. Since we’re a union of body and soul, your body gets used to a particular place and this familiarity helps your spirit to move more quickly into prayer. Posture makes a difference, as well. Make sure to sit comfortably upright in a position that’s not going to lead your mind to wander.
- What are some practical ways to calm yourself down interiorly for meditation?Â
Answer: Simply repeating the name of Jesus over and over is an effective way to calm down and focus. Another effective practice is to say a slow Our Father or Hail Mary. Also, ask the Holy Spirit to help you recollect so that you can enter more deeply into prayer.
Calming yourself down and recollecting may take a good deal of time. That’s okay. Just stick with it. The important thing is that you are making an act of the will— you’re making the effort to show up and be with God—and he loves that!
- What are the steps to meditation?
Answer:
1. Find a good time and quiet place. (Silence is key.)
2. Recollection. In other words, quieting ourselves down interiorly.
3. Meditate on whatever input you’re using. For example, if you’re using the Bible as your physical tool as we’ve been doing in this series, choose a passage to read—slowly. If something catches your attention, pause your reading and ask the Lord about it. “What does this mean, Lord? What are you trying to show me?” Let him speak to you in your heart. Ponder on it. When the moment is over or you get distracted, go back to your reading.
4. Resolve to act on what the Lord shows you. Pray for the grace you need and make an act of the will to follow through.
