The School of Love, February 20

SOME HINTS ON PRAYER I
[continued from yesterday]

...Nevertheless there are certain elementary truths, not realised by all, yet easily discovered by one who has had much to do with prayer, whether in his own soul or in others; truths which, if once accepted, will at once clear away many obstacles for any soul that wishes to progress in prayer.

To mention a few of these may be useful; it may give a little light to some who walk in darkness, and who may already have begun to despond about their prayer, finding as no doubt they do that it falls so short of their desires and ambitions, finding it so disappointing.

In the first place, then, let it be remembered that prayer does not consist in merely saying prayers. Prayer, from its definition, is "the raising of the mind and heart to God"; and there are many more ways, sometimes better ways, of doing this than by repeating forms of prayer however good.

Forms of prayer are good in so far as they do this for us and no further; they help us to put into words the thoughts of our mind and the feelings of our heart; but if those thoughts and feelings can be taught to express themselves spontane­ously, even without any words at all or at least with very few, then our prayer is better than that which depends upon a form.

"But I am afraid to give up the form. That at least ties me down to something clear and definite. If I gave up the form, and trusted to my own thoughts and feelings and expres­sion, these may some day fail me, and then I should be without any prayer at all." This objection is a good one; a proof that it is a good one is that it is very common, very real, and obviously comes from those who wish to do their best. Still it is an objection and no more, and is one of the chief hindrances to progress in prayer...
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From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918