Volume I, Treatise V, Chapter XXIII

Of the Great Comfort and Consolation that Those Who Are Subject to Distractions in Prayer Ought to Have

THose who are subject to distractions in prayer should derive great comfort from the words of St. Basil, who says that they are never imputed to us as faults, but when they are voluntary, and when, after we have perceived them, we continue in them, without respecting God in whose presence we are. He who in time of prayer freely and deliberately entertains thoughts of his studies or business, deserves that God should chastise him, instead of doing him any favour; and we may very justly apply to such a one what St. Chrysostom says:—“You attend not to what yo say yourself, and yet you would have God attend to you.” (Chrys. hom. xvii.) But on the other hand, when with all sincerity we do all we can to recollect ourselves, and yet the natural weakness of our minds carries us, notwithstanding, to other things, and even our heart fails us, and forces us to cry out in the words of the Psalmist: «‘ My heart has forsaken me;” then God is not at all displeased; but, on the contrary, has compassion for us; “and as a father pities his children, so our Lord has compassion on those that fear him, because he knows of what matter we are made.” (Psalms 102:13) He knows our infirmities and weaknesses; and as a father, whose son is an idiot, is touched with compassion, when, after he had begun to speak to him in a peaceful and a respectful manner, he perceives him to fall upon asudden into extravagant discourse; so our heavenly Father pities and compassionates us, when he perceives that, after we have begun to treat with him in a rational and prudent manner, the weakness of our nature makes us fall into a thousand idle, vain, and ridiculous thoughts. Wherefore, though sometimes we feel no fervour at all in prayer, and pass the whole time of it in great aridities, amidst the embarrassment of innumerable fantastical ideas; yet we may not only assure ourselves that this is a very meritorious condition in God’s sight, but that what we suffer herein, through love of him, renders us far more pleasing and meritorious in his sight, than if we abounded in fervour and consolation. And as the jelly taken by a sick person fails not to nourish and strengthen him, though he takes it with disgust, nor perceives at present the good it does him; so prayer fails not to nourish the soul, and to give it new strength to serve God, though we find no sweetness at all whilst we make it, nor feel any benefit we receive by it.

To leave off praying, then, on account of the thoughts and temptations we are molested with at the time, is exceedingly improper. All we are to do, is to take care that tepidity and laziness do not introduce themselves under the cloak of natural. weakness, of which I shall afterwards speak at large, whereby we come to yield too easily, let our mind take too much liberty, and permit our imagination to wander from one thing to another. For we must take care, as Abraham did, to drive away the birds of prey that descend upon the sacrifice; that is to say, we must apply ourselves to the banishing all thoughts that hinder our prayer; and if we do but our endeavour, there will be no reason at all to disquiet ourselves. We read of St. Bridget, that once having a great many temptations to suffer in time of prayer, the blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her and said:—The devil, envying man’s good, does all he can to trouble him in prayer, and to withdraw him from it; but, dear child, what temptation soever troubles you, and what pain soever you feel in resisting it, take care always to strengthen your good resolutions so much as youare able, and by this means your prayer will be of great merit in God’s sight. I have in another place spoken of a very proper means to repair and redeem the time we may fear to have lost in distractions, wherefore I shall say no more on that subject.

About ReligiousBookshelf.com · A Supernerd Media project