Dr. Helen Titilola OLOJEDE

Last week, we began discussing how we can deepen our prayer life and grow in friendship with the Lord. We continue from where we stopped by examining the last two components of vocal prayer: Recommended pertains to praying the Rosary, reciting the Angelus and other spiritual devotions or praying parts of the Divine Office in the case of the laity while optional prayer could be a prayer one says extemporaneously or something expressed to God in the moment. Vocal prayer could be said loudly in a group or at Mass, or you could say it quietly within the mind or in the head.

CCC 2701 says of vocal prayer: “Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life. To his disciples, drawn by their Master's silent prayer, Jesus teaches a vocal prayer, the ‘Our Father.’ He not only prayed aloud the liturgical prayers of the synagogue but, as the Gospels show, he raised his voice to express his personal prayer, from exultant blessing of the Father to the agony of Gethsemane.”

 

A second form of prayer aside from the vocal prayer is the meditative prayer, which is a deeply personal form of prayer, distinct from Eastern meditation, which seeks to empty the mind. Christian meditative prayer is when you speak to God from your heart. Its focus is on God, directing your mind to His presence and His work in your life. One way to practice meditative prayer is to read the Bible and concentrate on the events in the passage. Find a quiet place and open your heart to a conversation with God about your life. You could even try praying with practices like Lectio Divina, which means divine reading guides you into meditative prayer.

According to CCC 2705, “Meditation is, above all, a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books…,” Par. 2707 further notes the importance of meditative prayer, stating that as Christians, we should meditate regularly so we do not resemble the first three kinds of soil described in the parable of the sower. (Matt: 13:4-6).

Meditative prayer is thus an active form of mental prayer, as we consciously consider a text or image as we enter into prayer, allowing our mind and imagination to reflect on it. The CCC further describes meditation as prayerful pondering that starts in the word of God in the Bible. Meditation employs imagination, emotion and desire to reinforce our faith, soften our heart and strengthen our will to follow God.  It is the first step towards the union of love with God.