A wealth of Christian thought lies at our disposal, ways in which the believer can approach our creator. Our intimacy with the Lord becomes our earthly spiritual home built on the foundation of our Church. These explorations will shed light on the faith that can feed the childlike and offer a depth of understanding to satisfy the most inquisitive. Presenting the richness of our faith is the purpose of this blog. May it bring its readers an ever growing closeness to Jesus.
Subscribe below.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Prayer of Silence
What is the "prayer of silence" refered to in Letter 4? How is it practiced? This is an interesting topic to dicuss. For thsose of you who have a handle on the concept, how do you practice it?
Here is an article discussing this type of contemplative prayer in connection with Balthasar Alvarez, who was a confessor to St. Theresa of Avila. Apparently there was some controversy about his advocacy of this type of prayer. I don't know if C.S. Lewis had this in mind when speaking of the "prayer of silence", but I would not be surprised.
Alvarez claimed that God still gives what he formerly gave to the saints; to obtain these gifts, the Jesuit practiced what he called the prayer of silence or the prayer of repose (p. 154). He first places himself in God's presence, believing that God is present both interiorly and exteriorly. He is tranquil and full of admiration and joy, and perceives God by a simple intuitive glance. Then he merely rejoices in God (pp. 145, 156). Alvarez adduces arguments from St. Thomas to prove that "It is therefore certain that union with God, and the enjoyment resulting from it, are common both to the citizens of heaven and the just who live upon earth" (pp. 145-48). In prayer he is usually silent and at rest, and in a passage that may describe what happens when the Lord does "take and receive;" he says
What need have I, in effect, to break silence? Everything in this world speaks to God: All in me is before his eyes; my heart, my faculties, my powers, my knowledge, my thoughts, my desires, my efforts, and my end. On the other hand, His glances are so powerful that they can correct my defects, influence my desires, and give wings to my soul (p. 147).
The soul listens attentively to the voice of God, and is taught by that voice. Alvarez denies that the mind is inactive during this silence: it sees, hears, understands, rejoices, and loves. If it is inactive, it is in a stupor and is being deceived by the spirit of darkness (p. 159).
Alvarez supports the "prayer of silence" from Scripture and the mystical theologians -- Augustine, Gregory, Bernard, John Climacus, and Thomas Aquinas, the latter to show that happiness and rest are the natural object of our desires, and therefore this prayer is in keeping with our nature and end (pp. 145-48). He claims that his prayer causes no injury to the soul, and that those who follow it are more submissive to superiors, pay more attention to spiritual growth, stand firmer in trails and tribulations (as he was to prove), and are better able to guide others (p. 152). Infused contemplation, given for the service of neighbor, not for solitude, is solely God's grace; we must wait and use ordinary methods until called. But if we purify our hearts, mortify our passions, and persistently knock, we should not be surprised when we are given the grace, for that is what God intends for us.
I might add that I think of the prayer of silence as "contemplation" = con + templum (or in connection with the temple, the sacred, the holy). And Emily Dickinson's letter that I quoted shows, in my opinion, she was a contemplative. Poetry is a primary "medium" for contemplation, though obviously not the only medium.
Here is what Wikipedia says about contemplation in the catholic tradition:
In Catholic Christianity, contemplation is given importance. The Catholic Church's "model theologian," St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "It is requisite for the good of the human community that there should be persons who devote themselves to the life of contemplation." One of his disciples, Josef Pieper commented: "For it is contemplation which preserves in the midst of human society the truth which is at one and the same time useless and the yardstick of every possible use; so it is also contemplation which keeps the true end in sight, gives meaning to every practical act of life."[10]
Joseph Pieper again! The piece referenced an interview with James Schall about Spe Salvi, and Pope Benedict's stress on contemplation in his letter. See http://zenit.org/article-21671?l=english
Here is the relevant part:
Q: In paragraph 15 of "Spe Salvi," there is a rich comparison of a monastery and a soul. What is the Holy Father trying to illustrate through the use of this imagery?"
Father Schall: A passage of Josef Pieper, originally based in Aquinas, if not in Aristotle and Plato, addresses this same question. The passage is found in "Josef Pieper -- an Anthology," called "The Purpose of Politics." It is only a couple of paragraphs long. I always point students to it as the most central of all passages about politics and political philosophy. It basically says both that you cannot understand politics without understanding the transcendent order, and that you cannot have a healthy society in which there is only politics.
Pieper writes, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas: "'It is requisite for the good of the human community that there should be persons who devote themselves to the life of contemplation.' For it is contemplation which preserves in the midst of human society the truth which is at one and the same time useless and the yardstick of every possible use; so it is also contemplation which keeps the true end insight, gives meaning to every practical act of life" ("An Anthology," 123). This passage is also behind much of what the Pope writes on natural law as the yardstick and measure of human actions.
One can state the issue succinctly: No political order can be itself healthy unless it has within it those who are not devoted to politics. This is not in any way a denial that politics are important, but it is a denial that they are the most important things in a society. Indeed, a society that makes politics the most important thing is already a totalitarian society, as Aristotle had already implied.
When the Pope treats this issue in "Spe Salvi," he refers to the monastic tradition and to Augustine. The Pope is careful to relate how this contemplative life is not opposed to any proper understanding of the temporal life of this world. He is even attentive to the relation of work to contemplation. Indeed, the elevation of work to a dignity and not a slavery or oppression had to do with the Benedictine notion of "pray and work."
The Pope cites a certain pseudo-Rufinus who says basically what Pieper did: "The human race lives thanks to a few: Were it not for them the world would perish." This is a remarkable statement indeed. It not only shows the absolute need of someone who constantly within society shows others that there is something more than this world, but it shows the importance of contemplation itself in keeping our mind straight.
The delicate relation of will and mind is a central drama of philosophy and revelation. This is why it has always been said that the great disorders of soul, as well as the great movements for good, begin in the heart of the dons, academic and religious, long before they appear in the public order. Again this is what "immenantize the eschaton" means.
2 comments:
Here is an article discussing this type of contemplative prayer in connection with Balthasar Alvarez, who was a confessor to St. Theresa of Avila. Apparently there was some controversy about his advocacy of this type of prayer. I don't know if C.S. Lewis had this in mind when speaking of the "prayer of silence", but I would not be surprised.
http://www.spiritualitytoday.org/spir2day/894122lewis.html
Alvarez claimed that God still gives what he formerly gave to the saints; to obtain these gifts, the Jesuit practiced what he called the prayer of silence or the prayer of repose (p. 154). He first places himself in God's presence, believing that God is present both interiorly and exteriorly. He is tranquil and full of admiration and joy, and perceives God by a simple intuitive glance. Then he merely rejoices in God (pp. 145, 156). Alvarez adduces arguments from St. Thomas to prove that "It is therefore certain that union with God, and the enjoyment resulting from it, are common both to the citizens of heaven and the just who live upon earth" (pp. 145-48). In prayer he is usually silent and at rest, and in a passage that may describe what happens when the Lord does "take and receive;" he says
What need have I, in effect, to break silence? Everything in this world speaks to God: All in me is before his eyes; my heart, my faculties, my powers, my knowledge, my thoughts, my desires, my efforts, and my end. On the other hand, His glances are so powerful that they can correct my defects, influence my desires, and give wings to my soul (p. 147).
The soul listens attentively to the voice of God, and is taught by that voice. Alvarez denies that the mind is inactive during this silence: it sees, hears, understands, rejoices, and loves. If it is inactive, it is in a stupor and is being deceived by the spirit of darkness (p. 159).
Alvarez supports the "prayer of silence" from Scripture and the mystical theologians -- Augustine, Gregory, Bernard, John Climacus, and Thomas Aquinas, the latter to show that happiness and rest are the natural object of our desires, and therefore this prayer is in keeping with our nature and end (pp. 145-48). He claims that his prayer causes no injury to the soul, and that those who follow it are more submissive to superiors, pay more attention to spiritual growth, stand firmer in trails and tribulations (as he was to prove), and are better able to guide others (p. 152). Infused contemplation, given for the service of neighbor, not for solitude, is solely God's grace; we must wait and use ordinary methods until called. But if we purify our hearts, mortify our passions, and persistently knock, we should not be surprised when we are given the grace, for that is what God intends for us.
I might add that I think of the prayer of silence as "contemplation" = con + templum (or in connection with the temple, the sacred, the holy). And Emily Dickinson's letter that I quoted shows, in my opinion, she was a contemplative. Poetry is a primary "medium" for contemplation, though obviously not the only medium.
Here is what Wikipedia says about contemplation in the catholic tradition:
In Catholic Christianity, contemplation is given importance. The Catholic Church's "model theologian," St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "It is requisite for the good of the human community that there should be persons who devote themselves to the life of contemplation." One of his disciples, Josef Pieper commented: "For it is contemplation which preserves in the midst of human society the truth which is at one and the same time useless and the yardstick of every possible use; so it is also contemplation which keeps the true end in sight, gives meaning to every practical act of life."[10]
Joseph Pieper again! The piece referenced an interview with James Schall about Spe Salvi, and Pope Benedict's stress on contemplation in his letter. See http://zenit.org/article-21671?l=english
Here is the relevant part:
Q: In paragraph 15 of "Spe Salvi," there is a rich comparison of a monastery and a soul. What is the Holy Father trying to illustrate through the use of this imagery?"
Father Schall: A passage of Josef Pieper, originally based in Aquinas, if not in Aristotle and Plato, addresses this same question. The passage is found in "Josef Pieper -- an Anthology," called "The Purpose of Politics." It is only a couple of paragraphs long. I always point students to it as the most central of all passages about politics and political philosophy. It basically says both that you cannot understand politics without understanding the transcendent order, and that you cannot have a healthy society in which there is only politics.
Pieper writes, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas: "'It is requisite for the good of the human community that there should be persons who devote themselves to the life of contemplation.' For it is contemplation which preserves in the midst of human society the truth which is at one and the same time useless and the yardstick of every possible use; so it is also contemplation which keeps the true end insight, gives meaning to every practical act of life" ("An Anthology," 123). This passage is also behind much of what the Pope writes on natural law as the yardstick and measure of human actions.
One can state the issue succinctly: No political order can be itself healthy unless it has within it those who are not devoted to politics. This is not in any way a denial that politics are important, but it is a denial that they are the most important things in a society. Indeed, a society that makes politics the most important thing is already a totalitarian society, as Aristotle had already implied.
When the Pope treats this issue in "Spe Salvi," he refers to the monastic tradition and to Augustine. The Pope is careful to relate how this contemplative life is not opposed to any proper understanding of the temporal life of this world. He is even attentive to the relation of work to contemplation. Indeed, the elevation of work to a dignity and not a slavery or oppression had to do with the Benedictine notion of "pray and work."
The Pope cites a certain pseudo-Rufinus who says basically what Pieper did: "The human race lives thanks to a few: Were it not for them the world would perish." This is a remarkable statement indeed. It not only shows the absolute need of someone who constantly within society shows others that there is something more than this world, but it shows the importance of contemplation itself in keeping our mind straight.
The delicate relation of will and mind is a central drama of philosophy and revelation. This is why it has always been said that the great disorders of soul, as well as the great movements for good, begin in the heart of the dons, academic and religious, long before they appear in the public order. Again this is what "immenantize the eschaton" means.
Post a Comment