Meditation & Mental Prayer: Catholics Talking To God.
Meditation & Mental Prayer: Catholics Talking To God.
With Jesus in the Desert
With Jesus in the Desert. .
In today's episode we will consider three things:
Firstly our meditation will take us into the desert with Jesus.
Secondly we will remind ourselves of St Teresa of Avila description of the crystal palace of the soul and how it presents both when in grace and when in sin.
And finally I will tell you a story about my friend’s experience in confession with a priest who could read souls. It was a simple but daunting encounter and should bring us to our senses about the depth we must go to confess all our sins.
1. Meditation
We have all seen rugged desert pictures if we have never actually been in a desert.
So close your eyes and walk into a desert in your mind. As far as the eye can see there is no human person.
You are looking for Jesus. But there seems to be no one around.
Ask God the Father,
“Where is Jesus?” Let this be your way of coming into the presence of God.
Make yourself aware of the invisible God directly in the sky in front of you.
You realise His presence is all about you.
You become completely enveloped in His grace. Turn you attention to the centre of you where God resides with you always.
Now you see Jesus approaching. As He comes near you, genuflect deeply then go down on both knees bowing your forehead to the ground in adoration..
Jesus takes your hand and you stand up but cannot raise your eyes to look at Him.
In your heart you hear His assurance, that this time in the desert, is His answer to your desire to know Him better.
So it is because of His invitation you are here in this meditation with Him. He wants you to look at Him and see His love for you.
Jesus lets you know He wants you to walk along beside Him; for He had things to say to you.
“We watched you valiantly struggle through the outer door of your castle. You began to focus on your prayers.
But you didn’t realise that the enemy’s long talons reached after you offering you sparkling trinkets to take you away from prayer.
You left the rooms of your castle and went outside again ….. you assured yourself that it was only for a moment. But he wouldn’t let you go.”
You ask: “ What will I do Lord. How will I stay inside the rooms of my castle?”
“You don’t need to do anything except desire to do My holy Will.
However this desire must be all encompassing. I will do the rest.
When you fall do not let the deceiver fill you with disillusionment and entice you back outside the castle walls. Return to Me, stay with Me. Leave the world behind by breaking the chains of your attachment to it.
Come every day to this desert we will discuss your journey to the centre of your soul.
I will make you aware of your failings.
I will show you the virtues you need to acquire.
I will point out to you the difference between the snares the enemy set for you and the human condition that is natural in all people.
I will call you with a spiritual voice so you must be very quiet so that you will hear me. you must learn to quiet the infernal tossing to and fro of your thoughts.
So be attentive, ask my mother for the grace to hear my voice. When on earth she loved the sound of my voice.
If My Mother heard my voice afar off as i spoke to peter and the others her heart would race for joy.
At the foot of the cross when I spoke she thought she could not live another moment her anguish was so great.
So ask her, she will give you this grace to hear my voice.
Go now and carry my presence with you to those around you. we will talk again” ..
Give yourself a little time now to savour what has been happening. You take as long as you want.
This is all you need to do for the meditation. However it is usual to continue with heartfelt thanks for this time with Jesus and for all the graces He gives you through the holy hands of His Blessed Mother.
Of course Your private intimate meditation and mental prayer may not take this form at all. But do focus on joining Jesus in the desert.
2 Let us look again at ST Teresa’s
description of the vision God gave her of the human soul. It is documented that she received this vision on June 1 1577
she describes it as are most beautiful crystal globe being in the shape of a castle and containing seven mansions or Dwelling places.
In the seventh and innermost state-room reigns the king of glory in the greatest splendour His light illuminating and beautifying all throughout this crystal castle.
She tells her nuns that what she saw was that the nearer one got to the centre the stronger was the light however outside the walls of the castle everything was filthy, dark and infested with toads and vipers and other venomous creatures.
St Teresa describes how she looked in amazement at this beautiful globe and saw the overpowering Majesty of God within its centre. She was amazed at the beauty which by God's grace had on the human soul.
Every one of us? We all had this illuminated soul at our baptism. Just think about that.
Teresa continues
“Suddenly the lights went out and plunged the globe into darkness. Still the presence of God the king of glory did not leave the mansions at the centre of the crystal globe.
As the darkness became as black as coal it emitted an insufferable odour, and the venomous creatures outside the palace boundaries were permitted to enter the castle”
A pretty horrible state of affairs and one we must work hard to prevent.
Lent in particular, is a time to focus on getting any of these creatures, out of the castle of our soul.
Story:
One day my friend Sarah, who is a very holy woman came to me with the news that a priest (who could read souls) had arrived in the city. She wanted to go to confession to him and invited me to accompany her.
Priest or no priest I was terrified at the thought of anyone reading my soul. I think I simply stared at her and said nothing. To cut a long story short she took her sister. Anna with her.
Anyway A few days later Sarah told me the story of her confession with the “reader of souls” priest..
She went into confession to him, and because she normally went once a month she finished quickly and stopped awaiting her absolution.
The priest said, “What about the time you stole something shouldn’t you confess that now?”
Sarah was shocked she said, “But father, I have never stolen anything in my life.” The priest assured her that she had. But she still had no recollection of having committed a theft.
Afterwards as she joined her sister outside the church Anna asked, “Well Sarah how did you get on.
“Och Anna” Sarah said, “Sure he was hopeless. What makes people think he can read souls, He told me I had stollen something. Did you ever hear the like of it. Me! Steal something. I would die first. You know yourself Anna, I’ve never stollen anything in my life.”
Anna stopped in her tracks.
“Oh but my dear sister you did steal something. Remember Mam told you to return it but you didn’t really return it properly did you!”
Then Sarah remembered.
So here is the story she shared with me of the grand theft:
In the mornings going to school, their father would take them on his tractor.
Their father was always too busy in the afternoons to return for them but they were happy enough to walk the mile home.
On their way home they were a noisy happy bunch as Sarah and Anne and two of their brothers travelled the road with four or five neighbour’s children.
On their way they normally passed a large house surrounded by a rough stone wall and high gates that were always tightly closed.
However on one particular day Sarah noticed that the gates were open. Looking into the garden she was mesmerised by the wealth of beautiful flowers.
She stopped to admire them. As her eyes scanned the banks of colour she noticed that there were a few potted plants near the gate.
Catching up with the others Sarah told them about the beautiful flowers in the garden. Her brother Gerry told her, “Mrs Mac’s garden. That woman is dying you know. Mam went over there last night and took her a small meal.”
Anna said, “That’s the sick women we prayed for last night at the Rosary. Remember Sarah.”
“She’s dying then, Sarah said softly to herself”. ”
The following afternoon as they passed the lovely garden Sarah lagged behind the others and when alone on the road she slipped inside the gates and lifted a little potted plant just inside the wall. She scurried out and seeing the others had rounded the corner and were out of sight she took time to admire the little plant.
“Sarah!” Anna was coming back for her. Then Anna saw the plant. “Where did you get that Sarah?”
“From Mrs Mac’s garden".
“You cant take that, its not yours”.
“But Gerry said that Mrs Mac is dying.”.
“What has that to do with the plant!”
“She’s dying Anna, she doesn’t need it.”
Anna stood stock still and stared at her younger sister.
They didn’t speak all the way home. Sarah was walking into the kitchen clutching her ill gotten goods when her mother espied the plant.
“Sarah. who owns the plant?” she asked.
“it’s mine Mam, isn’t it lovely”. Anna was passing the doorway and poked her head in.
“Ask her where she got it Mam.”
Mam gave Sarah a quizzical look
“In Mrs mac’s garden. Mam She has tons of them Mam. and anyway Gerry said she is dying.”
For a moment their mother was speechless. Then she commanded,
“That’s stealing girl get it back tomorrow morning.”
The following morning her mother called out to Sarah,
“Put the plant in your school satchel Sarah and put it back in Mrs. Mac’s garden!”
But now each day they walked home the gates were closed. Suffice to say the plant did not leave the school satchel and more and more soil fell out destroying books and even Sarah’s lunch.
Sarah had had enough of the plant and one morning as the tractor passed MrsMac’s garden wall, Sarah climbed up onto the mud guard of the tractor. Reaching into her school bag she made a grab at the pot and a handful of soil and tossed it over the wall into Mrs Mac’s garden.
Relieved, of what now had become a burden, Sarah quickly forgot the incident.
It would be over 30 years before this priest would penetrate the depths of her soul and reveal this childish sin that had so disappointed God.