Four priests on prayer for the busy exec

“Lord, teach us to pray….” (Luke 11:1)

St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th-century Spanish nun and Doctor of the Church, described mental prayer—as distinct from vocal prayer, set prayers spoken by the lips—as “nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart-toheart conversation with Him by whom we know ourselves to be loved.” She added, “I am certain of it that Our Lord will eventually bring to the harbor of salvation, he who gives himself to prayer.”

Popes and saints throughout the centuries have stressed the importance of daily mental prayer; Pope Pius XII, for example, observed, “No other means has the unique efficacy of meditation, and that as a consequence its daily practice can in no way be substituted for.”

The following are suggestions from four priests experienced in spiritual direction appropriate for the busy business professional seeking to improve his interior life.

Spiritual direction, time, reading

Father Ed Broom, associate pastor at St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and an Oblate of the Virgin Mary, recommended that those desiring growth in their prayer lives should first seek out an experienced spiritual director. Next, a set time for daily prayer should be selected in a place which is quiet and suitable for recollection. He advised a “giving God your first fruits” philosophy, devoting one’s first hour in the morning to prayer and meditation.

Selection of material “which will fill the mind with ideas on how to pray” is next, including the Bible, the liturgy, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and spiritual classics such as the life of St. Teresa of Avila (La Vida), St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life or My Imitation of Christ. Once a program of prayer has begun, perseverance is essential. Father noted, “St. Teresa of Avila calls this ‘a determined determination’ not to give up prayer.”

Father Broom also stressed the importance of keeping the soul pure through the frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance. The Ignatian spirituality he follows, in fact, recommends a daily examination of conscience, thanking God for the good He has inspired us to do and apologizing for failings.

When God speaks to us, Father continued, He uses channels of which we may not be aware. These include Scripture, inspiration (an interior invitation to do good, perhaps through the agency of an angel), conscience, and, as the Catechism notes, through persons, places, or things around us (e.g., successes or failures, trials and tribulations, sickness, etc.).

He cautioned beginners not to confuse success in prayer with feelings. Dryness in prayer can be due to tepidity, but it can also be a reminder “to seek the God of consolations and not the consolations of God.” A better measure of success is one’s improvement in the practice of virtue and growth in holiness.

In his own prayer life, Fr. Broom has found that devotion to the Blessed Mother has been tremendously helpful. He has also discovered that as our prayer lives improve, the fervor with which we receive the sacraments increases, too.

Relationship and receptivity

Jesuit Father Gordon Moreland stressed two points when speaking of the spiritual life: relationship, and receptivity. While a basic technique or methodology can be helpful to beginners in the spiritual life, he encourages the individual to move beyond these techniques to seek a relationship with a Person, the real, living God. God speaks to and leads such a soul. But to perceive this prompting of the Holy Spirit, a person must develop prayerful, reflective habits. Much of the progress in the spiritual life, Fr. Moreland opined, comes in cultivating receptivity to this Person who reveals Himself to us.

The properly disposed soul “listens” to God by reading Sacred Scripture, listening to sacred music, experiencing the beauty of nature and in relationships with others (a particularly rich source of experiencing God, the priest noted, is when we ask “how does the image and likeness of God shine through in this person?”).

Detachment, humility, and reflection

Norbertine Father Thomas Nelson of St. Michael’s Abbey recommended: 1) detachment from worldly goods, which fasting and other penances can help us attain, 2) humility, which he described as “detachment from self,” and the recognizing of our own emptiness and spiritual poverty apart from God, and 3) fraternal charity (“how can we love God and not our neighbor?”), which is demonstrated by such practices as patience and kindness with others or assistance to the poor.

Father advised one begin the process of mental prayer by spiritual reading, followed by reflection, and then leaving the reading material for direct communication with God. Two books he recommended are Conversation with Christ by Peter Thomas Rohrbach and Opening to God by Thomas Green. He also suggested that Catholics study the basics of their faith so they can know more about God Whom they are addressing.

Catechism direction – and knowing obstacles

Monsignor Stephen Doktorczyk, Vicar General of the Diocese of Orange, California, especially recommended Catholics “slowly and deliberately” read the Catechism’s instruction on prayer, beginning with paragraph 2559. This way Catholics “through study and practice, may become more and more familiar and comfortable raising their minds and hearts to God.”

The greatest obstacle to mental prayer, particularly for the busy individual, Fr. Thomas concluded, is keeping up the commitment to pray daily. He commented, “There are two difficulties in mental prayer and one disaster. The difficulties are distractions and aridity. The disaster is infidelity.”

JIM GRAVES is a Legatus magazine contributing writer.