Seeking A Deeper Prayer Life
Miriam Hogan, O.C.D.
It seemed like such an innocent book! It was old and rather worn when I checked it out of the library. My thought at the time was to limit my Carmelite reading to one of the six or seven books I would be reading from daily. However, no more Teresa, John or Therese..they all seemed too attractive and entering Carmel was far from what I had planned to do with my life. After all, I had a Masters in Philosophy and a B.S. in Biology, and there were many avenues open to pursue for an exciting and active career. Life was good! Yet, that still small voice within needed to be satisfied. So one simple book of meditations that could help me learn to pray better and to meditate seemed innocuous enough. That was 30 years ago and it still speaks to my heart and my soul. In fact, as one director observed, Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen's book Divine Intimacy1 contains the doctrine and teaching of all the Carmelite Saints.
In this article, I would like to briefly mention four of the subjects that reoccur in the work of Fr. Gabriel that seem to especially characterize our Carmelite spirituality.
Contemplative Prayer
St. Teresa noted that, "mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently go and be alone with Him who we know loves us." (Life, 8) St. John of the Cross also noted that there comes a time when personal prayer becomes arid and the intellect no longer helps us. This is usually an invitation from God to begin to grow in another form of prayer that goes beyond our feelings. One can no longer even meditate. Little by little, this time draws us to a deeper silence and solitude, and one grows in awareness of the presence of God within. Fr. Gabriel describes this as " the mystery of the indwelling of the Trinity in our souls, an indwelling which implies a very special presence of God within us." (p. 663) One quote that especially caught my eye concerning the presence of God was: "God does not give Himself wholly to us until He sees that we are giving ourselves wholly to Him". (Teresa of Jesus Way, 28)
Devotion To Mary
Fr. Gabriel encourages the reader to take Mary as a guide and a mother, asking her help in directing their prayer and interior life toward the "one thing necessary" (p. 507) which is to adhere to God alone. The language used in discussing Mary is both direct and personal. For example, in the mediation on the Immaculate Conception, he wrote, "Yes, you are Queen of heaven and earth; but because you are more Mother than Queen, you encourage me to have recourse to you, saying, 'O my child, hear me; blessed are they who keep my ways...'" (p. 28)Love of Christ
The reader is encouraged to speak to Jesus directly, "O Jesus, teach me not only to live with You, but how to live in You, to abide in You." (p.651) With Jesus we are led into the mystery of union with the indwelling Trinity. His presence within us is nourished by Mass and the Eucharist. Receiving the Eucharist may be considered "the continuation and extension of the Incarnation." (p. 614) Receiving it "we not only receive Christ's action in our soul but we actually possess His Person, really and physically present." (p. 614) The soul knows that in the end it is not that we have loved God but that God has loved us so much that we are able to "suffer, pray and work with You and in You" (p. 31) . Here, words seem inadequate to explain such mystery and the image of fire is presented. "O eternal Trinity! O fire and abyss of charity!" (p. 615)
Seeking God in All things
"O Lord, how I want to learn to see You and recognize You in every creature!" (p. 60) To a young person intent on entering medicine, it became obvious that by becoming a doctor one could work on one patient or a limited number of patients. However, by uniting in prayer with Christ one could enter into the sufferings of many and make a difference in the lives of many...by taking into one's heart the care and concerns of the heart of God. For the one that is on fire with the love of God claims all that belongs to God, interior and exterior. St. John of the Cross's poem declares "Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine, and mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine; and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me." (Sayings of Light and Love, 26 & 27)
Life Changing
Finally, these are just four of the subjects that especially spoke to my heart and called me to embrace the interior life lived in Carmel. Some may read Divine Intimacy and also embrace an active vocation but Fr. Gabriel still seems to offer one of the best resources available for anyone interested in a deeper prayer life.2 For myself it pointed to a life of new adventure and joy that continues to far surpass what could have been my other choices. What a wonderful influence! Now, we pray also for others that are also seeking to respond to a call to a deeper life of prayer. May they grow in awareness of God's love for them, and claim in their own lives and hearts the peace and joy that only intimacy with God can give .
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1 It is a book of Meditations for every day of the year arranged according to a Teresian or Carmelite method of mental prayer (presence of God, reading, reflection, colloquy).
2 There is a lot of talk and discussion about prayer in the media. Favorite buzz words are contemplation, mystical, prayer healing, prayer groups etc.. The vocabulary and stages are often confusing especially for beginners. In 1943, Fr. Gabriel wrote a pamphlet entitled "Little Catechism of Prayer" which can be found on the Internet. It was translated from French by the Carmelite Nuns in Concord New Hampshire in 1949 and from the original by the Carmelite Nuns in Seattle in 1943, 1982. It specifically explains the Carmelite method of prayer but is also useful to anyone who wishes to grow in the interior life. https://sites.google.com/a/hidley.com/prayer/
* All references are from Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen O.C.D. translated from the seventh Italian edition by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Boston, printed and bound in Belgium by Desclee &Cie, Tournai in 1964
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