Читать книгу The Practice of Mental Prayer - Father Rene de Maumigny - Страница 34

CHAPTER I

PREPARATION FOR PRAYER

PRAYER is a Divine work, and therefore the Holy Ghost is the most perfect teacher of how it may be well made.

Nevertheless, God demands the co-opera- tion of the soul, whose first care must be to prepare itself for this great act. By omitting the preparation, or by making it in a careless manner, the soul tempts God. As the Book of Ecclesiasticus says: ''Before prayer pre- pare thy soul: and be not as a man that tempteth God." ¹

A good preparation consists, first, in purify- ing the intention arid disregarding the presence or absence of spiritual consolation, which will be wanting, perhaps, even in spite of a solid preparation. What does it matter? Meditation is not made in order that the joys of heaven may be found in it but because it is a means of glorifying God and sanctify- ing our soul. This view of it will prevent

¹ Ecclus. 18: 23.