AFTER the action of the imagination, follows the action of the understanding, which we call meditation, which is no other thing than one or many considerations made in order to stir up our affections towards God and divine things: and herein meditation differs from study and from other thoughts and considerations which are not made to acquire virtue or the love of God, but for other ends and intentions, as, for example, to become learned, to write, or to argue. Having then confined your spirit, as I have said, within the enclosure of the subject upon which you intend to meditate, either by the imagination if the subject be something perceptible to the senses, or by the simple setting forth thereof, if it be something imperceptible, you will begin to make considerations on it, some examples of which you will find fully developed in the meditations which I have given you.

And if you find sufficient relish, light and fruit in one of these considerations, stay there without passing on to another, acting like the bees, who do not leave a flower so long as they find any honey there to gather. But if you do not find anything to your liking in one of these considerations after having dealt with it and tried it for a little while, pass on to another; but proceed quite gently and simply in this matter, without undue haste.

PART 2 – CHAPTER VI. OF THE SETTING FORTH OF THE MYSTERY, WHICH IS THE THIRD POINT OF THE PREPARATION

MEDITATION produces good movements in the will or affective part of our soul, such as the love of God and of our neighbour, the desire of heaven and eternal glory, zeal for the salvation of souls, imitation of the life of our Lord, compassion, admiration, joy, fear of God’s displeasure, of judgement and of hell, hatred of sin, confidence in the goodness and mercy of God, confusion for our bad lives in the past; and in these affections our spirit should expand and extend itself as much as possible. And if you desire to be helped in this matter, take in hand the first volume of the Meditations of Dom Andres Capiglia, and read the preface, for he shows therein how to enlarge these affections; and Father Arias does the same more fully still in his Treatise on Prayer.

However, Philothea, you must not dwell upon these general affections to such an extent that you omit to convert them into special and particular resolutions for your correction and amendment. For example, the first word that our Lord spoke on the cross will doubtless stir up in your soul a good affection of imitation—namely, the desire to pardon your enemies and to love them. But I say now that this is of little value, if you do not add to it a special resolution to this effect: Well then! I will not hereafter be offended by such or such annoying words, which such or such a person, a neighbor of mine perhaps, or a servant, may say of me, nor by such or such an affront which may be put upon me by this person or by that: on the contrary, I will say and do such or such a thing to gain him, and appease him, and so also in other matters. By this means, Philothea, you will correct your faults in a very short time, whereas by the affections alone you will do so but slowly and with difficulty.

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THE invocation is made in this manner: your soul having realized that she is in the presence of God, prostrates herself with profound reverence, acknowledging her unworthiness to appear before so sovereign a Majesty, and nevertheless, knowing that his goodness desires it she asks of him the grace to serve him well, and to adore him in this meditation. If you wish to do so, you may make use of some short and ardent words, such as these of David: Cast me not away, O God, from thy face, and take not the favor of thy Holy Spirit from me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant,61 and I will consider thy wonders.

Give me understanding and I will search thy law, and I will keep it with my whole heart. I am thy servant, give me understanding; and other similar words. You would do well also to invoke your good Angel, and the holy persons who are concerned in the mystery upon which you are meditating: as in that of the death of our Lord, you may invoke our Lady, St John, St Mary Magdalen and the good thief, in order that the interior sentiments and movements which they received may be communicated to you: and in the meditation on your own death, you may ask your good Angel, who will be present at it, to inspire you with fitting considerations; and so also with other mysteries.

PART 2 – CHAPTER IV. OF THE SETTING FORTH OF THE MYSTERY, WHICH IS THE THIRD POINT OF THE PREPARATION

AFTER these two ordinary points of the meditation, there is a third which is not common to all sorts of meditations; it is that which is called by some the composition of place, and by others the interior lection. This is no other thing than to represent to the imagination the scene of the mystery upon which the meditation is made, as though it were actually taking place in our presence. For example, if you wish to meditate upon our Saviour on the cross, you will imagine yourself to be on mount Calvary, and that you see there all that was done and said on the day of the Passion; or, if you will (for it is all one), you will imagine that the crucifixion is taking place in the very spot where you are, in the way described by the Evangelists.

The same applies to meditations on death, as I have noted in the meditation on this subject, and also to that on hell, and to all similar mysteries which are concerned with things visible and perceptible to the senses; for as regards other mysteries, such as the greatness of God, the excellence of virtue, the end for which we are created, which are invisible things, there is no question of making use of this kind of imagination. It is true that we may very well employ some sort of similitude and comparison to help us in our consideration of such mysteries; but that is somewhat difficult to find, and I only wish to treat with you very simply, and in such a way that your mind may not be wearied with much seeking.

Now, by means of this imaginary scene we confine our spirit within the mystery upon which we intend to meditate, so that it may not range hither and thither, just as we confine a bird within a cage, or as we put jesses on a hawk so that it may remain upon the fist. Yet some will tell you that, in the representation of these mysteries, it is better to make use of the simple thought of faith, and of a simple apprehension entirely mental and spiritual, or else to consider that the things are done within your own spirit; but that is too subtle for a commencement, and until such time as God may raise you higher, I counsel you, Philothea, to remain in the low valley which I have shown you.

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BUT perhaps you do not know, Philothea, how to make mental prayer; for it is a thing which unhappily few persons in this age of ours know how to practise. For this reason, I will give you a simple and brief method to that end, until such time as, by reading some of the good books which have been composed on this subject, and above all by practice, you may be more fully instructed. I note first the preparation, which consists in two points, the first of which is to place yourself in the presence of God, and the second to invoke his assistance. I am now going to set forth four principal ways of placing yourself in the presence of God, which you may make use of in this preparation.

The first consists in a lively and attentive apprehension of the omnipresence of God, which means that God is in everything and everywhere, and that there is not any place or thing in this world where he is not most assuredly present; so that, just as the birds, wherever they fly, always encounter the air, so, wherever we go, or wherever we are, we find God present. Everyone knows this truth, but everyone is not attentive to grasp it. Blind men, even though they see not a prince who is present with them, fail not to behave with respect, if they are told of his presence; but the truth is that, since they do not see him, they easily forget that he is present, and having forgotten it, they lose yet more easily respect and reverence. Alas! Philothea, we do not see God who is present with us; and, although faith tells us of his presence, yet, since we do not see him with our eyes, we forget it very often, and behave as though God were very far from us; for although we know well that he is present in all things, yet if we do not think about it at all, it is just as if we knew it not. Therefore, before prayer we must always stir up our souls to an attentive thought and consideration of this presence of God. Such was the way in which David apprehended God’s presence, when he cried out: If I ascend into heaven, O my God, thou art there; if I descend into hell, thou art present; and thus we should make use of the words of Jacob, who when he saw the holy ladder said: How terrible is this place! Indeed the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. He means to say that he was not thinking of it; for he could not be ignorant that God was in everything and everywhere. When therefore you come to prayer, you must say with all your heart, and to your heart: O my heart, my heart, God is truly here.

The second way of placing yourself in this holy presence, is to think that not only is God in the place where you are, but that he is in a very special manner in your heart and in the depth of your spirit, which he quickens and animates with his divine presence, since he is there as the heart of your heart, and the spirit of your spirit; for as the soul, being spread throughout the body, is present in every part thereof, and yet resides in a special manner in the heart, so God, being present in all things, is present nevertheless in a special manner in our spirit and therefore David called God the God of his heart;57 and St Paul said that we live and move and are in God.58 In the consideration therefore of this truth, you will stir up in your heart a great reverence for God, who is so intimately present there.

The third way is to consider our Saviour, who in his humanity looks from Heaven upon all persons in the world, but particularly upon Christians who are his children, and more especially upon those who are in prayer, whose actions and behaviour he observes. Now this is not a mere imagination, but a most certain truth; for, though we do not perceive him, yet he looks upon us from above. St Stephen saw him thus at the time of his martyrdom. So that we may truly say with the Spouse; Behold he stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.

The fourth way consists in making use of the imagination alone, representing to ourselves the Saviour in his sacred humanity, as though he were near to us, just as we are wont to represent our friends to ourselves saying: I imagine that I see such a one who is doing this or that; it seems to me that I see him, or some such thing. But if the most holy Sacrament of the altar be present, then this presence will be real and not merely imaginary; for the species and appearances of the bread are as it were a tapestry, behind which our Lord really present sees and observes us, though we see him not in his own form.

You will make use then of one of these four ways of putting your soul in the presence of God, before prayer; and you must not seek to make use of them all together, but only one at a time, and that briefly and simply.

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INASMUCH as prayer places our understanding in the clearness of the divine light, and exposes our will to the warmth of heavenly love, there is nothing which so purges our understanding of its ignorance and our will of its depraved inclinations; it is the water of benediction, which, when our souls are watered therewith, makes the plants of our good desires revive and flourish, cleanses our souls of their imperfections, and quenches the thirst caused by the passions of our hearts.

But above all I recommend to you prayer of the mind and heart and especially that which has for its subject the life and passion of our Lord; for by beholding him often in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with him; you will learn his disposition, and you will form your actions after the model of his. He is the light of the world, and therefore it is in him, by him, and for him that we must be enlightened and illuminated; he is the tree of desire, in the shadow of which we must seek refreshment; he is the living well of Jacob, for the cleansing of all our stains. In fine, as children by listening to their mothers, and prattling with them, learn to speak their language, so we, by keeping close to the Saviour in meditation, and observing his words, his actions, and his affections, shall learn, with the help of his grace, to speak, to act, and to will like him.
We must stop there, Philothea, and believe me, we cannot go to God the Father, but by this door; for just as the glass of a mirror could not catch our reflection if the back thereof were not covered with tin or lead, so the Divinity could not well be contemplated by us in this world below if it were not united to the sacred humanity of the Saviour, whose life and death are the most appropriate, sweet, delicious and profitable subjects which we can choose for our ordinary meditations. The Saviour does not call himself for nothing, the bread which came down from heaven, for, as bread should be eaten with all sorts of meat, so the Saviour ought to be meditated upon, considered, and sought after in all our prayers and actions. His life and death have been arranged and distributed into diverse points by many authors, in order to serve for meditation: those whom I recommend to you are St Bonaventure, Bellintani, Bruno, Capiglia, Granada, and Da Ponte.

Spend an hour in meditation every day, sometime or other before the midday meal, if possible in the early part of your morning, because your mind will be less distracted and more refreshed after the repose of the night. But do not spend more than an hour therein, unless your spiritual Father should expressly say so.

If you can perform this exercise in the church, and find sufficient quiet there, it will be a very convenient and suitable thing for you, because no one, neither father nor mother nor wife nor husband nor anyone else, can well hinder you from staying an hour in the church; whereas, if you be in any sort of subjection to others, you might not be able to promise yourself so uninterrupted an hour in your own house.

Begin all your prayers, be they mental or vocal, with the presence of God, and make no exception to this rule, and you will soon perceive how profitable it will be to you.

If you will take my advice, you will say your Our Father, your Hail Mary and the Creed in Latin; but you will also take care to understand exactly what the words mean in your mother tongue, so that, while saying them in the language of the Church, you may nevertheless relish the admirable and delicious meaning of these holy prayers, which you should say, fixing your attention earnestly upon their meaning and stirring up your affections thereby; not hurrying in order to say many of them, but taking care to say from your heart those which you do say; for one single Pater said with feeling is worth more than many recited quickly and in haste.

The rosary is a very profitable kind of prayer, provided that you understand how to say it properly; and in order to do so, provide yourself with one or other of the little books which explain how it should be recited. It is also good to say the litanies of our Lord, of our Lady, and of the Saints, and all the other vocal prayers which are to be found in approved manuals and prayer-books, yet on the understanding that, if you have the gift of mental prayer, you always reserve for that the principal place; so that if after making mental prayer you cannot say any vocal prayers at all, either because of your many occupations, or for some other reason, be not disturbed on that account, but merely say, before or after your meditation, the Lord’s Prayer, the Angelic Salutation, and the Apostles’ Creed.

If, while saying your vocal prayers, you feel your heart drawn and invited to interior or mental prayer, do not resist the attraction, but allow your mind to go gently in that direction, and be not concerned at not having finished the vocal prayers which you had intended to say; for the mental prayer, which you will have made in their stead, is more pleasing to God and more profitable for your soul. I accept the office of the Church, if you are under an obligation to say it; for in that case you must fulfill your obligation.

If it should happen that all your morning passes without this holy exercise of mental prayer, either because of your many occupations, or for some other reason (which you ought to guard against as far as possible), try to repair this loss after the midday meal, at some hour which is as far removed as possible from it, because if you should make your prayer soon after your meal, before properly digesting your food, you would be much troubled by drowsiness, and your health might suffer thereby. But if you cannot make mental prayer at all during the day, you must repair this loss by multiplying ejaculatory prayers, and by reading some book of devotion, together with some penance which may prevent the repetition of this failure; and at the same time make a firm resolution to resume the practice on the following day.

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SPORTS, balls, plays, festivities, pomps, are not in themselves evil, but rather indifferent matters, capable of being used for good or ill; but nevertheless they are dangerous, and it is still more dangerous to take great delight in them. Therefore, my daughter, I say that although it is lawful to amuse yourself, to dance, dress, feast, and see seemly plays,—at the same time, if you are much addicted to these things, they will hinder your devotion, and become extremely hurtful and dangerous to you. The harm lies, not in doing them, but in the degree to which you care for them. It is a pity to sow the seed of vain and foolish tastes in the soil of your heart, taking up the place of better things, and hindering the soul from cultivating good dispositions.

It was thus that the Nazarites of old abstained not merely from all intoxicating liquors, but from grapes fresh or dried, and from vinegar, not because these were intoxicating, but because they might excite the desire for fermented liquors. Just so, while I do not forbid the use of these dangerous pleasures, I say that you cannot take an excessive delight in them without their telling upon your devotion. When the stag has waxed fat he hides himself amid the thicket, conscious that his fleetness is impaired should he be in need to fly: and so the human heart which is cumbered with useless, superfluous, dangerous clingings becomes incapacitated for that earnest following after God which is the true life of devotion. No one blames children for running after butterflies, because they are children, but is it not ridiculous and pitiful to see full-grown men eager about such worthless trifles as the worldly amusements before named, which are likely to throw them off their balance and disturb their spiritual life? Therefore, dear child, I would have you cleanse your heart from all such tastes, remembering that while the acts themselves are not necessarily incompatible with a devout life, all delight in them must be harmful.

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