I find that many books on my shelves
have to do with prayer of different types - mostly contemplative but also a
number about the Ignatian form of prayer. Their content is varied, different,
but there's one thing in common: Prayer leads to deep-seated devotion to God,
if we stick with it. Just like any important relationship, the one we
have with God requires energy and fervency. Remember what is written
in Revelations about the "lukewarm"? Yikes!
I
receive an email newsletter from Fr. James Martin, SJ every week, and this past
week's message was very pertinent, for people who are struggling with their
prayer lives - whether one has been at it for 60 years or for six months.
I am asked often in spiritual direction about prayer: Am I doing it
right? How do I know God is listening? Am I expected to pray in a
particular way? But I've never had anyone ask me about this topic
addressed by James Martin; namely, how do I get through prayer when I'm being
tempted away from it and being tempted during it.
Here's
his message from November 4th:
WEEKLY MEDITATION: If you face temptations in prayer, be
honest with God.
What’s
your experience of praying while you’re tempted? And don’t tell me that you’ve
never had that problem before. Everyone gets tempted from time to time, even
the most spiritually experienced. A few years ago a sister who was on retreat
with me told me that she had a hard time praying with Ignatian contemplation,
that is, imagining yourself in a Scripture passage. She said that she had no
imagination. I wasn’t sure what to say about that, until an idea dawned on me.
I said, “Sister, have you never once had a sexual fantasy?” And she laughed out
loud, and I said, “I guess you do have an imagination!”
But temptation in prayer isn’t limited to those kinds of distractions; it’s something broader. You can be tempted to all sorts of things while you’re praying. You can be tempted to anger over something minor. Or to a desire for revenge towards someone against whom you’ve held a grudge. Or temptation to think more about material things, like buying a new phone, when you should be focused on God. What do you do with these temptations? Well, first, recognize them, and don’t let them disturb you. Let them go if you can and refocus on God. But if you can’t let them go, then bring them into your prayer. It might be an invitation to ask God about them. Or it may simply be an invitation to pray while you’re tempted. Maybe you can say, “God, I’m tempted but I’m still with you.” God will understand. After all, the Gospels tell us that even Jesus was tempted. Remember that God is always with you, even while you’re tempted.
But temptation in prayer isn’t limited to those kinds of distractions; it’s something broader. You can be tempted to all sorts of things while you’re praying. You can be tempted to anger over something minor. Or to a desire for revenge towards someone against whom you’ve held a grudge. Or temptation to think more about material things, like buying a new phone, when you should be focused on God. What do you do with these temptations? Well, first, recognize them, and don’t let them disturb you. Let them go if you can and refocus on God. But if you can’t let them go, then bring them into your prayer. It might be an invitation to ask God about them. Or it may simply be an invitation to pray while you’re tempted. Maybe you can say, “God, I’m tempted but I’m still with you.” God will understand. After all, the Gospels tell us that even Jesus was tempted. Remember that God is always with you, even while you’re tempted.
I
remember when I was making the Spiritual Exercises the first
time, I found that I was being tempted away from my hour of prayer on almost a
daily basis. Those times were most prevalent when praying about giving my
life to Jesus and wanting to learn how to be generous - without counting the
cost. Also I was tempted during the days when I was tasked with offering everything to God, and I
waited to see if my ministry of spiritual direction was something that would
not be given back. (In other words, not what God wanted me to do but
what I wanted to do. These can be two very different
things at times, even though they may both be good choices!) But I
learned, during those 24 weeks, that if I asked for the grace to not be tempted
during that hour of prayer each day, the grace was granted. But I still
had to make sure that I was paying attention to the "Object" of my
affection, if you will. I still needed to turn off my phone ringer
completely and to shut down any other forms of interaction with people. I would
tell family that I was going to pray now and asked not to be disturbed.
These are some ways that we can be sure that we are giving ourselves to God as
much as humanly possible, when we are going to enter into concentrated prayer
or contemplation. Don't be embarrassed to tell others that you are
getting ready to pray. Allow others to know of how important your
relationship with God is to you!
A
fervent heart is one that is impassioned and dedicated. It's the kind of
heart that the Blessed Trinity has for each one of us. Allow your heart to be set on
fire with love for God! 💙
