PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

AND TRADITION OF ST. ALPHONSUS

Pater Michael Brehl C.Ss.R.

CONTENTS

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT AND TRADITION OF ST. ALPHONSUS

Preface 1

Chapter

1. Introductory Reflections on Prayer 3

2. The Prayer of Petition 11

3. The Incarnation: God Among Us 23

4. Mental Prayer: Pondering and Presence 37

5. The Passion and Paschal Mystery 49

6. Ongoing Reflection on Mental Prayer and Devotional Practices 67

7. Eucharist and Reconciliation 83

8. Mary and Our Life of Discipleship 93

Sources Cited

Preface
As the author explains, the present book on Praying in the Spirit and Tradition of St. Alphonsus Liguori
took shape as a retreat preached to the Redemptorists of North America. The retreat was preached in 4
different locations during the years 2006-2007, in Toronto, ON, in Quebec City, in Canada and in Picture
Rocks, AZ, and in West End, NJ in the States. Fr. Michael Brehl, currently Provincial superior of the
Edmonton- Toronto Province, was asked to preach the retreat by the North American Redemptorist
Spirituality Commission. We judged it worthwhile to make the content of the retreat available to
Redemptorists beyond North America and to a wider public.

Today, Alphonsus is best known for his moral theology. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pius
IX in 1872 acknowledging especially his contribution to the Church in Moral Theology. Indeed, Pius XII
proclaimed him as "the heavenly patron of moral theologians and confessors". However, Alphonsus, the
missionary preacher and the spiritual writer may also be called the “Doctor of common prayer”, the prayer
of everyday life and the prayer of everyday people. Albino Cardinal Luciani (later Pope John Paul I) wrote
of Alphonsus in a letter to his priests of the diocese of Venice in 1972:

1
“St. Alphonsus is the apostle of prayer. He claims that prayer is as necessary to the life of the soul as
breathing is to the life of the body. Someone has referred to a certain bi-polarity in the life of Alphonsus:
love and prayer ... prayer to draw God within our hearts, love that we might give ourselves to Him”. 1

Among St. Alphonsus' works which deal exclusively with prayer are: A Way of Conversing Continually with
God as a Friend and Prayer the Great Means of Salvation. But it is a subject to which he returns in all of his
spiritual writings. In Chapter 9 of his Praxis Confessarii he describes the various forms, stages and states of
prayer to help confessors guide people in their prayer life. And in all his works he constantly moves in and
out of prayer when dealing with the subject at hand. He never tires of praying with his reader. In his book on
The Holy Eucharist he writes:

“I would urge it on all preachers to recommend nothing so much to their audiences as prayer; on confessors,
to insist on nothing so earnestly as prayer; on spiritual writers, to treat of no subject more copiously than
prayer. There is no doubt that sermons, meditations, communions, mortifications are great helps in the
spiritual life; but if we fail to call upon God by prayer in the moment of temptation, we shall fall in spite of
all the sermons, meditations, communions, penances and virtuous resolutions”.2

We are grateful to Fr. Brehl for presenting to us in an inspiring manner this central aspect of the spiritual
legacy which is Alphonsus' gift to us. May it lead us to share Alphonsus' prayer-filled response to the loving
God revealed in Jesus.

Raymond Corriveau C.Ss.R.

1
St. Alphonsus and Today's Priest. English translation by William Nayden. Private printing.
2
The Holy Eucharist. Trans. E. Grimm C.Ss.R., 1934.,p. 457.

2
Chapter 1: Praying in the Spirit and Tradition of St. Alphonsus Liguori3
St. Paul writes:

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ ... The Spirit helps
us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs
too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the
Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good
for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose". (Rom 8: 14- I5.26-28)

Introduction

The chapters of this book originally were composed as retreat talks given in the course of four retreats to
the Redemptorists of the North American region. Though they have been somewhat edited for the
purpose of this book, they retain the spoken style in which they were delivered. I have chosen to have
them published in the hope of making St. Alphonsus' teaching on prayer more available to Redemptorists
and those associated with us. In addition it would also be my hope that these reflections might make Sr.
Alphonsus' approach to prayer known to a wider public. St. Alphonsus Liguori has been proclaimed a
doctor of the Church for his teachings in moral theology and on the spiritual life. He is known as the doctor
of common prayer.

1. Prayer and Praying

The title of these reflections is 'Praying in the Spirit and Tradition of St. Alphonsus Liguori'. It puts the focus
on 'praying’, rather than on 'prayer'. Also St. Alphonsus teaches a spirit more than a 'method'. And we can
speak: of praying in the tradition of Alphonsus - a living tradition, a handing on of this spirit through the
Redemptorist community which he founded and alive in a number of congregations which claim his spirit.

In putting the focus on 'praying' rather than on 'prayer', I would hope that these reflections will not only
offer the reader Alphonsus' teaching on prayer and meditation. Hopefully they will provide you with the
opportunity to actually pray. That was very much their goal in their original retreat context. I invite you to
be companions with me on this journey.

This is very much the spirit and tradition of St. Alphonsus. St. Alphonsus never writes more than a
paragraph or two before he bursts into prayer. The prayers with which St. Alphonsus concludes each short

3
One of the most accessible volumes of the writings of Alphonsus is that edited by Frederick Jones, C.Ss.R., and others.
Alphonsus Liguori. Selected Writings,in the collection, "The Classics of Western Spirituality", New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press,
1999. This volume will be referred to hereafter as CWS. As a guide for praying with St. Alphonsus, the reader could profit also
from Jean-Marie Ségalen's 15 Days of Prayer with Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 2001. I also call
attention to Selected Writings and Prayers of Saint Alphonsus. Adapted by John Steingraeber, C.Ss.R., Liguori, MO: Liguori
Publications, 1973; and The Way of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Selected Writings on the Spiritual Life. Compiled with Introduction
by Barry Ulanov, Liguori, MO: Liguori Publication, 1999.

3
section of a work like The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ4 are an integral part of the work, not just an
'add-on’. These prayers need to be read aloud on one’s knees, as it were, to really understand the
'doctrine' or 'concepts' about which Alphonsus is writing.

2. Prayer and St. Alphonsus

Praying in the Spirit and Tradition of St. Alphonsus is an evocative title. We are not being asked to pray
exactly as he did, in slavish imitation. St. Alphonsus did not much like such a literal imitation of Jesus either.
He preferred 'following' in the spirit and mission of Jesus to the notion of 'imitation’, more common in his
day.

So, what is this spirit of Alphonsus? It might be summarized simply as an invitation: fall in love with your
God who has fallen so much in love with you, your God who is ‘pazzo’, out of his head, crazy, for love of
you. “Speak: with God face to face as one friend speaks to another”. As Alphonsus and St. Teresa of Avila
emphasize, prayer is nothing other than familiar conversation with God. This is the spirit and tradition of
Sr. Alphonsus.5

Alphonsus uses the word 'prayer' in three different but related ways. Sometimes we find this confusing, or
we blur over distinctions he assumes we understand.

The most common meaning of 'prayer' in St. Alphonsus is close to what we often call 'vocal prayer, and
refers primarily to petition and, in a related sense, to thanksgiving and praise.

Alphonsus is perhaps best known for his promotion of 'mental prayer’, which we often call 'meditation’,
but which is really so much more. Mental prayer is active, including meditation and active recollection, and
mental prayer includes and leads to contemplative repose and union (which we sometimes refer to as
'mystical prayer'). Alphonsus believed that genuine and deep mental prayer is possible for everyone in
every state of life - peasants and princes, nuns, priests and labourers, mothers and seafarers.

The third meaning for prayer in Alphonsus points us in the direction of practices and devotions. The spirit
of prayer must be nourished and supported by discipline and decision in order to free the human spirit for
intimacy with God in Jesus.

Chapters 2, 4 and 6 will look at prayer in each of these three senses. At the same time it is hard to think of
St. Alphonsus and praying without considering Mary, our partner in prayer, in mission, and in life.

Petition and Praise

Pondering and Presence

4
I will be referring to this work using the translation by Peter Heinegg, Ligouri, Missouri: Liguori Publications, 1997. Also
in CWS, pp.106-164. Nancy Fearon, IHM & Christopher Farrell C.Ss.R. have also published well chosen selections from the
work as To Love Christ Jesus. Liguori, Missouri: Liguori Publications, 1987.
5
For this sense of prayer as conversation with God, cf. the work of St. Alphonsus: "A Way to Converse Continually with God as a
Friend", in CWS, pp. 271-290. Constitution 26 of the Redemptorist Constitutions and Statutes reads: "Indeed, they will make
every effort to have St. Alphonsus' spirit of prayer in their own lives”.

4
Practice and Practices

Partner and Perpetual Help

3. Prayer and the 'Mysteries of Redemption'

Alphonsus urges us to pay particular attention to the 'mysteries of Redemption' in our prayer. For him, this
refers to the 'Crib, Cross, and Sacrament'. This is his 'shorthand', as it were, to help us remember the
mysteries of Redemption.

For Alphonsus, the mysteries of Redemption are not only the Passion, Death and Resurrection. Rather, the
lncarnation is the basic principle of Redemption - God's great act of solidarity with humanity and our
human condition. It is this humanity in which and out of which we pray. The Incarnation includes the whole
public Iife, teaching and ministry of Jesus as a 'mystery of Redemption'.

The Passion and Paschal mystery is not only the mystery of Christ's Death and Resurrection, but the
pattern of our own lives and vocation as well.

The Eucharist and all the sacraments are not only ritual memorial celebrations, but a way of Iiving the
mystery of Redemption with the Risen Christ-Redeemer and with one another here and now.

Crib, Cross and Sacrament remind us that the mysteries of Redemption encompass the Incarnation and our
incarnation; his Passion and Paschal Mystery, and our own paschal mystery; the historical events in
Palestine two thousand years ago, and our present moment, to which Jesus is really present. These
mysteries of Redemption, not only as doctrines to be understood but as mysteries to be lived, will be the
subject of subsequent chapters in this book. Praying in the spirit and tradition of St. Alphonsus provides an
opening into living today Incarnation and humanity, Passion and Resurrection, Eucharist and communion.

4. Praying is itself a Ministry of Redemption

Father Francis X. Durrwell, a great contemporary theologian of Redemption, suggests that the theology of
Redemption lets itself be guided by the analogy of prayer. Prayer is an entrance into communion, and an
act of submission in which we humans open ourselves up to God as children to a gracious parent. He
believes that Jesus 'became Redemption by becoming prayer'.

Prayer results in grace, not because it offers gifts to God, to which God must then respond - but because
prayer openly welcomes God's gift to us. Jesus opened himself up to salvation both for himself and for the
world. The prayer of the Christian obtains salvation for others because it opens itself to grace and thus
becomes, for others, a source of that grace. The mystery of salvation is that a person - Jesus - became
prayer for the whole world, and this prayer was heard.6

6
F. X. Durrwell C.Ss.R. Christ our Passover. The Indispensable Role of the Resurrection in our Salvation. Trans. John
Craghan, Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 2004, p. 54.

5
So too, we participate in the Redemption with Jesus as he offers himself to the Father for the salvation of
all. In union with Jesus, the Lord, our very act of praying is a ministry of Redemption, through which we are
'sent as helpers, companions, and ministers of Jesus Christ in the great work of Redemption'.7 Often we
think and speak of the prayer of cloistered Orders as prayer for the Redemption of all. Dare we remember
that the seriousness with which we approach our daily practice of prayer, and most especially periods of
retreat, are also a ministry of Redemption for the world? Thomas Merton highlighted this when he
reflected on the monastic and eremitical life, not as a flight tram the world but as a deeper mystical and
practical insertion into the world - and praying is the door which opens this world to us.

5. Helpful Prayer Practices

Certainly during a retreat the value of silence cannot be over-emphasized in creating an atmosphere
conducive to deep prayer. But even apart tram retreat we must find times and spaces to be with the Lord
in silence.

At the same time faith-sharing with another person or group is of immense value in fostering our own
development and growth and that of a faith-community. Elie Wiesel says that there is a rabbinic proverb
which states that 'in the face of mystery, silence is not to be broken unless it is replaced by something
better'. Communion and conversation may be that 'something better'.

Journaling can also be a very helpful practice - to describe what your prayer is like, how you experience it,
what 'happens', what works and what doesn't, how you hear God speaking to you.

Practices of devotion such as the Rosary, the Way of the Cross, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, fasting, etc,
can all be helpful in fastering conversation with God in Jesus.

Reading Scripture should have a special pride of place in our praying. The Word of God has a power to
speak to us just as it is. For instance, I suggest that you prayerfully and meditatively read and pray The Song
of Songs. This is a book to which Alphonsus refers often when he speaks of prayer, the beautiful
conversation between lover and beloved; the finding, losing and finding again; the passion which goes
beyond words; the images which speak in all of nature and creation; the longing which is cultivated and
grows.

6. Reflection on the God to Whom and with Whom we Pray

Before concluding this introduction, I think that it's very important for us to consider who the God to
whom we pray really is. For Sr. Alphonsus, 'God' and 'Jesus' are interchangeable terms unless it is clear that
they are not. His prayer is very Christocentric, most often addressed to Jesus, and addressed to Jesus as a
friend - he preferred that image and name to any other. This is not the only way of praying - and just as
each of us has a different relationship with different people, so we do with God.

7
A quote from C. 2 01 the Redemptorists' Constitutions and Statutes.

6
As a young priest just out of the seminary, I remember working with Fr. Alphonsus Thomas on a
committee. Fr. Thomas had been the Provincial when I entered the Redemptorists. He was a man for
whom I have always had great respect and appreciation. At lunch one day, I asked him to pass something,
and I called him 'Fr. Thomas'. He responded, 'certainly Fr. Brehl'. I was taken aback, and asked why he
didn't call me 'Mike'. He replied, 'I will when you start to call me Al`. How we address someone does
influence our relationship. It makes a big difference.

How do you address God in prayer? To whom are you speaking and listening? lt is worthy of note that
Alphonsus changed during his lifetime. He moved from addressing God as 'Majesty' to 'Jesus, my love'…
that change in address says a lot about the growth of his prayer.

Jesus asks you today as surely as he asked the Twelve: 'Who do you say that I am?' This is not a theological
question - it is a vital and experiential question. Ultimately, it is much more important than who others say
God is, or who Jesus is. Images from Scripture reveal who God is… but what do they mean for you?

Who do you say God is? Who do you say Jesus is? This is a good place to begin your 'praying'. Think about
that as you enter more deeply into prayer and praying in the spirit and tradition of Sr. Alphonsus.8

Romans 8, 14-15.26-30: The Spiritual Life of the Christian:

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit
bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God ... The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do
not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God,
who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who
are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he
predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also
glorified".

Chapter 2: The Prayer of Petition

If you wish to please the loving heart of your God, take care to speak to God whenever you are able
continually and with the greatest confidence possible. God is not reluctant to answer you in return. God
will not make himself heard by you in a voice that reaches your ears but rather in a voice that only your
heart knows well. Leave off conversation with creatures and speak one-on-one with your God: "I will lead
her into the desert and speak to her heart" (Hos. 2:16). God will then speak to you with such inspirations,
such inner light, with such demonstrations of his bounty, with such sweet touches of the heart, with tokens
of forgiveness, with such experiences of peace, with such hope of paradise, with such inner joy, with such

8
Cf. Constitution 26.

7
sweetness of grace, with such loving and dose embraces, with such a voice of love that is well understood
by those whom God loves and who seek nothing for themselves save God alone". 9

I invite you, first, to consider the example of Jesus at prayer. It was an integral part of his life and
ministry.10 Before major decisions or events, he prays. At meals, he prays. After the disciples come back
from their first missionary experience he prays. In Luke 6:12 we are told that, before the choice of the
disciples who would be apostles, Jesus spends the whole night in prayer! "Now during those days he went
out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God".

Many names have been given to this Gospel of Luke. Some call it the Gospel of mercy, of women, of the
poor, of universal salvation and of absolute renouncement. Others have called it the gospel of prayer - and
one commentator I read recently, wrote that in the Gospel of Luke, the only thing Jesus does more
frequently than pray is eat!

If prayer is so important in the life and ministry of Jesus, how much more important must it be in our own
lives! We want it to be that important; we know our own need.

The example of Jesus and the teaching of Alphonsus tell us that prayer is conversation, heartfelt
conversation. When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, he offers a way of conversing, and a
relationship of intimacy, rather than a formula. This was brought home to me in a powerful way in 1980
when I was helping a group of Grade 2 students get ready for First Communion. One day, I was speaking to
them about prayer, and heartfelt conversation - normal, everyday conversation like they have with their
friends. When I asked them if they understood, one young boy put up his hand, and said: "Father Mike,
sometimes I really pray, but most of the time I just say prayers".

Saying prayers is important. Rituals are important because they are part of relationship. "Good morning" is
part of a ritual, like "How are you doing?" Rituals are shorthand for showing that we are aware of another
person`s presence, and that we care for them. 'Saying prayers' can be one of these important rituals. The
habit of prayer can develop within us an awareness of God's presence and care. I think of my grandmother
saying, "God willing" and "please God" in every conversation. We knew this was not just an empty habit,
because we knew that she lived a life of faith.

It is this faith in a living and personal God which makes sense of all prayer, including the prayer of petition
which we address in this chapter. Alphonsus sees the prayer of petition as very important, even necessary
for salvation. Sometimes, I think, we neglect the prayer of petition as something we should 'get over' as we
mature in the faith and grow in our relationship with God. Alphonsus sees this as decidedly untrue and a
dangerous way of thinking.

9
A Way of Conversing Continually with God as with a Friend", CWS, p. 284-285.
10
Lk 3:21; 5:15-16; 6:12-13; 9:18-21.28-29; 10:21-22; 11:1; 22:17.31-32.41-42; 23:34.46 & parallel texts. Cf. also Jn
11:41 & all of ch. 17.

8
1. The Problematic of Petitionary Prayer11

In so many ways, it does seem that there is a 'crisis' in the sense of the prayer of petition today. It shows
up in conversations with priests and religious and people serious about the 'devout life' as well as in
articles and books. I sometimes get the impression that the prayer of petition is seen as a kind of 'second-
class prayer'. It is what you do when you dont know what else to do! Even worse, it's the way you pray if
you are not part of the spiritual elite.

It is true that when directed to temporal favours, petitionary prayer may amount to an avoidance of human
responsibility. I ought to avail myself of the necessary means within my reach rather than abdicate action
and responsibility to God. This is illustrated by the story of the man caught on his rooftop during a serious
flood. The waters are rising as he prays that God will save him. In the meantime he refuses help from a
boat and a helicopter sent to rescue survivors. A more serious example suggests that rather than simply
pray for an end to war, I ought also to work for an end to war. This echoes the teaching of Paul VI, who
proclaimed loud and dear that if we want peace, we must work for justice.

Intercession for others can also seem to be childish and an illusion. I cannot act upon the freedom of
others, and certainly God does not want to violate that freedom entrusted to them when they were
created in God's image and likeness! Nor can there be a question of informing God of our desires or
influencing God's desire to save. God already knows our needs before we ever express them.

This overall background provides grounds for some theologians and religious psychologists to move
towards the conclusion that Christians with a really mature faith will cease to practice petitionary prayer.12

The questions posed are not new nor is this a new crisis. The questions may be expressed and phrased
differently, but they have been raised before. Alphonsus lived and ministered in a time deeply affected by
the crisis of Jansenism and Predestinationism, as well as the controversy over Quietism. Theologians, and
more importantly, preachers and 'masters of the spiritual life' were asking: What is the point of prayer of
petition? Either one is saved or not. Jansenists, Predestinarians, and Quietists all rejected the prayer of
petition. This was part and parcel of their negative vision of human nature.13

11
Alphonsus treats the prayer of petition ex professo in The Great Means of Salvation and Perfection. The Complete
Works of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Ed. by Eugene Grimm, Vol. 3. Brooklyn: Redemptorist Fathers, 1927, pp. 19-240.
This work will be referred to henceforth as The Great Means of Perfection and Salvation, (Grimm Ed.). Eugene Grimm
is the editor of a 24 volume collection of The Complete Works of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Henceforth referenced by
Vol. number (Grimm Ed.). A selection of The Great Means of Salvation and Perfection, is in the CWS, pp. 291-301.
Among the selections on prayer in this latter volume are also "A Way of Conversing Continually with God as with a
Friend", pp. 271-291 and "The Practice of Mental Prayer and an Outline of a Simple Method of Making Mental Prayer",
pp. 302-314.
12
Paul Hitz C.Ss.R., summarizes these considerations in his article "Our Petitionary Prayer in the Mystery of Christ",
in Lumen Vitae, 13(1968), pp. 451-454; cl. also 497-501. The whole article, on vanous dimensions 01 petitionary
prayer, extends lrom pp 451-511. CI. also F. X. Durrwell, C.Ss.R., "The Efficacy of Petitionary Prayer. In Search of a
Law", also in Lumen Vitae, 13(1968), pp. 410-434.
13
Jorge Colon, C.SsR., deals with this background of Jansenism and Quietism in chapter 4 entitled: "Alphonsus faces
his Pastoral Context", in his book: The Apostolate 01 Prayer. The Spiritual Message on the Prayer 01 Petition
9
Alphonsus responded to this thinking by affirming that petitionary prayer is not only efficacious but
essential for salvation. "Whoever prays is certainly saved. Whoever does not pray is certainly damned". For
Alphonsus, to petition in prayer is to begin to live the redeemed life!14

In the face of those who preached a 'limited' salvation for the 'elect', Alphonsus powerfully affirmed the
universal salvific will of God. No one is predestined for damnation. One of the most frequently quoted
passages in his writing is tram Paul's first letter to Timothy: "God our Savior ... desires everyone to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth". (I Tim 2: 4) He quotes this passage in his writings on prayer,
on the Passion and Redemption and in his systematic theology. This is a key text for reading him.15

For Alphonsus, petitionary prayer is always directed towards this salvific will of God and the salvation of alt
Based on revelation, Alphonsus takes a doctrinal position against predestination in favour of universal
salvation. He notes that this same revelation connects God's salvific and redemptive will with the
Christian's prayer of petition, with supplication, intercessions, and prayers. "I urge that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone ... This is tight and is acceptable in the sight
of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth". (I Tim
2:1-4) Against Jansenism and Predestination, for Alphonsus, it is precisely because God will never subvert
human freedom that the prayer of petition is so important.

God gives everyone the grace to pray because God wants all to be saved. It is God's initiative (protecting
the sovereignty of the Divinity), but God chooses to act in a respectful and gracious manner towards all
people without distinction, and most especially towards the poor who will never be part of the
'cognoscenti' or the 'spiritual elite'. God invites them into partnership, mutuality, dialogue through their
natural inclination to pray in petition. Fr. Kevin O'Shea describes the development of this relationship in his
short work on Alphonsus and moral theology - The Courtesy of God.16

2. Prayer of the Creature

The prayer of petition is a reminder that we are creatures, and that God is the Creator. It is the most
natural of prayers for the one who realizes that he or she is poor and dependent. Because we are
creatures, born needy, we must ask for sustenance, for help, for assistance. We place our confidence in
parents and friends, in teachers and tribes. We are not self-sufficient. However, we can fool ourselves into
thinking that we are!

according to St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, the Apostle 01 Prayer. 1987, pp 43-53. The book is reproduced in
Readings in Redemptorist Spirituality, Vol. 3, pp. 7-80.
14
The Great Means of Salvation, (Grimm Ed.), vol. 3, p. 49.
15
As an example, see The Great Means 01 Salvation and Perfection, (Grimm Ed.), Vol. 3, pp. 109-116.

16
See Kevin O'Shea, C.Ss.R., The Courtesy of God. An Appreciation of Saint Alphonsus Liguori as a Moral
Theologian. Broadmeadow, N.S.W.: Newey & Beath Printers Pty. Ud, 1987, especially pp. 20-23.

10
Fr. Paul Hitz reminds us that the prayer of petition expresses our need for Redemption - for a Redeemer -
knowing that Redemption can only be given to those who desire it. And as St. Alphonsus writes, inspiring
himself forn Teresa of Avila, God can and will fill us only to the limit of our desire.17

Is it any wonder that the Season of Advent begins with the prayer and longing of the people of Israel,
which we are invited to make our own: "O that you would rend the heavens and come down!" This text
from Isaiah, proclaimed on the First Sunday of Advent, was a favourite of Alphonsus. At the end of the
season, whose purpose is to deepen our desire, we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, where at last the
heavens are rent open, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove. Our prayer is answered - God has rent
open those heavens and come down.

Petition is the prayer of a child, of a sufferer, of one who recognizes one's essential poverty. It is a deeply
human prayer, an incarnate prayer, respecting our humanity.

3. Prayer taught by Jesus

More than this, Alphonsus recognizes that this is the way of praying taught by Jesus. It has a priority of place in all
four gospels. Consider how often Jesus teaches them to persevere in asking, to "seek and find, knack and it will be
opened". (cf. Lk 11:9) Frequently he tells them to ask their Heavenly Father who knows all their needs and they will
be heard. He reminds them that wherever two or three of them agree to ask anything in his name, it will be granted.
(cf Mt 18:19) The 'Our Father', the model of Christian prayer which describes the relationship of the community with
God in familial terms, is a series of petitions. The priestly prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John is a petitionary prayer.
(JN 17) So is the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane - the prayer of suffering and abandonment.

4. Prayer of the Church

This pattern continues and is reflected in the prayers of Paul, and then in the Liturgy of the Church - the
Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist. Alphonsus observes this solid tradition and realizes that the
experience of generations of Christians, and of the community, teaches that the prayer of petition has
pride and priority of place in Christian prayer.

After 9/11, I heard of certain parishes which did not make a direct reference to the horrific events of that
day in the prayer of the faithful on Sunday - they used pre-packaged petitions. The negative reaction of
parishioners to this omission was indicative of the need to pray in and out of our experience!

5. Pray and be Saved

So strong is this current in the thought and writings of Alphonsus that The Catechism of the Catholic Church
chooses this as the one quotation it takes tram his works: "Those who pray are certainly saved; those who
do not pray are certainly damned".18 Many misunderstand that this quote fram Alphonsus refers to the
necessity of mental prayer. I certainly thought this for many years – I just assumed that Alphonsus meant

17
Saint Alphonsus Liguori, The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ. A New Translation by Peter Heinegg, Liguori
Missouri: Liguori Publications, 1997, p. 76.
18
Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2744, taken from The Great Means of Salvation, (Grimm Ed), vol. 3, p. 49.

11
mental prayer in this quote. No, Alphonsus believes that mental prayer is important, and may even be
'morally necessary' for salvation - but it is the prayer of petition which is essential.

Alphonsus champions the prayer of petition for a number of reasons:

* it is first and foremost the action of God's grace in human nature rather than a purely human
activity;

* it is the prayer of the poor, with whom Jesus identified, and with whom Alphonsus identifies;

* it opens us to the Will of God, through which we become partners in the work of redemption;

* the prayer of petition is not about informing God of our needs, or changing God's will, but it is
about God changing us;

* the prayer of petition opens up a communion of love with those for whom we pray, and challenges
us to respond to them in love as God has responded to us;

* the prayer of petition leads to a life of thanksgiving and gratitude and praise which is so strongly
encouraged in the Scriptures, and above all in the Magnificat.191

I'd like to highlight just a couple of these points.

6. Prayer of the Poor

The prayer of petition is the prayer most easily understood and engaged by the poor. They are faced each
day with their needs, and they cry out in their poverty. Jesus identified with the poor, and so does
Alphonsus.

He came from nobility and power in Naples - horn a society in which prayer was deeply influenced by the
quietists and elite meditation. The elite, the rich, had both the leisure and the opportunity to learn
methods of meditation, to make the spiritual exercises, to go on retreat - even enclosed retreats in
religious houses. But Alphonsus wondered at times if they were aware of their real need and poverty and
dependence on God. They didn't live like they had this awareness! The same may be true of us.

The poor taught him a radical dependence, and that God reached down to them in their need, time after
time. The prayer of petition taught him a more human, incarnate prayer. Fr. Jorge Colón, C.Ss.R. develops
this theme at length in his little work on the apostolate of prayer.20

19
The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection, (Grimm Ed.), Vol. 3, pp. 25-104.

20
Colón, The Apostolate of Prayer, pp. 14-20; the same is in Readings in Redemptorist Spirituality, vol. 3, pp. 9-15.

12
7. Prayer of Openness

Alphonsus knew that all the questions posed by contemporary critics of the prayer of petition make sense
if we understand the prayer of petition as a purely human activity. Alphonsus did not understand it in that
light. He understood the prayer of petition as God's work in us. Our very petitions are responses to grace.
He is dear that we do not pray to inform God of our needs, or the needs of others, but so that we ourselves
might become more consciously aware of these needs. This conscious awareness must move us to action
on behalf of others. The prayer of petition allows God to cause compassion to grow in us, so that we come
to 'faith working through love'. (Gal. 5:6) Alphonsus resolved the faith/works controversy through the
prayer of petition.

Alphonsus writes that we do not pray to change God, but that God might change us, change the one who
prays, change the community which prays. When I open myself to God's grace and action in this way, when
the community opens itself to God's grace and action, then I will be changed and the community will be
changed. This guarantees the efficacy of the prayer - when we are changed and become instruments of
God's redeeming love.

In the correspondence of Thomas Merton there is a beautiful story which makes this dear. Thomas Merton
had become well known in the civil rights movement. A young priest wrote to Fr. Merton. He had just
become pastor of a parish in the Deep South. In his parish there were two churches - one for whites, one
for blacks. The young pastor realized that this was not Christian and needed to be changed. But he met
with resistance. 'What should I do?' he wrote to Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton wrote back that he
shouldn't do anything - just pray. And when it was time to do something, he wouldn't need to ask what. So,
he began to pray each morning in the white church, and each evening in the black church for integration of
his parish. People began to ask what he was doing, so he told them. Some of them began to pray with him -
the whites in the morning and the blacks in the evening. Then when some of the whites couldn't make it in
the morning, they prayed with him in the evening in the black church. When some of the blacks couldn't
make it in the evening, they began to pray with him in the morning in the white church. Over a period of
time, this went on until he didn't need to do anything. Blacks and whites were praying together regularly in
each other's churches, and the parish was becoming integrated. Praying changed them!

A few years ago, we experienced something similar in Toronto. In a rundown area of the city, drug dealers
were selling dope to kids on the street. Prostitutes were soliciting on the corners. And the violence of the
gangs stirred fear in many families. A group of Christian women began a project they called, Take back the
might They would gather outside for prayer, hymn singing and Scripture. Together they would walk through
the streets, and pause to pray at different stations. The crime rate went down.

Petitionary prayer deepens the bonds of communion in the Christian community, and in the human family
- because God wills that all be saved.

The prayer of petition is a 'work'. It's not something we do to 'fee!' good. It is a participation in God's
saving work. We pray in this way to do God's work.

8. Petition and the Will of God

13
Alphonsus believes that all petitionary prayer is directed to two great petitions, perseverance and love.
These are the graces above all others which I must request day after day after day, no matter how tedious
it seems to me.

The ultimate goal of all prayer, and especially the prayer of petition is that I might be one with God's will
and continue the presence and mission of Jesus to redeem the world. Remember that Alphonsus believes
in the universal salvific will of God. This is God's will above all else - that all be saved, that all be redeemed,
that all experience and know the love of God which is beyond and above all knowledge.

How often we think that Alphonsus' preoccupation with the Will of God is about this or that action, this or
that event! We sell God short and we sell Alphonsus short! As important as those expressions might be,
they are too limited, too small to encompass God's grand design that all be united in love, in that Messianic
banquet so beautifully described in Isaiah 25!

Alphonsus teaches us to pray for conformity to Gods will- that I might do what God wills, that I might
accept what God wills. This is what Fr. Henk Manders, C.Ss.R., calls 'resignation’. This discipline and grace
always draw me on, however, from conformity to uniformity with Gods will that I might only will what God
wills, that I might truly desire what God desires, that I might see as God sees and love as God loves! This is
what Fr. Manders calls surrender; and it opens up the possibility of authentic partnership with God in the
work of Redemption. From conformity to uniformity. From resignation to surrender.21

In this sense, I do not pray just for the grace to do what I 'ought' to do (duty) - this can result in moralism. I
pray for the grace to discern as a partner in dialogue with God what we ought to do together - which leads
to an interiorized morality (love God and do what you please).

The first, moralism, gives priority to duty and law. The second, morality, gives priority to conscience and
freedom, respect and 'courtesy'. It makes one a partner with God. For this reason, one cannot do moral
theology without praying. How do I take universal principles and discern the way they apply in this
concrete context? How can I truly will what God wills without praying?

This is the love for which we pray - not a romantic, warm and fuzzy feeling - but the love to become one
with God, to long for God, to long for what God desires, to will what God wills. That will of God is the
salvation of all, as described by Paul in his first letter to Timothy. (I Tim 2: 1-8)

This prayer of Petition opens me up to a partnership with God. I am reminded here of the beautiful
Country song by Carrie Underwood - "Jesus, take the wheel". It was recently voted the top country video in
Canada. I really like the song.22 It gives a picture of three different situations in which people discover that
they cannot handle the circumstances of their lives on their own. They invite Jesus to take the wheel, but
they don`t let go of the wheel. They steer through together. I listened to two people discussing the song a
while back. One of them loved it because he thought how great it would be to just sit back and let Jesus
take over and guide his life completely. The other really disliked the song for exactly the same reason. He

21
Fr. Henk Manders, C.Ss.R., "Love in the Spirituality of Saint Alphonsus", in Readings in Redemptorist Spiritual/ty,
Vol. 2, pp. 63-65. Cf. Alphonsus' little work: "Conformity to the Will of God", in CWS., pp. 69-93.
22
It can be accessed on YouTube, by googling 'Jesus take the wheel'.

14
saw it as an abdication of the will and love and gifts God gives. When I hear that song, I see both of them,
Jesus and the one who prays, with their hands on the wheel. It's like the invitation of Jesus in Matthew's
gospel: 'Take my yoke upon you, and learn horn me ... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light". (Mt 11
:29-30) His yoke is a yoke carried by two in partnership, shifting the weight of the burden, but each doing
their part.

9. Petition and Praise

Alphonsus knew that the prayer of petition leads to praise. We don`t need to teach a child how to ask for
what he or she needs. We might need to teach them to say please, but not to ask. However, we might
need to teach them how to say thank you. My mother always made sure that we wrote thank you notes at
Christmas, and she helped us do so. Alphonsus urges us to make thanksgiving after communion and as part
of every prayer.

God's response to Mary's desire for the salvation of Israel led first to partnership, and then to praise. So
must it be for us. It's natural, even if it does need to be encouraged. Gratitude, then, becomes a spirit and
way of life for those who live in love.

10. Initiative

Remember that the initiative even for petitionary prayer is God's, not ours. It is God who gives the grace to
pray. It is God who stirs up within us the desire for prayer. It is God who even plants the very petitions for
which we must pray within our consciousness. Remember St. Paul's advice in his letter to the Romans? 'We
do not know how to pray as we ought. . .' (Rom. 8:26)

I sometimes think of this when I am distracted in prayer. A wise older priest suggested that, rather than
fight the distractions, I offer a simple petition for the intention, and then let them go. It works.

11. Practice of the Prayer of Petition

Pray for perseverance23 and love, for openness to God's grace. Pray for this daily. Make it an active prayer.
Be natural in your conversation with God.

Practice intercessory prayer for others, for the world, for needs you hear about on the news. Make a
prayer list of those intentions you want to bring before God and your own consciousness each day.

Listen to the Spirit: 'The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but
that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words". (Rom 8:26)

Pay attention to your longings and desires.

23
Alphonsus, The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection, (Grimm Ed.), Val. 3, pp. 94-104.

15
12. Natural and Normal

Have you ever experienced a moment of grace and prayer and compassion when you just naturally pray,
and don`t give it a second thought? One such moment for me occurred when I saw the musical play, Les
Miserables. There is a climatic moment when Jean Valjean prays for the young man with whom his foster
daughter has fallen in love. Jean Valjean wants to escape the revolution growing in Paris and run away to
London. He wants to protect his foster daughter. He does not want to pray for the young man, he doesn't
even want to like him. And he finds himself praying for him nonetheless - 'Bring him home'.

That prayer changed Valjean. He realized that as he asked God to bring this young man home, God was
asking him, Jean Valjean, to 'bring him home'. As I watched, I thought of many of those I've held, many for
whom I've prayed, and I prayed that night there in the theatre. And as I prayed, as I asked God to bring
them home, I heard God asking me to bring them home.

Natural. Normal. Simple. Profound.

I'd like to leave you with that image. God will bring them home when we do! Through our petition, when it
comes from our heart, God invites us into partnership for the Redemption of the world. This is perhaps the
deepest meaning and purpose of petitionary prayer.

Chapter 3: The Incarnation: God Among Us

John 1:1-18

O my sweet, amiable and holy Child! You are at a loss what more to do to make yourself beloved by human
beings. It is enough to say that from being the Son of God you were made the son of man, and that you
chose to be born among humans like the rest of infants, only poorer and more meanly lodged than the
rest. .. You desired thus to make your first appearance before us in the semblance of a poor child that even
from your birth you might lose no time in attracting our hearts to you; and you went on during the
remainder of you life, ever showing fresh and more striking tokens of your love, so that at length you
willed to shed the last drop of your blood and die overwhelmed with shame upon the infamous tree of the
cross".24

All Redemptorists are aware of the important place the mystery of the Incarnation holds in the spirituality
of the Congregation. In this reflection, I recall some of some of the dimensions of this mystery for us,
Redemptorists and partners in mission. It is one of the principal mysteries upon which Alphonsus invites us
to focus our prayer. And he has very important and significant reasons for this insistence.

1. Doctrine of the Incarnation

24
Discourses for the Novena of Christmas, Discourse II, part II, in Heart Calls To Heart. An Alphonsian Anthology. Ed.
Carl Hoegerl C.Ss.R., Rome: Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, 1981, pp. 76-77.

16
First of all, let's consider for a few moments the doctrinal implications of this mystery. When we say that
we believe in the Incarnation, we are referring specifically to the doctrine that the Word of God, the
second person of the Holy Trinity, through whom all that is was created, through whom all that is held in
existence, that this divine person became human and pitched his tent among us.

We proclaim that God is both one and three - one in nature, three distinct yet intimately related persons.
We believe that this is beyond human comprehension, but not beyond human experience and hope.

It is not beyond human experience because God has become human so that we can see and touch and
hear and know him. As St. John proclaims: "We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have
heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands concerning
the word of life” (I Jn 1:1)

Nor is this doctrine beyond our hope. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we pray that 'by the mystery
of this water and wine, we may share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our
humanity.25 As the ancient Christmas liturgy sang: God has become human, so that human beings might
become divine! The spiritual doctrine of Theosis or divinization is so much part of our Eastern Catholic
tradition, but it is also part of our patrimony in the West. As St. Peter writes in his second letter: "His divine
power has given us everything needed for life and godliness..., so that through them you ... may become
participants of the divine nature". (2 Pet 1:3-4)

We believe that Jesus is truly God and truly human. We do not fully understand the meaning of this
mystery, but we hold it in faith. In Jesus, God has entered our human experience as a particular Jewish
male child of a particular Jewish woman. Jesus is both particular and historical. Luke and Matthew go to
great pains to make sure we understand this in their infancy narratives and genealogies.

The 'scandal' of this particularity shapes our experience of God. This Jesus is our Redeemer, our Go'el, the
blood-brother and closest next-of-kin to all. Even the meaning of 'Redeemer' is shaped by the tribal society
into which he was born. But without losing his particular identity as a Jew and a male, as the Son of Mary,
Jesus embraces (at the same time) the universal and becomes our go`el, the universal brother, our 'blood-
brother', if you will.

The Incarnation declares that God has personally intervened in history in a truly marvelous way. The
Eternal has stepped into time. The immutable enters history and becomes subject to 'change'. God is
personally involved in this world, in human life, in human history, and in all creation not only as creator but
also as creature. St. Alphonsus quotes St. Thomas Aquinas on this very point: the miracle of the Incarnation
is indeed the greatest miracle in which the Creator becomes a creature!26

Jesus, fully human, experienced everything that I experience, and more. Though he was without sin, he
was tempted in every way that human beings are tempted. He hungered and thirsted. He rejoiced and
wept. He was angry and tired. He celebrated and grieved. In Jesus, God has roIled up the sleeves of his

25
Liturgy of the Roman Rite, Preparation of the Gifts.
26
Discourses for the Novena of Christmas, Discourse I, part /, in Heart Calls To Heart. An Alphonsian Anthology.
(Hoegerl Ed), pp. 45-78, at p.58.

17
garments and plunged headlong into human experience. In Jesus, God stands in solidarity with us in an
inexplicable and indescribable way.

The Incarnation goes on to assert that God has assumed our human nature, not just for the thirty-some
years of Jesus' earthly life, but that Jesus, fully human and fully divine, has taken our human nature into
the heart of the Godhead, into the divine presence and essence. As we sing in the Christmas preface, 'in
him our mortal nature assumes immortal value'.

2. Meaning of the Incarnation: The Word made Flesh

All of the above is what the doctrine of the Incarnation states. Here alone, we have more than enough
material for years of thoughtful prayer, constantly discovering new dimensions to the implications of the
Incarnation for creation, for humanity, and for each of us personally. But once we have pondered and
interiorized and prayed all of this, Alphonsus tells us we will have just barely begun.

What is the deepest meaning of the Incarnation? Alphonsus assures us that God's meaning and purpose is
love. If the Redeemer had come to save, and be respected, and even perhaps feared in order to keep
people on their toes and prevent them tram 'falling' again, then he would have come as a full-grown man
with royal dignity. But he did not. He came to cast away fear, which, Alphonsus knew, is the real opposite
of love. As St. John tells us, it is not hate but fear which is the opposite of love. “There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear". ( 1 Jn 4:18)

Alphonsus knew this so well. Listen to how Alphonsus explains the meaning of the Incarnation:

"Because he came to gain our love, he chose to come and to show himself as an infant, and the poorest of
infants, born in a cold stable between two animals, laid in a manger on straw, without clothing or fire to
warm his shivering little limbs: Thus would be born one who willed to be loved and not feared: Ah, my
Lord! Who was it that drew you horn heaven to be born in a stable? It was love, the love you bear towards
human beings. Who took you horn the right hand of your Father where you sit, and placed you in a
manger? Who snatched you horn your throne above the stars and put you to lie on a little straw? Who
changed your position horn the midst of angels to be placed between a pair of beasts? It was all the work
of love. You inflame the seraphim, and you now shiver with cold? You support the heavens, and must you
now be carried in someone's arms? You provide food for people and beasts, and now do you crave a little
milk to sustain your life? You make the seraphim happy, and now do you weep and moan? Who has
reduced you to such misery? Love has done it Thus would be born one who willed to be loved and not
feared"'.27

His meaning, according to St. Alphonsus, was love. In this, Alphonsus echoes Julian of Norwich who wrote
the same several centuries before. But, St. Alphonsus reminds us, it's important to remember that Jesus
does not remain a child. He becomes an adult, he ministers to people, and his meaning is still love.

27
Discourses for the Novena of Christmas. Discourse //, part /, In Heart Calls 10 Heart, (Hoegerl Ed) pp. 68·69.

18
3. Incarnation as the Sacramental Principle

In essence, the sacramental principle is rooted in this miracle of the Incarnation. The sacramental principle
asserts that God uses ordinary, created matter as an instrument of God's presence and grace. In the
Incarnation, God transforms human flesh and blood, human nature, to become an epiphany of the divinity,
of divine nature.

In his Discourses for the Novena of Christmas, Alphonsus refers frequently to the human des ire to see God,
to touch God, to hold God: "0 that you would rend the heavens and come down!"(Is. 63:I9) God so longs to
respond to this human desire that God chose human nature as a sacrament of divine presence - as the
sacrament of divine presence. No longer is the temple, or fire, or an earthquake the sign and symbol of
God's presence among human beings. No, it is the 'temple' of his body, as Jesus makes clear in John's
gospel when questioned about the cleansing of the temple. (Jn 2: 13-22)

I remember a story which Sr. Ruth Burrows, a Carmelite and spiritual author in England, teIls in one of her
books which makes this point weIl. She teIls that her sister had a daughter who had a terrible fear of
thunderstorms. During one particularly bad storm, the little girl wakes in the night crying out for her
mother. When her mother comes to her bed to comfort her, the little girl says, "I dont want to be alone:'
Her mother responds, "But you are never alone. God is always with you!" To which the little girl replies, "I
know that, mommy, but right now I want someone with skin on!" Someone with 'skin on. This is the
human desire, the human need, and God's response is the Incarnation.

4. Affirmation of our Created World and Humanity

The Incarnation as sacramental principle is God's affirmation of the goodness of all created things -
humanity, the world, flesh, blood, everything. Alphonsus saw this clearly at a time when this bedrock
Catholic doctrine was once again challenged horn many sides by a dualistic spirituality and culture, by a
fear of sexuality, by Jansenists and Quietists and Protestants and Rationalists.

In this culture, Alphonsus cries out loud and clear that the Word became flesh - God becomes human - and
that this is transformative in ways we can scarcely dream. In his day there were many who strongly
opposed erecting a Christmas crib or singing Christmas songs. Alphonsus wrote Tu scendi dalle stelle' and
promoted the crib and devotion to the infant Jesus. All this was an affirmation of our created world and
humanity. It was not just Neapolitan sentimentality. The sentimentality did creep in - and disturbed
generations of Redemptorists horn other cultures. Celebrating the 25th , of each month, writing letters to
the Infant, singing Christmas carols in August, - at times, it was exaggerated as a kind of slavish 'imitation of
devotional practices particular to a different time and place. However, the truth of the Incarnation, as an
ever-present mystery, is transformative in ways we can scarcely dream.

5. Terror of the Times

There was a certain terror in those times. On the one hand, there were those very powerful religious
figures who had been deeply influenced by Jansenist spirituality, even though Jansenist theology had been
officially condemned. They had a deep suspicion of the human person and humanity in general. There was
19
a strong disdain for the created world and matter. They experienced the soul as somehow trapped in the
body, which was a corrupt and depraved condition, incapable of any good. Ta these voices, Alphonsus
offered the Incarnation as God's loving affirmation of humanity, and the destiny to which we are called.

Alphonsus lived the Redemptorist vocation affirmed in our Constitutions:

"Indeed they know that only the mystery of the Ward Incarnate throws true light on the mystery of
humanity and on the full reality of its calling. With this knowledge, they reveal the all-embracing nature of
redemption, and give witness to the truth that whoever follows Christ, the perfect human being, becomes
more human".28

That's from Constitution 19, and it's worth pondering throughout these days of prayer.

On the other hand, this was the age of Rationalism and the Enlightenment. Man, - and it was man, -
became the measure of everything, understood as educated, enlightened man. Perhaps in reaction to the
extremes of religious people who underestimated the value of humanity, Rationalists and 'Illuminati'
denied that there was any meaning or significance to the 'religious' or spiritual life. To these, Alphonsus
offered a vision of a God-Creator, immense beyond our comprehension, and transcendent beyond our
reach, for whom the work of the Incarnation is purely the manifestation of the surpassing love of God for
humanity.29 God may be transcendent beyond our human reach, but God bends down to us so that we
may touch and see and hear the Ward made Flesh.

At a time when same proclaimed that man was God, and others that man was depraved, Alphonsus
understood the Incarnation as an affirmation of both God's sovereign divinity and the immeasurable value
of redeemed humanity. At a time when both extremes saw the World ( the Earth) as important only as an
object for man`s purpose, Alphonsus affirmed that the World was God's garden, and that even the humblest
creature had value in God's eyes, whether that creature was a poor human being or an animal Fr.
Arboleda, who was the Archivist in Rome for many years, once told me that many people in the 18th
century had called Sr. Alphonsus 'the new Francis of Assisi' because of his optimistic love for humanity and
creation. For Alphonsus, this optimistic love for the world is founded on the divine love expressed in the
Incarnation.

6. The mystery of Incarnation

If we accept the Incarnation as a mystery of Redemption, then it is not a mystery to be solved, like the
detective stories we commonly call 'mysteries'. In faith-language, mystery (translated from the Greek
'mysterion as sacramentum in Latin) is always a sacramental revelation of God's presence and grace in
ways that transcend our comprehension, but not our experience. So, the reality of the Incarnation is a
mystery to be delightfully tasted and savoured, experienced and explored, plumbed and praised, accepted
and embraced.

28
Constitution 19 c
29
Discourse for Ihe Novena of Chrislmas, DIscourse I, Part /, in Hearl Calls 10 Heart, (Hoegerl Ed.), especially, pp.
51-52.

20
It is important to read the assertions Jesus makes about his body as the temple of God's presence together
with Sr. Paul's letter to the Corinthians. "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit
dweIls in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and
you are that temple". (I Cor 3: 16-17) This passage, in turn, might weIl be read together with Alphonsus'
deep conviction that "Heaven for God is the human heart".30

7. Living the mystery

Sometimes we gain a deeper appreciation of this 'mystery' when we see it lived at the limits or on the
edges.

I cannot help but think of Fr. Len Fitzgerald, a confrere who died in Edmonton last year. Fr. Len suffered
tram a debilitating illness, creeping paralysis which eventually killed him. In some ways his body became a
trap, a prison. But in others ways, it became a more pure prism through which light shone for others ... his
smile, his warmth, and the love of nurses! It was remarkable to see the nursing staff in tears as he gently
passed away.

I think of Brother Bill from the Yorkton Province. He is an example of the so-called 'scandal of particularity'
- disability, language, age, but he communicates joy and radiates peace and welcome!

I think of members of the L' Arche Communities, in particular getting three core members ready for
Confirmation in 1988 in Sudbury. Bishop Plouffe asked how I knew if they were ready. He came to a
meeting with them. I asked what Confirmation meant. One, John, replied: "Means I want to be a triend of
Jesus:' ''They're ready!" the Bishop replied. Less than two weeks before the Confirmation on Pentecost
Sunday, he had to change plans. He couldn't be with us for a Sunday Mass. We changed the previously
announced time, and announced the new time on the weekend before. For these three candidates, the
Church was full to capacity. There were even people who couldn't get seats, who came to celebrate with
these three from L'Arche. "God's temple is holy, and you are that temple". (I Cor 3:17)

We don't just arrive at that point miraculously in life. I remember the story of the woman who takes her
mother who is dying from breast cancer on one last Fall vacation along the shores of Lake Superior.
Standing at a lookout, admiring the incredible colours of Fall, the mother remarks to her daughter: "Isn't it
wonderful how God makes all this nature brilliant in its beauty just before it falls to the earth and dies?"
Wouldn't it be wonderful if God did that with people?" Looking at her mother standing there, dying herself
and still taking such joy in the gift of that Fall day, the daughter saw her mother's radiance and remarked:
"Sometimes God does just that, Mom, sometimes he does".

Afterwards, the daughter reflected that it had been a long process for her mother. It had been a process
for Jesus as he grew in stature, grace and favour, and it's a process for us as well.

30
Conversing Familiarly with God as a Friend, #5 in CWS, p. 275.

21
I appreciate the theological aphorism that grace builds on nature. !t's true, and it takes time. Just as the
prayer of petition is the beginning of partnership with God in the work of Redemption, so the Incarnation
shows how seriously God takes this partnership.

8. Praying the Mystery

I think that a major part of this process involves praying the mystery of the Incarnation. We are neither
gods nor 'depraved'. We're daughters and sons of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, and we're also broken
and wounded and holy and beautiful. We are human, and our humanity embraces all these realities. It is
not an 'either/or'. This is the humanity Jesus chose to make his own.

He stands in solidarity with us - solidarity, there at the river Jordan where he went to be baptized with
sinners. (Mt 3:1 - I 7) John wanted to refuse Jesus baptism - Jesus wasn`t a sinner, after all- but John didn't
refuse. Jesus knew that entering into those waters placed him in solidarity with sinners. And according to
purity laws this made him unclean, just as when he touched the leper. (Mt. 8:1-4; Mk 1:40-45; Lk 5:12-16)

For Alphonsus, this call to follow Jesus into the Jordan is our call as well. It's at the heart of our Apostolic
Life, our vocation as Redemptorists to continue the mission of Jesus the Redeemer in solidarity with
humanity.

Teresa of Avila, our great patron and Alphonsus' as well, taught that the surest way to God is through the
humanity of Christ - that God's grace must come to us through Christ's humanity.31 Perhaps this is because
we are human too. We have out particular family of origin, and our own grace and sin history.

Alphonsus urges us time and again to bring our humanity to our prayer, to pray as incarnate beings
ourselves.

"Consider that you have neither mend nor brother, not father or mother, spouse or lover who loves you
more than God does ... God ... became human in order to converse with us like a friend".32

"Accustom yourself to speak to God, one to one, in a familiar manner as to the dearest mend you have".33

"God delights in your intimacy. Discuss all your business with God, your, plans, your troubles, your fears,
anything at all that concerns you ... like a friend, without the slightest embarrassment". 34

31
Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life. Collected Works. Vol. 1, Trans. K. Kavanaugh, O.C.D. Otilio Rodriguez,
O.C.D. Washington,D.C.: ICS Publications, C. 22, 6.
32
Conversing Familiarly with God as a Friend, #2, in CWS, p. 274.
33
Ibid., #6, p. 276.
34
Ibid., #8, p. 276.

22
Alphonsus certainly brings his humanity to his prayer. It is affectionate, passionate, filled with longing and
desire. His prayers are meant to be read on our knees, and aloud. What a glimpse into his humanity do
they give us!

Sometimes the images Alphonsus uses disturb us somewhat. One in particular seems to make us
uncomfortable - and makes novices giggle. It's found in Visit Nine of the Visits of the Blessed Sacrament
Alphonsus writes:

"Jesus remains thus in the Sacrament of the Altar, with his breasts all filled with milk, that is, with all the
graces he desires to give us through his mercy. As a mother with swelling breasts calls on children to suckle
her and thus lighten her burden, so he says to us: 'You shall be carried at the breasts".35

Alphonsus then makes reference to the image from Isaiah which we know from Morning Prayer - 'that you
may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breasts, that you may drink deeply with delight from her
glorious bosom'. (Is 66: 11) Alphonsus does not hesitate to use image after image which affirms our
humanity and creation. His prayer, his images, his theology are deeply rooted in and flow from the
Incarnation.

I ask you to read the Song of Songs. This book is very fleshy, very incarnate, and very earthy. It is the book
of Scripture Alphonsus quotes most often when he writes about prayer. Bernard of Clairvaux said that
young monks should not read this book, at least not until they are 35 years of age and in perpetual vows
for at least five years!

I'm not sure I agree with Bernard, and I don`t think that Alphonsus would either. He read this book long
before he was 35. He quotes it frequently. It is a fleshy, incarnate prayer. It's a prayer of longing and
seeking, finding and celebrating, losing and weeping, finding again and consuming! It's a love song - the
song of a lover and beloved. It's a marriage song, with highly sexualized imagery and language. It's
incarnate prayer.

Get immersed in this kind of fleshy, incarnate prayer, with your bodies, and your hearts, and your heads,
and your spirits. Praying the Incarnation is not just pondering the Crib and the infant Jesus, although that
certainly has a strong place in the prayer of Alphonsus and our Redemptorist tradition. And with good
reason! Praying the Incarnation goes beyond the infancy to pondering the public life of Jesus, and our
friendship with him. It means praying as a full and human person, with all that we are. It means making the
Song of Songs our own. With all his hang-ups about sexuality, Alphonsus still knew and affirmed this!

Praying the Mystery of the Incarnation teaches us how marriage really is a sacrament, and so is friendship.
It reveals to us the sacramentality of all creation and all of life. It affirms the sacredness and goodness of
our humanity, even though we are fallen and broken people.

Pondering the Song of Songs while he was imprisoned by his brother monks in a broom closet, John of the
Cross wrote his masterpiece: The Dark Night I dose with this prayer, which is included in the Liturgy of the
Hours.36 There is aversion put to music by a great Canadian artist, Loreena McKennitt. 37
35
Alphonsus de Liguori, V/sits to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Most Holy Virgin. (Classics with Commentary)
by Dennis Billy C.Ss.R., Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2007, Visit 9, p. 69

23
Let us pray this mystery of the Incarnation as truly wonderful and broken human beings, brothers and
sisters to Jesus, the Ward made Flesh. He comes to us just as we are. May we come to him just as we are.
Incarnate prayer is bodily prayer.

The Dark Night. St. John of the Cross.

"Upon a gloomy night,

With all my cares to loving ardours flushed,

(0 venture of delight!)

With nobody in sight

I went abroad when all my house was hushed.

In safety, in disguise,

In darkness upon the secret stair I crept,

(0 happy enterprise!)

Concealed from other eyes

When all my house at length in silence slept.

Upon that lucky night

In secrecy, inscrutable to sight,

I went without discerning

And with no other light

Except for that which in my heart was burning.

It lit and led me through

More certain than the light of noonday clear

36
Liturgy of the Hours, Val. 4, p. 1985-86.
37
The CD: "The Mask and the Mirror", Scarbarough, ON: Warner Music Canada Ud, 1994.

24
To where One waited near

Whose presence well I knew,

There where no other presence might appear.

Oh night that was my guide!

o darkness dearer than the morning's pride,

Oh night that joined the lover

To the beloved bride

Transfiguring them each into the other.

Within my flowering breast

Which only for himself entire I save

He sank into his rest

And all my gifts I gave

Lulled by the airs with which the cedars wave.

Over the ramparts fanned

While the fresh wind was fluttering his tresses,

With his serenest hand

My neck he wounded, and

Suspended every sense with its caresses.

Lost to myself I stayed

My face upon my lover having laid

From all endeavour ceasing:

And all my cares releasing

Threw them amongst the lilies there to fade".

25
Chapter 4: Mental Prayer: Pondering and Presence

"This is precisely what St. Bernard wrote to Pope Eugene: 'I fear for you, Eugene, lest in the midst of so
many affairs you may come to neglect prayer and reflection. Your heart, as a result, will grow hard and you
will not be disturbed on that account as you should be, because you will not be aware of it' .... And realize
that the Pope whom St. Bernard warned about omitting prayer (if it is true that he sometimes did so) did
not neglect his prayer on account of some worldly affairs but on account of matters which were of
importance for the glory of God and of the church. Priests should realize that they have all the greater
need of the assistance of divine grace when they are overwhelmed with demands on their time for more
important matters.

Consequently, they need to devote themselves all the more to prayer in order to obtain the strength that
they need to carry out their duties. And Ws holds good not only for those who might be inclined to neglect
prayer in order to attend to secular affairs but also for those who omit prayer in order to assist others
spiritually, as for example, by hearing their confessions, preaching, or writing".38

This chapter addresses Mental Prayer in St. Alphonsus. As a teacher or Doctor of Prayer, Alphonsus is
perhaps best known for his promotion of the discipline of Mental Prayer.

Fr. Brian Johnstone, in an article he wrote, outlines very briefly some of the factors which led to the
development of 'mental prayer' in the West.39

For many centuries, the spiritual discipline of meditation and lectio divina was practiced by monks and
nuns in monasteries. They lived in an atmosphere of quiet and often prolonged silence. Their day was
organized around praying together the Divine Office, seven periods of prayer a day. They listened to
extensive selections of Scripture, and memorized texts as part of the discipline of prayer. In the best cases,
they lived and breathed in a meditative hothouse. In the worst cases, they slept and day-dreamed.

With the development of the orders of mendicants (Franciscans and Dominicans), the Canons Regular
(Augustinians, Theatines, etc.), and the apostolic religious (Jesuits, Oratorians, Vincentians), this more
monastic, meditative environment was no longer available to large groups of men religious, and
subsequencly women religious, let alone to the ordinary lay man or woman. They felt called to a more
spiritual or devout life in the midst of their apostolic life, or for lay people, of their daily occupations.
Especially after the I4th century, there was a pronounced effort to facilitate meditation and streamline and
organize it so that priests, brothers and sisters could attain its benefits in a much briefer period of
dedicated time, e.g. half an hour in the morning, and half an hour in the evening.

38
'Practice of Mental Prayer', in CWS, pp. 303-304.

39
Brian Johnstone, C.Ss.R., "How to Meditate and Contemplate According to the Redemptorist Tradition", North
American Spirituality Commission, 2005, This article was privately printed and made available to the retreatants.

26
With the Western intellectual fascination with organization and systematization, 'methods' of mental
prayer began to emerge. As well, the prayer was organized into stages - leading to the idea that
contemplation was reserved for the spiritual elite (especially monks and nuns, though not exclusively);
meditation was the prerogative of the apostolic religious, and organized devotions were sufficient for the
majority of the ordinary Christians, if they were invited to even that much 'mental prayer’.

Alphonsus had a different approach. As I mentioned yesterday, he was absolutely convinced of the
universal salvific will of God. His reading of the Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church, along with his
experience as a confessor and among the poor and abandoned, convinced him that this was the
fundamental doctrine of Christianity. The corollary of this doctrine was the universal call to holiness. He
writes: "God wants all of us to be saints, and each one according to his or her state of life: the religious as a
religious, laypeople as laypeople, the priest as a priest, the married person as married, the merchant as
merchant, the soldier as soldier, and so on, in every other state of life" .40

To facilitate the response to this universal call to holiness, Alphonsus believed that people from every walk
of life were called to 'mental prayer', and that this was not to be strictly organized according to stages. It
must be accessible to every person, not just the spiritual elite with time on their hands.

Mental prayer included meditation and contemplation, and meditation included affections, petitions,
resolutions and devotion. He introduced mental prayer into the Evening Chapels in Naples,41 and on the
Missions. These initiatives met with significant opposition from local clergy and the more educated lay
men. However, Alphonsus had powerful defenders on his side.

Gennaro Sarnelli42 was a person of influence, the son of a Baron, a lawyer and educated man. He believed
that it was not enough to meet the material needs of the poor, to offer them alternative livelihoods
(instead of prostitution, for example), but it was also essential to teach them how to engage in mental
prayer. As well, Alphonsus was defended by several Bishops and the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples itself.

Alphonsus even published a pamphlet on the best ways to teach children how to engage in mental prayer
before morning mass. He sincerely believed that this prayer is for everyone!43 And that it will lead all to
what many at the time called 'more advanced states of prayer: such as acquired contemplation.44

Second, Alphonsus, in his writing about prayer, as in his other works, returned to the Fathers of the
Church. He found and learned from many of the Eastern Doctors, and especially from John Chrysostom and

40
The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, in CWS, p. 141.
41
A brief description of the 'evening chapels' (groupings of poor and unlettered people in the slums of Naples for
prayer, catechesis & charitable activities) is found in the Introduction of CSW, p. 25.
42
A friend of Alphonsus and one of the first Redemptorists; a prolific spiritual writer, beatified by Pope John Paul ll,
May 12, 1996.
43
Cf. the Introduction to "The Practice of Mental Prayer", in CWS, p. 302.
44
I refer here to the Praxis Confessarii of SI. Alphonsus in an English Translation, Guide for Confessors. Esopus, NY:
private printing, 1978, p. 116.

27
Peter Chrysologus.45 These insights were also integrated into his way of prayer, along with the insights of
Teresa of Avila, Dionysius the Areopagite, Francis de Sales and others. In these great spiritual authors,
Alphonsus' intuition about the importance of affections, petitions and resolutions was affirmed. Although'
affections' had original1y been an element in the Ignatian Jesuit practice of mental prayer, this had all but
disappeared by the time of Alphonsus, perhaps due in part to the fear of Quietism.

1. Mental Prayer: Terms

References to mental prayer occur in almost all of AIphonsus' spiritual works. He presumes that his readers
will use his writings and meditations as nourishment of their mental prayer. However, he also writes
explicitly about the nature of mental prayer in at least four places.46 In these more explicit writings on
mental prayer he is systematic and does not permeate them with the stories and quotations which bring
such life to his other works.

Before continuing on too much further, I think that we need some description of the terms we use when
we talk about mental prayer in St. AIphonsus. It is good to remember that these are 'descriptions', more
than definitions. I don`t think AIphonsus is too fond of defining prayer. It can lead to artificial distinctions
and unhelpful misunderstandings. AIphonsus is much more inclined to get us to experience mental prayer.
The descriptions are only meant to be helpful guides. When they are not helpful, ignore them - with his full
support! As I mentioned already in the introduction, mental prayer for AIphonsus has four dimensions, all
of which are intimately related and often overlapping in the actual practice.47

For AIphonsus, meditation involves reflection and consideration of some spiritual matter. But it is primarily
focused on arousing affections, leading to resolutions (conversion), and prompting real petitions for grace.
For AIphonsus, meditation is not primarily discursive reflection. He quotes Teresa of Avila here. Mental
prayer is not so much thinking about God but loving God more deeply and genuinely, and it bears fruit in
conversion, in action and in compassion. He also writes that the primary purpose of mental prayer is so
that we will know what to ask for in petition! Again, AIphonsus underscores the primary importance of the
prayer of petition.

Active recollection is also a dimension of mental prayer. Active recollection is the kind of prayer where
reflection on a particular truth leads me to a peaceful resting in God and affection for God. My faculties are
active. I am thinking about a particular truth, or spiritual matter. For example, a passage in Scripture might
lead me to real sorrow for a particular sin and gratitude for God's mercy. In active recollection, the person
45
Fr Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R., presented much of Alphonsus' recourse to the Eastern Fathers of the Church in a
workshop sponsored by the Redemptorists of the Yorkton (Ukrainian) Province in Canada in June of 2006, since
issued as Fully Alive. Centennial Workshop of the Yorkton Province, a private publication, Cf. pp. 45-78.
46
The Praxis Confessarii, (Eng. Trans. referred to in fn. 7, above), pp. 112-115; The Great Means of Salvation and of
Perfection, (Grimm Ed.) Val. 3, pp. 268-284; The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, (Grimm Ed.), Val 9/10, pp. 453-46; & A
Letter to a priest, Don Matteo Ried, in Val. 1 af Letters, (Grimm Ed), Val. 18, pp. 117-118.
47
I am following Alphonsus' treatment in his Praxis Confessarii, (Eng. Trans.), pp. 112f. Praxis Confessarii, (Eng.
Trans), p. 115 12

28
is aware of and occupied with some particular thought, but has no need, at least for the moment, to
engage in the effort of reflection. I might carry that 'thought', or passage, or a word or two, with me
throughout the whole day.

Contemplative repose is like active recollection. However, in contemplative repose, l am aware of God's
love and presence in a less focused and more general manner. I am aware that I am at peace, recollected
and drawn to God - and without effort, I pause and 'bask in the glow'. 48

Contemplation Itself is quite different. In meditation, active recollection, and even contemplative repose, a
person goes out in search of God through some effort of reasoning, reflecting, reading, considering.
Prompted by grace, l am aware that I am acting, in partnership with God, of course, but l am aware that I
am taking action. In contemplation, God acts, and the soul is only acted upon and receives the gifts which
are infused into it by grace.49 Contemplation leads to mystical union, and may even become a permanent
state. This is pure gift, pure grace. But that is not going to be the subject of this chapter. If you are
experiencing this permanent state, then you already know what l am speaking about. And I would presume
that you are also aware of your need for a spiritual director to protect you from illusion.

Now, all four of these dimensions may be present in a single period of mental prayer, although this would
be quite unusual, according to St. Alphonsus. It would not be unusual, however, to experience more than
one of these dimensions in a prayer period, especially meditation leading to active recollection, or
contemplative repose. I don`t think that Alphonsus would want you to be too thoroughly engaged in an
analysis of what is happening in you as you are praying! Rather, pray and let the Spirit lead. And get a good
spiritual director with whom you can speak frankly about your spiritual life. Remember, different
personality types will experience mental prayer differently. There is no right or wrong. The method of
Alphonsus is flexible and inclusive. In fact, some say that the genius of Alphonsus is that his method is no
method or formula.

I like to think of mental prayer in terms of pondering and presence.

Mary is the first person who comes to mind in these terms. Mary and Pondering! Luke uses this expression
several times about Mary. "When the angels made known what has been told them about the child ...
Mary treasured all these words and, pondered them in her heart". (Lk 2:17.19) Again she responds in the
same way to the mysterious words of Jesus at the time of the Finding in the Temple. She "treasured all
these things in her heart". (Lk 2:56) She teaches us how to 'meditate' or ponder on the Word of God. We
must treasure it with care, and ponder it in our hearts. (Lk 8: 15) In this way, we live always in the presence
of God.

But this is a life-Iong process. It often begins with many words and thoughts, many conversations and
exchanges, and much 'discursive reflection. I think of my youngest brother. After my ordination, when I
would visit home - Bob was still living with my parents. I was often struck at the way in which he could
48
Praxis Confessarii, (Eng. Trans.), p. 115
49
Praxis Confessarii, (Eng. Trans.), p. 115

29
spend hours chatting with the woman who would one day become his wife. After spending an evening
together, he would phone her before going to bed, and they would talk for another hour! It's like that
when we are young and we begin a new and significant relationship. It's often like that with meditation
and mental prayer, which is more about relationship than study.

I also think of an experience I had as a young priest in Newfoundland. I was doing the parish visitation one
autumn, and I came to the home of a couple who had been married for more than sixty years. They
brought me into the kitchen, by the wood stove, and the wife began to tell me the story of their family.
The husband was right there, in his rocking chair, smoking his pipe, without saying a word. At a certain
point in the conversation, the wife stood up, put the kettle on the stove, boiled the water, made a cup of
tea (adding the sugar and the milk), and then gave it to her husband. This happened without exchanging a
single word with him, nor losing a beat in her conversation with me. When she did pause for a moment, I
asked her how she knew he wanted a cup of tea just then. She smiled, surprised, and replied: "Father, how
could I not know? We've been married more than sixty years. I know everything he wants, when he wants
it, and how he wants it".

After a lifetime together, she knew her husband that well, without even saying a word. She was present to
him at the same time she was talking to me. I think it's similar with mental prayer. God leads us to such an
intimate and profound knowledge that words are scarcely necessary. It's presence which matters most of
all. Perhaps that's the contemplative repose, which Alphonsus assures us is the inevitable fruit of a life of
mental prayer.

2. How to meditate?

There are many different methods of meditation in Christian tradition. In his article, Fr. Johnstone outlines
several contemporary Christian movements:

a) The Christian Meditation movement promoted by Dom John Main, O.S.B.50 This method is the one
practiced at the Desert House of Prayer in Picture Rocks outside of Tucson, as in many other places.
Some of you participate in these Christian Meditation groups. This method advocates the repetition
of a simple Christian mantra, such as Maranatha - Come Lord Breathing and posture are very
important. In all these methods, we are praying as incarnate beings - not disembodied spirits!
Remember the importance of Incarnation!

b) Centering Prayer promoted by Fr. Timothy Keating O.C.S.O. and others. 51 This method involves
emptying the mind of all conscious thought. Again, breathing and posture are important.

c) The Jesus Prayed 52 This simple prayer has a long and venerable tradition, especially in the Eastern
Churches, but also in the West. It involves variations of praying the name of Jesus with each breath,

50
This is presented in his book: Moment of Christ. The Path of Meditation. New York: Crossroads, 1984.
51
Cf. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., Intimacy with God. New York: Crossroads, 1995. Also M. Basil Pennington,
Centering Prayer. Renewing and Ancient Christian Prayer Form. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. Inc., 1980.

30
 until it becomes a continuous presence within - the Spirit praying united with our spirit. The
Acathist prayer is one example of this way of praying as a community.

d) Many people still practice Lectio Divina.53 and it is becoming more popular among young people.
Cardinal Martini popularized this method at the Cathedral in Milan.

e) The Ignatian method is the preferred way of mental prayer for many.54

f) There is also the traditional practice, as proposed by St. Alphonsus, with variations also in the works
of Gennaro Sarnelli, and others.

The above is not a complete list - but only various examples of methods.

3. Alphonsus' method of meditation

It is one method - and like all of Alphonsus' methods, it is something he is pushed to formulate in order to
be practical. The spirit is more important. But he wants to be practical. It is not the 'be all and end all', the
last word. But it is a beginning step. Alphonsus believes that it will be helpful for others. He describes this
method in different places, sometimes with a slightly different accent on one part or I another. I think this
demonstrates its essential fluidity. His method is not a simple 'how to' formula! It's not a recipe for sanctity
a la Uncle Ben's Instant Rice.

Three Elements first of all:

* Preparation (initial, remote which is very important, and immediate - kind of like formation!)

* Consideration/Ret1ection/Meditation - this is the heart or meat of the meditation

* Conclusion

1. Preparation

Preparation for mental prayer is very important for Alphonsus. Contrary to popular imagination, you
cannot simply find the right method, sit down in chapel, and launch into mental prayer with great success,
affection and feeling.

52
Cf. Lev Gillet, On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus. Springfield, IL.: Templegate Publishers, 1985; Bishop
Kallistos Ware, The Power of the Name. The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality, Fairacres, Oxford: SLG Press,
1974.
53
Cf. Michael Casey, O.C.S.O., Sacred Reading. The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina. Liguori, Missouri: Liguori
Publications, 1996; also Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O Lectio Divina. Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the
Scriptures. New York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1998
54
Ignatius Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works. Ed. by George E. Ganss S.J.,"The Classics 01
Western Spirituality", New York Mahwah: The Paulist Press, 1991, especially pp. 178182; Also Oavid L. Fleming S.J.,
(Ed.), Ignatian Exercises. Contemporary Annotation. SI. LOUIS, Missouri: Review for Religious, 1996. CI. especially
the section on Prayer.

31
Initial preparation or formation for a life of mental prayer begins with the sincere desire to live a spiritual
life, to avoid sin, and to grow in love for God and neighbour. An essential part of this 'preparation' is a
living love for the Word of God in Scripture. This love must be carefully nourished personally and in the
community.

I like the expression 'steeped in the Word of God'.55 It reminds me of making tea at home. The tea must be
steeped. There are no quick solutions. Stirring, or pressing the bag to the side of the pot, or boiling, do not
allow the tea to steep well.

I think of Mary and the Magnificat - she was steeped in the Word of God, and that's why it was so easy for
her to pray in the words of her ancestors! I've found that now, when I pray, often the words I use are from
the psalms, or canticles - or sometimes more contemporary hymns.

Although this 'steeping in the Word of God' is initial preparation, it is a life-long process. I think of a
community member, Fr. Len Fitzgerald, beginning a new study of the gospels at the age of 90. I knew of a
Redemptorist bishop in Peru who began a translation of the Bible into Quechua at the age of 9I! He
completed it at the age of 97.

Remote preparation was a term with which I became very familiar when I was living with a confrere, Fr.
Clark Mc Aulay. Each evening after the 9:00 news, he would stand up, announce that he was going to begin
his remote preparation, and promptly leave for his room and his bed. He said it only half tongue in cheek.
To engage in mental prayer profitably in the morning, it's important to do some preparation the night
before. This means choosing the passage or material you will bring with you for the consideration, reading
the Scriptures for the following day, engaging in a good examen of consciousness. The latter is the prayer
of John Chrysostom made newly popular by the Jesuits, especially Fr. Armand Nigro S.J. Alphonsus knew of
Ws prayer, and he encouraged it.

Reconciliation might be an important and necessary part of our remote preparation, either through the
sacrament, or personal reconciliation with oneself or another. Sometimes it might mean simply extending
an olive branch.

Immediate preparation at the beginning of a period of meditation is very short and simple. Go to the place
where you will pray. Alphonsus recommends the chapel in the morning to begin each day, though Ws is
not the only possibility. He suggests that you kneel, at least for this preparation. Engage in three 'acts' -
faith, contrition, prayer for the light of the Spirit.

These three 'acts' ought to be made in your own words. I think it is particularly important to stress the act
of faith. It is simply something to the effect of 'my God, I believe that you are here with me. Help me to be
here with you'.

2. Consideration / Meditation / Reflection

55
Constitution 28. The Vatican 11 Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), # 25, speaks of 'being
immersed' in the Scriptures.

32
This is the heart or meat of the meditation period. Alphonsus strongly suggests using a text and reading
slowly and reflectively. The Word of God should have priority as text, but is not the only suitable one. Read
reflectively. Don`t try to 'finish the book' or even the chapter. Remember that Teresa of Avila used the
same book for 17 years! You are not reading to get it finished! But the text is not the important part.
Alphonsus quotes Teresa56 that this prayer is more concerned with loving God ardently than thinking about
God systematically or even affectionately! Be gentle and attentive to the movements of the Spirit.

Most often you will be prompted to pause and take some time to consider a sentence, a word, a thought.
This consideration will lead to affections, movements of the heart in the Spirit to love, joy, contentment,
peace, thanksgiving, sorrow, shame, or whatever.

These moments and movements of affection will often lead to a deeper self-knowledge, bringing with it a
deeper awareness of my dependence and need. They may bring to mind others for whom you have
promised to pray. Situations of pain, suffering, need in the world might come to your heart. This will lead
to petition and especially petitions for perseverance and love.57 Perhaps even a resolution will emerge.

But be gentle with yourself! If no petitions seem to arise, and no resolution, then go back to the text and
read again. Pause once more for that kind of' consideration whenever the Spirit moves you.

However, towards the end of this part of your meditation, formulate at least one particular resolution you
can carry out that day or that night. It might be very particular, to spend time in silence today; to
acknowledge the presence of someone I would rather avoid; to ask forgiveness for an offence I have
rendered to someone; to do something I have been procrastinating. Avoid resolutions which are too
general or non-specific! (Like the cartoon character, Lucy who says: "I love humanity, its people that I can't
stand".) Whenever possible, let the subject for the resolution surface gently from your prayer. Do not force
yourself artificially.

Alphonsus quotes from Venerable Paul Segneri:

"Until I studied theology, I employed myself during mental prayer in making reflections and affections; but
God opened my eyes and thenceforward I endeavoured to employ myself in petitions; and if there is any
good in me, I ascribe it to this exercise of recommending myself to God :”58

3. Conclusion

Again, these 'acts' or prayers are very short and simple conversation. Thank God for the time of prayer, and
any moments of grace, light, insight or resolution. Recall your resolution, and commit yourself to it.
Address any short petition to God for the day which comes to mind. Ask Mary to keep you faithful.

56
The Great Means of Salvation and Perfection, (Grimm Ed), Vol. 3, p. 276. The Method 01 Mental prayer (Irom this
volume) is also contained In Heart calls to Heart. An Alphonsian Anthology, (Hoegerl, Ed.), pp. 223-233.
57
Cf. the previous chapter on the importance Alphonsus places on the prayer of petition.
58
The Great Means 01 Salvation and Perfection, (Grimm Ed.), Vol. 3, p. 279 Heart calls to Heart, (Hoegerl Ed.), p.
229.

33
And finally, bring before God any particular intentions you might have - the kind of 'prayer list' which you
might keep of people and situations. Sr. John Chrysostom highly recommends this and Alphonsus quotes
him with great approval.59 Bring these as intercessions or petitions. This might be the very means by which
God brings same person or situation to your consciousness, and uses you as an instrument and response to
prayer that very day.

Now, there are those who criticize this method as too complicated, and too 'act-oriented', not quiet
enough. I have not found it so. It is very simple, and easy to do. It is only a method, and there are others.
Remember the purpose of all meditation and mental prayer is to grow in love of God and perseverance so
that we might become more fully united with God's will.

I particularly like the very practical suggestion of reading a text, but using the text as a launch pad, a
catalyst. The text itself is not so important and should be chosen because it 'provokes' affections. Of
course, Alphonsus placed tremendous importance on the place and role of Scripture and presumed that
we would be steeped in the Word of God as the tea bag is in the water, or the fish in the seal

This practice of mental prayer will develop in us the spirit of contemplation to 'distinguish between what is
real and what is illusory'.60

'The Word of God gives support and energy to the Church, strengthens the faith of her children, nourishes
the soul and is the pure and never failing wellspring of the spiritual life. Therefore, as ministers of the
revelation of Christ's mystery among people, the members shall often have recourse to his living and life-
giving word and steep themselves in it, both by constant reading of the Scriptures and by community
celebrations of the Word of God With faith enlivened in this way, they become more effective apostles in
every good work (cf 2 Tim. 3:17)".61

Chapter 5: The Passion and the Paschal Mystery

Eternal Word! You spent thirty-three years in sweat and hardship. You gave your blood and your life for
our salvation. In short, you spared nothing to make us love you. Then how can there be people who know
this and yet do not love you? O God, I am one of these ingrates. I see the wrong I have done. O my Jesus,
have pity on me. I offer you this ungrateful heart of mine - ungrateful, but repentant. Yes, above every other
evil, my dear Redeemer, I repent of having despised you. I repent, and I am sorry with al1 my heart.

My soul, you love a God who is bound like a criminal for you, a God scourged like a slave for you, a God
made a mock-king for you, a God in short, dead upon a cross for you as if he were a scoundrel. Yes, my
Savior, my God, I do love you. Always remind me of everything you suffered for me, so that I may never
again forget to love you.

59
The Great Means of Salvation and Perfection, (Grimm Ed.), p. 281. Heart Calls to Heart, (Hoegerl), p. 231.
60
Constitution 24.
61
Constitution 28.

34
Ropes that bound Jesus, bind me to Jesus; thorns that crowned Jesus, wound me with love for Jesus; nails
that pierced Jesus, nail me to the cross of Jesus, that I may live and die united to Jesus".62

Alphonsus comes by his devotion to the Passion honestly. It was a principal devotion of his parents. His
mother, educated by Franciscan nuns, had long cultivated this devotion in her prayers. His father kept those
four statues of the Christ in his Passion in his cabin onboard his flagship. As a layman, in 1719, Alphonsus
had painted the crucified Jesus to express his personal devotion.

Alphonsus believes that texts about the Passion are those most likely to provoke us to affections in our
mental prayer, and to move us to love seeking union in our petitionary prayer. He is convinced that prayerful
reflection on the Passion narratives horn the gospels will inflame the one who prays with divine love. As he
says in his book on the Passion, 'explained simply as the Gospels describe it':

"there is nothing which unfolds to us the treasures contained in the sufferings of Jesus Christ better than the
simple story of his Passion ... it is enough to reflect on the narration which the holy Evangelists have given
of the sorrows of the Redeemer and to view with the eyes of a Christian all that Christ has suffered in the
three principal locales of his passion; that is, in the Garden of Olives, in the city of Jerusalem, and on Mount
Calvary". 63

The Passion narratives have apre-eminent place in his theology and spirituality, because Alphonsus believes
that meditation on the Passion texts will also make Redemptorists more effective evangelists.

"Conversions, if they originate only from fear, last only a short time, and are forgotten ... I have had this
image of Jesus Crucified painted, so that in the vita divota preceding the meditation on the Passion, you can
place it before the people ... The tears which result from gazing on the Crucified come from the heart
wounded by love of his Passion. The conversion of the person through love is stronger and more lasting.
Love can do what fear cannot:'64

Jesus was born to die, as each of us is born to die. We begin to die the moment we are born. Somewhere in
his Preparation for Death he reminds us that each time we pray the 'Hail Mary', "now and the hour of our
death" we are getting closer to that moment ... what a happy thought for the day!

The same is true for Jesus because of his solidarity with humanity through the Incarnation. "Jesus was
crucified and condemned to death by the very fact that he became incarnate in our situation, in our earthly,
sinful, world".65 This solidarity is well expressed in a letter from Jean Donovan in El Salvador to her fiancé
in the United States, found after her death. She wrote that she could not leave El Salvador because true

62
The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, (Heinegg trans.), Ch. 1, "Prayers of love and affections," pp.11-12. The text Phil
2:1-11 is also a good beginning for our reflection.
63
Simple Exposition of the Circumstances of the Passion of Jesus Christ, (1761) in The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ.
The Complete Works 01 Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, Vol. 5. Ed. E. Grimm, Brooklyn: Redemptorist Fathers, 1927, p.160.
64
Letter on the Missions. The quote Is found in Joseph Krebs C.Ss.R. The Spirit of St. Alphonsus Liguori. Boston, Mass: Mission
Church Press, 1909, pp. 62-63.
65
Paul Hitz, C.Ss.R., "Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio", in Readings on Redemption. Ed. R. Corriveau C.Ss.R., & A. de Mingo
C.Ss.R., Rome: General Secretariat for Redemptorist Spirituality, 2006, p. 91.

35
solidarity with the children of that strife-torn country meant that she could not live with a plane ticket in her
back pocket.

It's not just the fact that we all die, but the how we die which is important. We recognize the fact of death ...
and the Passion of Jesus is about the how.

'Passion' is an interesting word in English. I suggest that we consider it in its variety of meanings.

Passion can describe suffering, especially intense suffering. When we refer to the Passion of Jesus, we
usually think of this suffering and death on the Cross for us.

Passion can also describe intense feelings - as when someone is passionate about something or someone.
There are words which seem to naturally couple with passion: love and passion, anger and passion, justice
and passion. Perhaps we need to consider this dimension of the Passion of Jesus a little more carefully as we
begin our reflection.

1. The Passion of Jesus

Jesus has a passion for the poor and the suffering, for the outcast and the 'little people' who are used as
pawns to trap him. Think of the man with the withered hand used as a trap for Jesus. Jesus looks around
angrily at the crowd in the synagogue. (Mt 12:9-14; Mk 3:1-6; Lk 6:6-11) Think of the woman caught in
adultery and paraded before him in her nakedness - Jesus saves her life and restores her life. Gn8:3-Il)

Jesus has a passion for the will of God and he expresses it as an aching longing:

"I have come to set the earth on tire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I
must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished". (Lk 12: 49-50)

This text was another favourite of Alphonsus, and the basis of one of his earliest homilies, in which he
speaks of the Passion of Jesus!

Jesus has a passion for his missio - and he speaks with authority as he announces the Reign of God
Remember Luke 4: 16-20, when Jesus goes back to his hometown and takes the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
We can meditate on this famous text as a key to our Constitutions, but also as a key for understanding the
passion of Jesus for his mission, that mission which he shares with us.

Jesus has a premonition of his own impending Passion. He sees it in the example of John the Baptist. The
Baptist reveals the fate of a man passionate for justice and the Reign of God. (Mt II:12; 14:3-13; Mk6:17-29;
Lk3:19-20)

When Jesus predicts his suffering and death, we catch a glimpse of the passion of Jesus for the salvific will
of God, and his total commitment to complete this will perfectly. (Lk 9:5 I; 9:44; 18:3 I -33)

Jesus ponders the songs of the suffering servant from Isaiah. (cf Mk 1: 11; 10:45; 14:65; 15: 2-5.18-19; Mt
3:17; Lk 22:37) Meditating on these texts, he finds the key to his own identity, and he understands his
mission, as well as the resistance of his people to this Good News. His predictions of his Passion go
misunderstood by all but himself.

36
Is not this all part of his 'Passion - the will of God, the poor and suffering, his mission, his sense of what it
all will cost? The passion of Jesus for his mission leads to his suffering and death.

2. 'The Passion Accounts'

Why are there four?66

As early as the 3rd Century there was an effort to make the 4 accounts into one, and 'correct' the differences.
Thank God the Church rejected this effort.

* The four accounts provide us with four perspectives. It is like a family, when we remember the same event
and each describes it from our own perspective. I find that I am enriched from the different perspectives and
details. The only problem is when one of us stubbornly insists that our account is the only one with any
merit, convinced that our memory is best.

* The evangelists write out of four contexts.

* It is part of the oral preaching based on eye-witnesses and those to whom the witness was communicated

Each evangelist re counts his Passion narrative in a different context. This historical and cultural context
influences the particular memories and details in the account preserved by a particular community. When I
understand the context, I understand much better the particular Passion narrative. This is why Sr. Alphonsus
urges us to pray, to meditate at length on each of the four Passion narratives, each in turn. Each of them will
address us and our different situations today in a particular fashion.

Mark:

* Mark writes to a suffering Church in Rome in midst of a persecution.

* He sees Jesus who is abandoned betrayed by all, dies alone, is martyred
* Even his closest disciples and his family do not understand
* It is the Roman Centurion who recognizes him as a 'Son of God'.
* There are no resurrection appearances in the earliest manuscripts, only the empty tomb.

Perhaps this is the experience of Mark himself, as it was certainly the experience of his community, where
family members did not understand how some could embrace the Christian faith. They betrayed them to the
authorities. It might be our own experience today - at least sometimes. We know this sense of suffering. We
know times when we feel abandoned, perhaps even by God. At those times, we can do nothing but place our
faith in an empty tomb, without the felt experience of the risen Christ, because we do not feel him.

Matthew:

• Matthew is much like Mark, which makes the differences all the more interesting.

• He writes for a Jewish Christian community. Jesus, is the suffering servant from II Isaiah.

• He is the fundament of the Hebrew Scriptures.

66
Raymond Brown, A Crucified Christ in Holy Week. Essays on the Four Passion Narratives. Collegeville, Minnesota: The
Liturgical Press, 1986, pp. 9-20.

37
 • But Matthew introduces a new element - the element of Liturgy.

• A new Liturgy is initiated: psalms are prayed, sacrifice offered, the temple curtain is torn.

• The sacrifice of the cross replaces the temple.

• The mission is expanded after the resurrection.

• Matthew struggles with the question: why don`t Ws fellow Jews believe?

In Matthew, the meaning of Jesus is found in the prophets and the liturgy of the ancestors. These
recognizable features are a comfort to his readers - and for us as well. We know what it's like to find
meaning in well-celebrated liturgies. As an example, think of funerals for loved ones.

Luke:

• Luke's account is quite different.

• He is a co-worker with Paul. He writes for a Gentile Christian community.

• The Gentile Christian community had strong women leaders, so Luke's account emphasizes the role
of women.

• In Luke, Jesus says the disciples remain faithful; even when they fall asleep, it is for sorrow.

• There is a tradition of Luke as a physician.

• Thus his Gospel is that of compassion and förgiveness. We see this in Jesus and in the parables of the
good Samaritan, (10:29-37) the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. (15:1-32)

• Jesus' compassion is expressed in the face of the suffering he heals the ear of the high priest's servant
(22:51); he comforts the women of Jerusalem (23:27-28); he forgives the soldiers at the foot of the
cross "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (23:34); he promises Paradise
to the good thief - 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise". (23:43)

• Luke's Gospel is the gospel of prayer as well. He gives up his spirit in a prayer of confidence. Whereas
in Mark's Gospel Jesus dies praying: "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani", (Mk 15:44), in Luke his final
prayer is: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit".(23:46)

Compassion and prayer give Jesus the strength to remain faithful in his Passion. The same will be true for us
- when we are in pain, and carry through because of compassion for others.

This puts me in mind of an encounter I had with an extraordinary woman in my first pastoral assignment
after ordination. In my first year I was minimally acquainted with her as a parishioner, mostly through her
youngest son who was an altar server. About a year after I had arrived in the parish, she was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer and the prognosis was bleak. She had very few weeks of life left. But during these last
weeks of her life, I got to know her much better. I tried to visit her most days at the hospital. We all knew
she was dying. One day, one of the nurses caring for her asked me to convince her to accept the painkillers
which would alleviate her severe suffering. When I spake with her, she merely smiled and said she couldn't.

"But why?" I asked.

38
"Father, you have to understand", she responded. 'Im a nurse - I know the effect these painkillers would
have on me. They would dull my senses and my consciousness. I can't do that right now. You know my son.
I have so much to tell him - and I have to help him get ready for my death. I need all my faculties for that!"

"But how do you stand the pain", I asked again.

She pointed to the crucifix on the wall opposite the foot of her bed.

"I look at him. He refused the wine, remember. He had to take care of others too - his mother, the thief, the
others. I look at him and I pray if you could do it, help me do it too. I have same who need me now'. And
that's it:'

She never took the painkillers until the very end. And she never lost her good humour. No one would have
guessed the pain she was in. And it was her compassion and her prayer that gave her the strength.

Coincidentally compassion is one of the great fruits of mental prayer, according to Alphonsus.

Recall also that the Gospel of Luke is only the first book of a two volume series which includes Acts. Acts
shows the Risen Christ at work in his disciples exercising the same ministry of compassion and forgiveness.

John:

• John's Gospel portrays Christ as Son of God in Glory. (I: 14; 2:11 etc.) He is the Logos and pre-existent
Word.(I:I-S)

• Christ rules hum the cross. (3: 14; 8:28; 12:32; 20:37)

• His kingship is proclaimed in three languages, the three languages of the empire. (19:20)

• He also dies with others present at the cross. His mother is there, and his beloved disciple, and
several others. (19:25-27)

• For John Jesus on the cross gives birth to the Church and the sacraments (19:25-27.34-36)

• The glorified Jesus still bears the marks of the crucified (20:27) The wounded Christ comes to his
wounded community with reconciliation and the gift of the Spirit. (20:22-23)

• The cross is presented as a sign of reconciliation and gathering together. This is appropriate for
us today, in our woundedness and in a wounded Church in these days when so much trust has been
broken.

• The Gospel is written for 2 nd and 3rd generation Christians, _ and us.

• It is written for the many Thomases who have never seen and yet believe. (20:30-31)

Alphonsus invites us today, as he invited the people of his day, to meditate and pray over these four
accounts. Take one of the Passion accounts and pray with it And remember, the Passion accounts don`t end
with the death of Jesus. They continue to the tomb and to the appearances and the experience of Pentecost!
This is especially true of Luke who has the Acts of the Apostles as Volume 2!

39
3. What caused his death?

The famous film by Mel Gibson, the Passion of the Christ, has stimulated a great deal of contemporary
reflection on this question: who is responsible for the death of Jesus? Different suggestions are proposed -
the religious authorities, or the Sadducees, or the Romans, or the sins of all men and women.

Jesus himself speaks of the cause of his death on the night he was betrayed. He says, "No one has greater
love than this, to lay down one's life for one's mends". (Jn 15:13) He means to say that love is the reason he
is crucified.

In a very real sense, it is the life of Jesus which leads to his death on the cross. The more he is faithfuI to
the will of God for the Redemption of all, the more the hostility against him grows.

I think of the very moving scene towards the end of the great American novel by Willa Cather - Death
comes for the Archbishop.

"After keeping quietly to his bed for several days, the Bishop called young Bernard to him one morning and
said: 'Bernard, will you ride into Santa Fe today and see the Archbishop for me? Ask him whether it will be
quite convenient if I return to occupy the study in his house for a short time. Je voudrais morir a Santa Fe.

'I will go at once, Father. But you should not be discouraged; one does not die of a cold', The old man
smiled. 'I shall not die of a cold, my son. I shall die of having lived".67

Jesus died of having lived1 He lived to the full! And he gave his life day after day after day...

The religious authorities (Sadducees and Scribes) viewed his mission of forgiveness and healing (the sick,
lepers etc) in terms of breaking the Sabbath, as blasphemy, as questioning authority. (cf. especially John's
Gospel: 'The Jews")68 They felt themselves threatened by the allegiance of the crowds to his message. (Mk
14:1-2 & par.)

The Pharisees saw his ministry to sinners as a breach of the laws of purity and a critical indictment of them
(e.g. Mark 7:1 - 13 & parallel in Mt 15:1 -20; Cf also Lk 5:17-35; 7:36-50; II:37-54; 14:1-24; Jn 9 etc.)

The Romans, fearing civil unrest, saw him as a troublemaker. One instance was the disturbance he caused
in the temple. Thus the collusion between the Roman and Jewish authorities. (e.g. Mk 3:6; the trial scenes in
each Gospel, especially Lk 23:5-12 and Jn 19:12)

The crowds, at first drawn to him, ultimately are aroused to cry for his crucifixion. We see here issues of
fear, tradition, confusion, allegiances, and cynicism.

The Church sees his death in terms of sin, hate, prejudice, tribalism, and violence.

67
Willa Cather. Death Comes for the Archbishop. Vintage Books, 1990, p. 269
68
John sees 'the Jews' as having a strong part in the crucifixion This nomenclature needs to be understood out
of the hurt experienced by 'the Christian Jews', now excluded from the synagogue by their fellow Jewish
brethren.

40
All of these can legitimately be seen as causes of his death. But the meaning of his death is deeper than the
cause. The hostility of people against him mounted in the measure that he was faithful to the will of God
for the Redemption of all.

The real meaning of his death is the mystery of love. Alphonsus echoes this in all his writings about the
Passion of Jesus Christ. He speaks of it as a mystery of love - no other motive. Its meaning is love, just as it
is for the Incarnation.

Alphonsus writes:

Jesus on the cross! Here is proof of the love of a God. This is the last appearance of the Incarnate Word on
earth. The first was in a stable, the last is on a cross. Both manifest his infinite love and charity toward
human beings".69

In his systematic theology, Alphonsus recalls the dominant theories: satisfaction, substitution, even
elements of 'exemplar'. But in his prayers and spiritual writings, he focuses exclusively on Love - a love that
is ‘pazzo’, passionate, unconditional, and that always seeks us. For Alphonsus, as for St. John the
Evangelist, the cross is the sign of gathering and reconciliation, not only with God but also between human
beings: "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself". (Jn 12:32)

4. Passion: From Action to Being Acted Upon

Although we generally understand the word 'passion' in terms of the suffering of Jesus, Fr. Denis McBride,
our confrere from the London Province, points out another dimension. He notes that, in reference to
Christ, the verbs change moods in the Passion accounts. They go from being active verbs to passive verbs.
This has a highly significant meaning.70

In his active ministry, Jesus is the subject of the verbs, the doer of the action. He heals the sick, he prays,
he eats with sinners, he forgives, he preaches in the synagogue and teaches on the hillside. He calls
disciples to be apostles and disputes with Pharisees and Scribes.

In the Passion accounts, Jesus is the object of the verbs, the one to whom the action is done. He is handed
over, and taken by the soldiers and brought before the Sanhedrin. He is scourged and crowned with
thorns. He is mocked and jeered. He is stripped and nailed to the cross. He is crucified, and then pierced
with a spear.

When you are a victim of violence, you are no longer in charge. Jesus passes horn doing to receiving what
others do to him. In this way, he enters into an even deeper solidarity with the poor and the little ones.
They are always the ones who have things done to them. In the Passion, Jesus is united in a more radical
solidarity with them. Alphonsus points this out in his meditations on the Passion - the identification of
Jesus in his Passion with the poor to whom so much is done.

69
"Simple Exposition of the Circumstances of the Passion of Jesus Christ", In Grimm Ed., Vol. V, P 206.
70
Denis McBride, C.Ss.R., Waiting on God. Chawton Hampshire: Redemptorist Publications, 2003, pp 80-88.

41
Jesus goes from being the one who heals to the one who is wounded. He was the charismatic leader who
invited others to "Follow me". Now he is led to his death. He moves horn being the one who invited: "Let
anyone who thirsts come to me and drink", (7:38) to being the one who cries, "I thirst" and has a sponge
on a stick shoved into his mouth. (19:28-29) Jesus taught his disciples to pray the "Our Father", (Mt 6:9-13)
and now he cries out, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?" (Mt 27:46-47) Especially in the
Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus who shares the isolation, alienation, betrayal and abandonment of the poor.

In Gethsemane, we watch the story of Jesus' gradual alienation form his own community unfold. He
struggles to discern and accept his Father's will. We see the most powerful prayer of self-surrender, the
consecration to his Father's will, complete and total. And we see his own community fall asleep for grief -
sleep as a refuge and escape. (Mk 14:32-42; Mt 26:36-46; Lk 22:40-46) It's not easy to see your leader
prostrate on the ground in tortured prayer, with sweat like drops of blood!

Maybe an aspect of contemplative repose is consenting to be where we really are. In Gethsemane, Jesus
accepts this contemplative repose, waiting in isolation, present to the prospect of what people will soon do
to him.

The waiting must have been terrible. Hostages who have been captured by terrorists and later released
have said that the worst time was when you were left alone - waiting. I recently listened to an interview
with Terry Waite on CBC Radio. The torture was easier to bear in many ways. Jesus does not have to wait
much longer. But his waiting has prepared him, as much as anyone can ever be prepared.

In his contemplative waiting, we are introduced to that curious power - the power of power not exercised.

This is the theme of a poem by Seamus Heaney, the Irish poet:

And this is all the good tidings amount to:

This principle of bearing, bearing up

And bearing out, just having to

Balance the intolerable in others

Against our own, having to abide

Whatever we settled for and settled into

Against our better judgement. Passive

Suffering makes the world go round ...

Prophesy who struck thee! When the soldiers mocked

42
Blindfolded Jesus and he didn't strike back

They were neither shamed nor edified, although

Something was made manifest - the power

Of power not exercised, of hope inferred

By the powerless forever. 71

Archbishop Oscar Romero captured this well. Not long before he gave his life, he wrote:

'The only violence the Gospel admits to is violence to oneself. When Christ lets himself be killed, that is
violence -letting oneself be killed. It is very easy to kill, especially when one has weapons, but how hard it is
to let oneself be killed for love of the people".72

5. Passion and Solidarity

Perhaps solidarity, as a paradigm for Redemption, might offer the seed of a contemporary re-
interpretation of this foundational Christian doctrine. This was the subject of some of the talks Fr. Lasso
presented, especially during his last year as Superior General. 73

Fr. Lasso spoke of solidarity in terms of drawing near to people, of faithful commitment and of
transformation. Is this not the pattern of Redemption?

• lncarnation. This is Christ's drawing near and closeness to people. This translates into our own
mission of drawing near to and being dose to the people.

• Passion. This is understood in terms of Christ's whole mission of faithful commitment to the Will of
God even unto death. Again it translates for us into faithful commitment to Christ and his ongoing
mission and perseverance until death.

71
Quoted by McBride, Waiting on God, p. 87

72
Quoted by McBride, Waiting on God, p. 88
73
Cf. Juan Manuel Lasso de la Vega C.Ss.R in a talk given at the Shrine of BI. Francis Xavier Seelos "Redemptorist
Spirituality", in Spiritus Patris 29(1, 2002), 4-11. Lasso quotes the Final Document of the XXI General Chapter, #36:
"The center of Redemptorist spirituality is Christ the Redeemer, as he reveals himself above all in the mysteries of his
Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection which we celebrate in the Eucharist. These lead Redemptorists to be his Iiving
memorial and to continue his mission in the world. This profoundly Christocentric spirituality impels us to rediscover
the heritage of St.. Alphonsus in his exodus towards the poor. The Redemptorist follows Christ the Redeemer and
pursues his liberating action." The theme is developed in his talks to the Edmonton-Toronto Province. July 7-August 1,
1997 (Vision for Mission); "Option for the Poor: Solidarity and Evangelization"; "Coherence, Incarnation and
Inculturation"; "The Redemptorist Apostolic Community"; "Prayer and Redemption". (Printed copies of the talks).

43
 • Resurrection: The risen Lord, enlivening us with the gift of his Spirit, becomes the principle of
transformation in us. From his side flows forth the riches of fundamental conversion, of
communion, of sacramental life of Eucharist and Reconciliation.

6. The Resurrection

We cannot speak of the Passion without also speaking of the Resurrection, especially during the Easter
Season. Alphonsus does not often speak explicitly of the Resurrection in his meditations. But Alphonsus
converses with the Risen and living Jesus, the Christ, about the Passion of this same Jesus. It is the
Resurrection which allows Jesus Christ to transcend his time and place, and to really be present to St.
Alphonsus in the 18th century, and to us today. I owe it to Fr. Carl Hoegerl, who first helped me to
understand this truth for Alphonsus, and how the real presence in the Eucharist is the continuing presence
of the Risen Jesus.

I am not at all surprised that it was two great Redemptorist theologians, Frs. Francis Xavier Durrwell and
Paul Hitz, who rediscovered and emphasized the significance of the Resurrection for contemporary
Christian theology and spirituality. They were formed and immersed in this spirit of familiar conversation
with the Risen Jesus about his passion.

But Alphonsus himself lived this paschal mystery, the mystery of Passion, suffering, death and
Resurrection. He invites us to do the same. For Alphonsus, the mystery of the Resurrection is lived and
experienced in the Eucharist. The Eucharist above all continues the real presence of the paschal mystery.

7. Living the Mystery

Alphonsus knows that when we are invited to unite ourselves to this mystery of Passion and Resurrection,
we must bring ourselves, in our own mystery of dying and rising, just as surely we must incarnate our
prayer. For him, Galatians 2;19-21 was a favourite text "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer
I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me".

We all want this! The same conviction and longing is present in the beautiful text of Philippians 3;7-II,
often a chosen text for first professions.

"Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard
everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in
him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes horn the law, but one that comes through faith in
Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection
and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the
resurrection from the dead"

We want to be united with Christ in his Passion and cross so as to share in the power of his Resurrection!
Oh yes, we want this, but as St. Jeanne de Chantal wrote commenting on these two texts, we don`t want it
to hurt! It does hurt, and it demands a choice. This choice needs to be made day after day, year after year.
44
We have vivid examples of this as Redemptorists. I think of Fr. Vic Crean who spent his last years in
Providence Villa, a nursing home in Toronto. During this time, as he moved horn being agent to recipient
(life being 'done' to him), he was intentional about not burdening visitors with his woes but focusing on
them. Take up your cross every day and follow me.

I think of Alphonsus in his latter years, in his wheel chair. That calls to mind the father of St. Therese of
Lisieux! He carried that horrible picture of St. Alphonsus around with him - because, he would say, 'there is
a saint who can understand me. He has lived through what I am living!'

We have Gerard on his bed of pain in the months before he died. On his door:

"Here the Will of God is done when he wills it and as he wills it".

But living the mystery of the Passion is also the mystery of living the Resurrection.

We briefly look at same of the Resurrection accounts. In Johns Gospel, before the appearance of the Risen
Jesus, the disciples cannot transform their terror into missionary purpose. They have no power to liberate
themselves horn the locked room. Jesus comes and shows them his hands and his side. It is a deeply
moving picture: a wounded Christ comes to his wounded community. Remember that they had all
betrayed him by their denial. ( Jn 20:19-23) Can we go beyond our hurt; can we minister to people even
though we still carry the signs of our own wounds? How can we do this? Only through the gift of the Spirit.
That's why the paschal mystery is not complete without the gift of the Spirit. But the breath of God will not
take away the apostles' wounds or scars, nor will it take away ours. However, it will enable them, (and us)
to go beyond their wounds, as did Christ himself.

Have you ever had second thoughts about whether or not you have really forgiven someone when the
scars go deep - and continue to throb on occasion? I've had that experience more times than I care to
remember! Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. And though we bear the marks of sin, and hurt, in our
bodies, the Spirit and prayer will empower us to go beyond.

In Luke's Gospel, the apostolic community is one that must wait on the gift of God. They have to maintain a
stature of prayerful waiting until their mission can begin in the power of the Spirit. The gift of God will
transform the waiting community into a ministering community. (Lk 24:36-53; Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-13)

It is not enough to have the memory of Jesus. It is not enough to have a mission statement. It is not even
enough to have met the Risen Lord. What is needed is the gift of the Spirit! Of course, we have received
the Spirit. But as put by Fr. Paul Hitz:

"In the meantime we are in a state of waiting. All of this remains hidden and everything continues after
Easter as before. But precisely what is being asked of us is to believe in Jesus, the Redeemer. And in a
special way, we Redemptorists are asked to go forth and proclaim Jesus the Redeemer to people.... Like an
erupting volcano, the Resurrection of Jesus will manifest in splendour that essential change. From now on,
the Risen Christ is in the very heart of our human, earthly reality.... Ordinary life goes on for the faithful ...
People continue to struggle, to suffer, to die. But for the followers of the Risen Christ all of life and reality

45
have changed interiorly ... They are already living this marvellous new life which transfigures the whole of
life". 74

Fr. Hitz also tells the story of a confrere meeting a Russian Prince in a displaced persons' camp. The prince
was old now, and all alone. During the aftermath of the revolution, his sons had been shot before his eyes.
His daughters had disappeared. His wife was now dead, and all his property was gone. He had been
displaced and finally escaped to the West. As he told his story, the Redemptorist missionary looked for
words to offer some comfort. And it was the old prince who comforted the missionary: "It's all right,
Father, it's all right. You know, life is hard, simply terrible. But Jesus is risen so all is well!"75 It sounds pious,
but when it comes from the heart of a man like that, it can`t be discounted.

8. Praying the Mystery

Among the suggestions for praying the mystery of the Passion, I suggest the following:

* Read through one of the Passion narratives in a reflective manner as a 'lectio divina'.

* Make the way of the cross in the same spirit.

* Just spend time in contemplative gaze before the Crucifix.

Alphonsus writes:

"But this science of the saints is not acquired by the study of books, but by mental prayer, in which the
master who instructs and the book that is read is a crucified God ... I do not deny that study is useful, and
even necessary for a priest, but the study of the crucifix is still more necessary".76

And learn to read the book of your life, your paschal mystery, your dyings and risings, your failings and
forgivings. Often we can only read this book when we look back. That's one reason why it can be so
important to keep a journal, especially when we are on retreat.

Perhaps our praying and pondering the Passion narratives horn the Gospel, the book of the Crucifix, and
the book of our own life, might help us to make Constitution 5I our own:

'Through this total dedication to the mission of Christ, the members share the self-renunciation of their
crucified Lord, the virginal freedom of his heart and his wholehearted offering of himself for the life of the
world. They must, therefore, become signs and witnesses before the people of the power of his
Resurrection, proclaiming the new and eternal life".

May we so give our lives for plentiful Redemption, that we too may become living signs and witnesses of
the power of the Resurrection today!

74
Paul Hitz, "Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio", in Readings on Redemption, p. 97
75
Paul Hitz, "Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio", in Readings on Redemption, p. 98.

76
"Instruclion V, Mental Prayer in The Dignity and Duties of the Priest or Selva, (Grimm Ed,), Val, XII, pp,296, 298.

46
Chapter 6: Ongoing Reflections on Mental Prayer and Devotional Practices

Slomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David. ... At Gibeon the LORD appeared to
Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you". And Solomon said, "You have
shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in
faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him Ws great
and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O LORD my God, you
have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know
how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great
people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding
mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great
people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, "Because you have asked Ws,
and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for
yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise
and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give
you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with
you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked,
then I will lengthen your life". (I Kgs. 3:3.5-14)

Previous chapters have looked at mental prayer in general and at St. Alphonsus' approach to the subject.
This in turn led to some reflections on meditation and again to the method of meditation according to St.
Alphonsus.

I have already pointed to the value of using a 'text' in the method of St. Alphonsus. In his approach, I
appreciate how Alphonsus accepts the person 'where his is at' as he begins meditation. Using a 'text',
whether from Scripture or some other spiritual book, provides a good beginning to any period of prayer,
even if the person has been praying for many years. Some days, I might read reflectively only a few
sentences, and be moved to affections, resolutions and petitions. Other days, I might spend the majority of
the prayer time reading reflectively. This is a gentle approach, which any one can fruitfully use.

Secondly, I also respect and appreciate AIphonsus' insistence on gentleness. Do not force yourself -
whether this is regarding the question of 'acts', or resolutions, or even thanksgiving and contrition. Be
gentle and allow the Spirit to lead. AIphonsus is absolutely sure that the Spirit will lead if we are gente with
ourselves and give the Spirit that opportunity.

Again, I repeat that this method of St. AIphonsus is only one method. It is itself quite flexible, and it is
certainly not a 'formula'. AIphonsus recognizes that there are other methods that are very helpful and
important for different individuals, or for the same person at different points in his or her life. Personally, I
have found the method of 'Christian Meditation promoted by Dom John Main to be quite helpful, and I
continue to use it regularly. I also use the Jesus prayer frequently. On directed retreats with Jesuits, I have
found the Ignatian method helpful. Centering prayer, the pathless path, Christian Zen, these are all
methods with which I am acquainted. I know that they are the preferred paths or methods for many,
including confreres whom I respect.
47
The issue at stake is the value of meditation and mental prayer, not the particular way. Find and use the
particular way which will be most helpful to you. Remember to be steeped in the Word of God, whatever
the way you pray.

Brian Johnstone, in the article cited, suggests that Dom John Main's way of 'Christian Meditation
corresponds very closely with AIphonsus' description of active recollection and contemplative repose. I
think that the Jesus prayer does as well.

1. Importance of Mental Prayer

AIphonsus believes that mental prayer and meditation are morally necessary for salvation, even if not
strictly necessary. He says:

'The reason for this is, quite simply, as I have already suggested, that those who do not devote time to
[mental] prayer and are distracted by other cares do not realize their spiritual needs, they make light of the
dangers they face, neglect the steps they should take to avoid those dangers, and finally, fair to realize how
necessary it is for them to pray. They then abandon prayer completely ... “77

Alphonsus' experience with confreres, diocesan priests, sisters, and lay men and women, many of whom
he has encountered in spiritual direction or in the confessional, is that those who do not practice mental
prayer and meditation on a regular basis, soon begin to practice prayer on a perfunctory basis, and finally
let it go altogether, even if they still go through the motions.

It may be the prayer of petition which is absolutely necessary for salvation, but the prayer of petition
requires mental prayer, at least on an experiential level. Alphonsus says that one of the principal fruits of
mental prayer is discerning what to pray for in petition!

Alphonsus goes on to insist that priests, who are zealous for the pastoral care and the salvation of others,
especially those who are overwhelmed by their pastoral cares, need time for mental prayer before all else.
At one point, Alphonsus gave the conferences for young priests in Naples. He urged them all to an hour a
day of mental prayer every day. One requested a clarification saying that often their pastoral commitments
made a full hour impossible. "I understand", Alphonsus replied, "In that case you had better take two
hours!" And I don`t think he was joking!

He is also convinced that the regular practice of mental prayer preserves the one who prays horn sin. It is
impossible to remain in sin and remain faithful to mental prayer. You will either give up the sin or give up
prayer. In the case of a serious moral decision, when you follow your conscience, even if your conscience is
in error, you will not only incur no formal sin, but if you remain faithful to mental prayer, your conscience
will be enlightened.

77
The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection, in CWS, p. 305.

48
This is why Alphonsus goes on to assert that all the saints became saints because of mental prayer.78 And
for Alphonsus, if you don´t want to be a saint, then please leave the Congregation! We are not called to get
into heaven by the skin of our teeth! We are called to sanctity; please do not settle for mediocrity!79

Mental prayer offers the realistic possibility of the practice of the presence of God, and the opportunity to
'pray always' as the gospel commands. Alphonsus writes:

"Friends in the world have times when they speak together and times when they are apart but between
God and you there need not pass a second of separation, if that is your wish".80

Mental Prayer is a 'furnace of love', Alphonsus insists, where that wish never to be separated tram God is
refined and fashioned like fire-tried gold. But it is also in mental prayer that we come to know ourselves,
and our needs, through careful reflection with the one who loves us and reveals us to ourselves, even in
our weakness, but always in love.81 This is why the prayer of Solomon for an understanding heart was so
pleasing to God, and so necessary for Solomons relationship with God and with the people Solomon was
called to serve as shepherd. (1 Kgs 3:3-15)

2. The Content of Meditation

Alphonsus recommends above all else meditation on the mysteries of Redemption.82 These mysteries
include:

* the lncarnation and public life of Jesus; we want to get to know him as a friend;

* the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus; we want to love him as our closest blood-brother, our go el, who
lays down his life for us - who is faithful to the end;

* the Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost; we can only know him today as the Risen and Living Lord,
through the gift and action of the Spirit; we know him as the ever-present, living Lord especially in the
Eucharist.

The content of our meditation may also be the lives of the saints, which will reflect the mysteries of
Redemption in their own unique way. In I 972, on the occasion of the centenary of Alphonsus' proclamation
as a doctor of the Church, Albino Cardinal Luciani, later to become Pope John Paul I, wrote a pastoral letter
to his diocese of Venice. In the letter, entitled St Alphonsus and Today`s Priest, he reminds us that the life of

78
Praxis Confessarii, (Eng. Trans.), p. 162
79
I refer to V. Rev. Fr Joseph Tobin's "Report 0/ the Superior General to the XXIII General Chapter", #21. He
reiterates Alphonsus' plea not to let ourselves lapse into mediocrity. Cf. Acta Integra Capituli Generalis XXIII
Congregationis Sanctissimi Redemptoris. Roma: Curia Generalis C.Ss.R., 2004, pp. 439-440.
80
"A Way 0/ Conversing with God as with a Friend, #11, in CWS, p. 277.
81
The Great Means 0/ Salvation and 0/ Perfection, in CWS, pp. 302-303.
82
I refer especially to C. 31 of the Constitutions: "They will direct mental prayer principally to the contemplation of the
mysteries of Redemption".

49
the saint is a living translation of the Gospel, and that we are explaining the Gospel when we speak of Sr.
Alphonsus.83

The content of our meditation will also be shaped by our own human experience (the flip-side of the
Incarnation), the signs of the times (the flip-side of the Paschal Mystery), and the voices which call us,
especially the poor.

3. Problems in Meditation

Aridity or dryness is one of the great problems experienced by those who engage in meditation.84
Alphonsus treats a number of reasons for this problem, and suggests ways of approaching each of these in
turn.

* Aridity may be due to sin or sinful attachment, and we may need more faithful practice of our daily
examen of consciousness and reconciliation, whether in the forum of the sacrament or in the on-going
experience of reconciliation in our relationships. Alphonsus writes often and well about the need for
'distacco' (spiritual freedom) and discipline! This theme is worthy of a whole conference, and even a
retreat, in itself.85

* Aridity may be due to fatigue or the distractions which come especially with a life overloaded with
commitments and activities very often spiritual activities! Alphonsus believes that we may need more
careful 'remote' preparation and better care of our physical needs including rest, sleep, exercise and diet. I
find him very sensitive, respecting our humanity and the incarnate nature of our prayer.

* Aridity may be due to the process of purification, and we may need to pay attention to the 'growing
pains' of a life of prayer. We will all experience this. St. Teresa of Avila has much to say about this
challenge, and Alphonsus echoes her teaching in his 'Guidance for Devout Souls' horn the Praxis Confessarii.
We also need to be aware of the stages of aging and how these stages affect our prayer. This is one reason
Alphonsus recommends a spiritual director with such insistence - to offer encouragement, and to help us
distinguish this process horn sin or sinful attachments, or from fatigue and distractions. He also suggests
that we keep a 'notebook' or journal, because often we only recognize what is happening in retrospect.

* Aridity may be due to fear of self-awareness, and we need the courage to face ourselves with God's help.
For this reason, we pray for the light of the Holy Spirit in our immediate preparation, as well as for the

83
Albino Cardinal Luciani, St. Alphonsus and Today's Priest. A Letter to the Priests of Venice, Holy Thursday, 1972, p. 5. The
English translation of this 45 page letter was privately printed.

84
Alphonsus treats of aridity in chapter 9 of his Praxis Confessarii, in CWS, pp. 173-175. Also In this same volume:
"Encouragement to a Troubled Soul", a letter written to a sister in 1775, some 20 years later, pp. 201-202. See also The Great
Means of Salvation and of Perfection, (Grimm Ed.), Vol 3, pp. 266-67: 282-285.
85
For one treatment of this by Alphonsus, cf. The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, in CWS, pp. 151-161 Also Brendan
McConvery's introduction to this work In CWS, pp.110-111.

50
courage to really pray. Alphonsus underlines this fear as perhaps the chief reason for our difficulty in
mental prayer. It is the area which demands the most attention.

* I would like to add that Aridity may be due to the rapidity of change and noise in our culture.

4. Fruits of our Meditation - What can we Expect?

Even though there are struggles, Alphonsus promises that we will also taste the fruits of faithful mental
prayer and meditation.

First of all, we can expect a personal and living knowledge of Jesus, real friendship with Jesus. This will lead to
conformity with the will of God (resignation). It will deepen our longing for uniformity with the will of God
(surrender).86 God invites us into partnership and respectful cooperation and collaboration, as friends.

As a corollary to this personal and living knowledge of Jesus, and real friendship with him, we can expect
that we will be confronted with our true selves and a deeper self-awareness. This can be quite painful, as
mentioned above, but it is ultimately liberating when Ws self-awareness grows in a loving relationship with
Jesus. Remember that when we open ourselves to love, we also open ourselves to pain. The two go hand
in hand.

I can think of more than one example where it is actually therapeutic. Among the issues which can surface
in the course of this growth in friendship with Jesus and the accompanying process of self-knowledge:
coming to terms with sexuality and sexual orientation; facing control issues, learning to let go, or at least to
be patient with ourselves and others; addictions, and resolutions for 'one day at a time'; reconciliation and
making amends; forgiving others.

This prayer will bear fruit in moral decision-making conversion and holiness of life.

We can expect that we will be confronted with practical resolutions and the practical application of
growing compassion. For St. Alphonsus, genuine growth in compassion is truly the most important fruit of
careful and persevering mental prayer. This is expressed in one of the Constitutions of the Redemptorist
Rule:

"So as to share truly in the love of the San for his Father and for people they will cultivate the spirit of
contemplation which deepens and strengthens their faith".87 Mental prayer is essential for the required
growth in compassion.

And we can expect that we will learn the art of conversation. This is a learned art and comes more naturally
to same than others. Conversation involves listening and speaking. Listening means more than simply
waiting quietly until the other is finished speaking so that I can get my two-:-cents-worth in, whether that
be in prayer or in community. Speaking means learning to share appropriately, to reveal, and to risk, again,

86
Cf. chapter 2 above on conformity (resignation) and uniformity (surrender) with the Will of God, pp. 19-20.

87
Constitution 24.

51
whether in prayer or in community. This art of conversation will be evident to us in our ongoing and
persevering practice of the presence of God. It will be evident to others in our presence at table and in the
common room, as well as well as in ministry.

5. Contemplative Spirit

The whole Alphonsian tradition urges us to develop and foster a spirit of contemplation, a contemplative
outlook, which will help us to read the signs of the times and distinguish the real horn the illusory.88 This
contemplative spirit must be fashioned in that furnace of love which is mental prayer and tested in the
experience of missionary activity and community life.

As I have said before, we are about serious business here as we consider praying in the spirit of St.
Alphonsus. It touches every dimension of our Apostolic Life, and is essential if we are to give our lives for
plentiful Redemption in a genuine and authentic way. Dare we respond to the challenge today, so that we
become truly the helpers, companions and ministers of Jesus Christ in the great work of Redemption?!89

The Devote Life - Praxis and Practices

The committed Apostolic Life must be more than a dream. It must be expressed in a way of life. Alphonsus
called the 'way of life' he introduced on the Missions the ' Vita Divota - the Devout Life. I think this applies to
us as well.

The effects of all our prayer must be expressed externally in practice, in mission and in devotion. Devotion
is a key expression. By devotion, Alphonsus means the exterior expression of the interior reality. We tend
to belittle devotion as sentimental, or superstitious, or somehow beneath us. I think we have
misunderstood Alphonsus when we do so.

Think of devotion as the external expression of the faithful love of a husband and wife who have been
married for many years. Asked about the real meaning of love, elementary school children gave some
surprising examples. One 6 year old girl described her grandfather who cut her grandmother's toe nails
when the grandmother's arthritis was so bad she could no longer do it. Then, the girl added, he kept doing
it even when his own fingers were crippled with arthritis. That action is devotion, flowing horn an interior
disposition of love and commitment and compassion. It is not a devotion designed to 'get something back'
from the grandmother!

88
Again Constitution 24: "So as to share truly in the love 01 the Son of his Father and for people, they will cultivate the
spirit 01 contemplation which deepens and strengthens their laith. This will enable them to see God in the people and
in the events 01 everyday lile. They will see his plan 01 salvation in its true light, and be able to dlstinguish between
wh at is real and what is illusory". The XXII General Chapter 01 the Redemptorists chose spirituality as the lens
through which we are to view all aspects 01 our lives. (XXII General Chapter, 1997, Message & Onentations, # 5).
This was lollowed up with general letters by the Superior General on the theme (Cf Communicanda No. 1, Spiritua/ity.
Our Most /mportant Cha//enge. Rome: General Curia, 1998, #30)
89
CI. Constitution 2.

52
Think of devotion as the faithful practice and discipline of an Olympic swimmer. Her devotion to her sport
flows horn an interior commitment to a goal, which becomes a way of being. Most of the practice will go
unnoticed by others, but it will propel her forward towards her goal to which she is committed.

Consider the devotion of the high school hockey player who practices even when the team is not practicing
together. He does not do it to gain respect as the hardest working player on the team, or to earn a higher
salary, or often even to get a scholarship. He does it because he's part of something bigger than himself,
and if he is the best team player he can be, then that team, that something 'bigger than himself', will be
better for it. It's a devotion to his team mates, even if they never realize the sacrifice he makes.

Think of the devotion of friendship which expresses itself in small ways, and especially through attentive
presence. This devotion, expressed in practice, flows horn the interior disposition of the heart.

This is the devotion of which Alphonsus is speaking when he urges the 'vita divota: It is expressed in
Constitution 23 of the Redemptorist rule:

"Since the members are called to continue the presence of Christ and his mission of Redemption in the
world, they choose the person of Christ as the centre of their life, and strive day by day to enter ever more
intimately into personal union with him. Thus, at the heart of the community, to form it and sustain it, is
the Redeemer himself and his Spirit of love. And the closer their union with Christ, the stronger will
become their union with each other".

It is the devotion of the community member who prays because he believes that the closer he is to Christ,
the closer he will be to the other members of the community. And so he is there, day after day, for the
Liturgy of the Hours, and for mental prayer and meditation when there are so many other things he could
do, like answer his e-mail or prepare a homily.

It's the devotion of the Lay Missionary or Partner in Mission who prays alone in her room where no one
will notice so that all she does will be motivated by a deep love of God in Jesus, and will be guided by the
Spirit.

It's the devotion of the confrere who day after day deans up after the others because he's now 'retired'
from full-time ministry and they are busy and he has the time - and he never even lets them know he's
picking up their mess. I've lived with a few of these confreres. I've been inspired by their devotion, and
have been the beneficiary of their kindness.

1. Devotion and Devotions

This devotion must be planted, nourished and sustained through prayer, especially mental prayer, and the
petitions that spring from self-awareness in mental prayer. This devotion will be fed and watered by
concrete devotions and practices.

These devotions and practices are not ends in themselves, but they are the essential expressions of an
interior reality.

53
I'd like to suggest some areas of devotions and practices we need to review as Redemptorists. These can
be grouped into two basic categories - personal and community.

2. Personal Practices

• Practice of Daily Meditation

I have already said enough about this. However, a few more words should be added. Our practice as
religious, shared with other active religious congregations, is to spend at least one hour of prayer each day
over and above our Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. In fact in our Redemptorist Constitutions it is
spoken of as a "right and a duty ... This prayer can be spent either in private or in common".90

It is not specified how that hour needs to be spent - all at once, or throughout the day. Nor does it say that
it means one hour of mental prayer and meditation. However, if we take Alphonsus at his word, then at
least one continuous half-hour ought to be spent in mental prayer and meditation. He makes the point
that "a half hour is not sufficient if one aspires to a high degree of perfection", though it "is adequate for
those who are beginning... "91 Alphonsus would be speaking to anyone serious about his/her spiritual life.
Are we faithful to this 'right and duty'? The time of retreat is a good opportunity for an honest and realistic
look at this. One means of really assessing this would be to keep a 'prayer log' every day for the next
month and see how much you are really praying.

• Distractions

Distractions need not be the enemy we make them out to be. Befriend them! Perhaps you could keep a
paper near by and write them down, so you can attend to them later. This was the practice of Pope John
XXIII. Perhaps you should pray for the people and issues concerned, so that they become part of your
prayer. It may be the intention the Holy Spirit is stirring up in you. That was a piece of advice I received
from my confessor many years ago and it is still helpful.

• Prayer List

Such a list of people for whom we will pray each day might seem artificial or 'forced'. I have found it very
helpful. It brings these people and intentions to my consciousness, and I am surprised how often I can
actually do something for them because I am thinking about and praying for them! This was the advice of
Sr. John Chrysostom, cited by Sr. Alphonsus.

90
Constitution 30.
91
The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection, in CWS, pp. 307.

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• Spiritual Director /Companion

Many of us do not have a spiritual director or companion. I suggest that this is very important for anyone
serious about the spiritual life. It's important for those in ministry so that we do distinguish between what
is real and what is illusory. We may not need to meet with such a person every month. But we need to
know that there is someone who will hold me accountable to myself, as well as listen to my journey. As Sr.
Alphonsus says, this is particularly helpful when distinguishing the different reasons for struggles and
aridity.

• Liturgy of the Hours

This practice is very important for all of us, and especially for the priests who have committed themselves
to the faithful prayer of Church. It is a commitment we have undertaken to pray for the world with the
Church. In most of our communities, it has also become the norm for our community prayer _ a practice
begun by Alphonsus which distinguished the early Redemptorists from other apostolic religious such as the
Jesuits. Remember that this is the 'Opus Dei, the work of God. We do not pray the Hours simply in order to
'fee!' something, or get something out of it. It requires the discipline of a teacher or a nurse.

• Guidance for Others

When we offer guidance to others, often we can learn from this for ourselves. I have found this immensely
helpful for my own life. Sometimes I need to look something up, or research a topic, or prepare a talk, and I
find that I am challenged, affirmed, supported by what I have to offer others.

• Eucharistic Devotion

For Alphonsus, the Eucharist had a pride of place in his own life and in the Congregation which he founded.
Alphonsus warns us against taking this for granted. We need to cultivate it. It is a special danger for priests,
he says, who celebrate the Eucharist daily and can become so accustomed to it that it becomes 'ordinary'.

• Devotion to Mary

Again, for Alphonsus, there is no question about the place that devotion to Mary plays in the life of the
disciple of Jesus. As first disciple she points us to her Son as Saviour - a constant message of the images of
Madonna and child and highlighted in the icon of our Mother of Perpetual Help. Do we continue to nourish
this devotion personally and quietly so that what we say springs from our own deeply held convictions, and
our warm experience of the 'one whose very name inspires confidence'? Are the Rosary, the Angelus, and
other devotions part of our daily pattern?

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 • Spiritual Reading, Especially the Word of God

Spiritual reading is another essential practice for Christians serious about the spiritual life. Certainly
Scripture needs to be a constant source of our lectio divina. But the constitutions of one's religious
congregation and studies in theology and spirituality must form part of our re~ reading. As well, social
studies (inculturation) and even reading the daily newspaper are very much part of our keeping in touch
with the pulse of our brothers and sisters and the world in which we live.

I return to the notion that, as disciples of Christ, we are to be 'steeped in the Word'. Among the ways of
cultivating this dimension: taking part in and/or leading a bible study; reflecting on the daily readings of
the Eucharist; staying faithful to the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours.

• Personal Mortification

As Christians we are called to a life of continual conversion, which involves 'mortification, self-denial, the
personal struggle against egoism and growth in spiritual freedom so as to be able to be other centered.
Do we let ourselves be challenged to live this value and express it in practice?92

• Sacrament of Reconciliation

The same questions can be asked about this Sacrament. Called to be apostles of conversion, and to build
up the ecclesial community through Reconciliation and Eucharist, 93 how do we express these values in
our personal practice?

3. Community Practices and Devotions

• Meditation in Common

In my own community of the Redemptorists and in many other active religious communities the practice
of meditation in common has been a part of our tradition. It is interesting to note that new meditation
movements of lay people are recognizing the value of gathering as a community of shared faith for
meditation. They meet on a weekly basis to practice a form of meditation, be it centering prayer or
Christian Meditation in the pattern of John Main. Everyone is in agreement about the importance of
mental prayer, and also about the importance of community prayer.94 Many communities have kept an

92
Alphonsus speaks of this process of spiritual freedom in terms of 'Oistacco'. Cf. Fn # 9 above.

The theme of continual converslon is the subJect of Redemptorist Constitutions 40, 41, 42
93
Constitutions 11, 12.

94
There were great debates about this question at the Redemptorist General Chapter of 1967/69.

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abbreviated common meditation in conjunction with Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. In the
light of the new movements of meditation in the Church, this might well be the time to re-examine and
reaffirm the value of meditation in common as one of the forms of our community prayer. Is it time for
Redemptorists to reconsider how we might give new life and value to Ws important part of our tradition? I
would encourage the discussion of this in our communities.

Among the other Community practices that are traditional in active religious congregations are the
following:

Liturgy of the Hours;

Retreat Days and Review of Life;

Plan of Community Life;

Devotion to Mary;

Fasting, abstinence, penance as Community;

Reconciliation Celebrations;

Celebrations of the Word (which would include homily preparation, bible study, 'collatio' prayer, etc.)

The 'Vita Divota´ - the Devout Life we preach to others, especially as an essential part of our Missions and
pastoral work, must find expression in both our personal and community lives.

The 'practice' or 'devotion is the way we express our heartfelt devotion, our interior disposition to be
wholly united with God's will in Love for the Redemption of the word. It is a meaningful and concrete
expression of this interior devotion which builds up the community and the Body of Christ as together we
incarnate the Word who is Love - and the reign of God takes more visible expression among us.

It is my conviction that Ws requires an open and honest conversation in our local communities - a
conversation with God, with one another and as communities. It will be hard work, but we will not engage
it alone. We engage it as helpers, companions, and ministers of Jesus Christ in the great work of
Redemption,95 so that the Reign of God, the Kingdom of Christ, will find more tangible expression among
us.

The time of retreat is a time to let ourselves be challenged and called by the Spirit to make a personal
examen of our vita divota, the practice and practices of our spiritual life. It is important to be concrete, while
at the same time being gentle and courteous with ourselves. This examen might well help us to make some
realistic and important resolutions to deepen this spirit of prayer which so animated Alphonsus. Just as

This is documented by Santino Raponi, C.Ss.R. The Charism of the Redemptorists in the Church. Rome: The Center
für Redemptorist Spirituality, 2003, pp. 255-260. Fr. Raponi states in his study of the question that there were good
reasons on both sides of this debate. On one point all agreed - the importance of mental prayer, community prayer
and some form or new creative initiative of meditation in common.
95
Constitution 2.

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Alphonsus was insistent on the importance of making one concrete practical resolution at the end of every
period of mental prayer, so he also insisted that we make concrete resolutions at the end of every retreat,
and that we make a note of these in order to hold ourselves accountable.

"A Wise and Discerning Heart"

I dose with God's words to Solomon in response to his prayer with which we began:

"Solomon said: Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to govern your people, able to discern
between good and evil; for who can govern this, your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had
asked Ws. God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or
riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I
now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning heart; no one like you has been
before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

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