> [[at-sl-19|← Book II]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-21|B2 Ch. II →]] # Chapter I. Affective Prayer [1] 975\. Souls in the illuminative way continue in the practice of the same spiritual exercises as beginners (n. 657), but by increasing their number and by prolonging them, they approach the state of habitual prayer, already described in n. 522, which finds its perfect realization only in the unitive way. They apply themselves particularly to the practice of affective prayer, which little by little takes the place of discursive meditation. We shall explain: 1° the nature of affective prayer; 2° its advantages; 3° its difficulties; 4° its method. ## Art. I. Nature of Affective Prayer 976\. 1° Definition. Affective prayer, as the term indicates, is that form of prayer in which devout affections predominate, that is, those various acts of the will whereby we express to God our love and our desire of glorifying Him. In this kind of prayer the heart is engaged to a greater extent than the mind. Beginners, as we have said (n. 668), need to acquire convictions; therefore they insist upon reasoning and give but little time to affections. But in proportion as these convictions grow and take root in the soul, less time is required to renew them and greater play is allowed to the affections. Smitten with love for God and charmed by the beauty of virtue, we rise with greater ease in loving aspirations towards the Author of all good in order to worship Him, to praise Him, to thank Him, to love Him; towards Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Exemplar, Master, Friend, and Brother, in order to offer Him the tenderest sentiments of love; towards the Most Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God and our Mother, the dispenser of God’s gifts, in order to express to her our filial, trustful and unselfish love (n. 166). Other sentiments arise spontaneously in the soul: sentiments of shame, of confusion and humiliation at the sight of our miseries; ardent desires to become better, and confident petitions to obtain the necessary grace; zeal for God’s glory which makes us pray for the great interests of the Church and the welfare of souls. 977\. 2° Transition from discursive meditation to affective prayer. One does not attain suddenly to this kind of prayer. There is a period of transition when to a greater or lesser extent considerations and affections intermingle. There follows another period in which considerations still take place, but in the form of a colloquy after this fashion: “Help me, O my God, to realize how necessary is this virtue.” Some brief moments are then given to reflection, and the colloquy continues: “I thank Thee, O my God, for Thy divine lights. Vouchsafe to burn into my soul these truths, in order that they may affect my life more deeply… Help me, I beseech Thee, to see how short I fall of this virtue… what I must do to practice it better… this very day.” At last, a time arrives when reasoning all but ceases, or at least, it is so rapidly done that the greater part of prayer is passed in devout colloquies. Still, at times one feels the need of returning for a few moments to considerations so as to keep the mind sufficiently occupied. In all this one must follow the motions of grace under the guidance of a spiritual director. 978\. 3° Signs that warrant this change. A) It is important that we recognize the signs which tell us when to relinquish discursive for affective prayer. To do so prematurely would be imprudent, for if the soul is not yet sufficiently advanced to entertain these affections, it will fall into distractions or aridity. On the other hand, it would be a loss to make the change too late, for according to all spiritual writers, affective prayer is more fruitful than discursive prayer, since it is chiefly by acts of the will that we give glory to God and attract virtue to ourselves. B) These signs are as follows: 1) When despite good-will one finds it difficult to pursue considerations or to draw profit from them, and at the same time one is inclined towards affections in prayer. 2) When convictions are so firmly rooted in the soul that it takes but a moment to recall them. 3) When the heart, detached from sin, easily tends towards God or towards Our Lord. However, since no one is a fair judge in his own case, these signs are to be submitted to the judgment of the spiritual director. 979\. 4° Means of fostering affections in prayer. A) These devout affections are multiplied and prolonged chiefly through the exercise of the virtue of charity, for they spring from a heart where the love of God reigns supreme. It is such a heart that moves us to admire the divine perfections. Aglow with faith, it makes visible to our eyes the infinite beauty, the goodness, and the loving mercy of God; a sense of awe and of wonder arises spontaneously and in turn gives birth to gratitude, praise, and delight in God. The more the soul loves God, the more are these various acts prolonged. The same is true of love towards Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we pass in review His many favors to us (n. 967), the sufferings He has endured for us, the love He shows us now in the Holy Eucharist, we are easily drawn on to sentiments of admiration, adoration, gratefulness, pity, love, and we feel constrained to praise and bless One Who loves us so much. 980\. B) To nurture this love, souls in the illuminative way should be advised to meditate frequently on the great truths that recall to us what God has done and ceaselessly does for us: — a) The indwelling of the Three Divine Persons in our soul and Their paternal action in our regard (n. 92-130). b) Our incorporation into Christ and the part He plays in the Christian life (n. 132-153). His life, His mysteries and, above all, His cruel Passion, His love in the Eucharist. c) The share of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels and the Saints in the Christian life (n. 154-189). Herein we find an excellent means of lending variety to the affections by addressing ourselves now to our Mother in Heaven, now to the Holy Angels, especially to our Guardian Angel, now to the Saints, and in particular to those that inspire in us greater devotion. d) Such vocal prayers as the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Hymns of St. Thomas to the Blessed Sacrament, etc… which abound in sentiments of love, gratitude, conformity to God’s will. e) The fundamental virtues: religion towards God, obedience to superiors, humility, fortitude, temperance, and, above all, the three theological virtues. These virtues are to be considered now not in the abstract but as exemplified by Our Lord. It is in order to resemble Him and to show Him our love that we strive to practice them. f) We must nevertheless continue to meditate on penance, mortification, sin, and the last things, but in a manner different from that of beginners. We should consider Our Lord as a perfect model of penance and of mortification, loaded down with the burden of our transgressions and atoning for them through a long martyrdom, and we should strive to draw to ourselves these virtues. Should we meditate on death, heaven, and hell, it will be to detach ourselves from created things in order to unite ourselves to Jesus and thereby secure the grace of a happy death and a bright throne in heaven, close to Jesus. ## Art. II. Advantages of Affective Prayer These flow from the very nature of this prayer. 981\. 1° The principal advantage is a closer and more abiding union with God. Because this prayer multiplies affective acts, it produces an increase of love for God. Thus the affections are at once effect and cause. They spring from our love of God and at the same time perfect that love, since virtues grow by the repetition of the same acts. For the same reason they give us a better knowledge of the divine perfections. For, as St. Bonaventure [1] points out, “the best way to arrive at a knowledge of God is to taste the sweetness of His love; this is a far better way, worthier, and more gratifying than the way of intellectual research.” Just as we form a better appreciation of the fine quality of a tree by tasting the fruit it produces, so we realize all the better the worth of the divine attributes, once we experience the charming tenderness of God’s love. This knowledge in turn increases our charity, our earnestness, and urges us on to the perfect exercise of all virtues. 982\. 2° Because affective prayer increases our love for God, it perfects all the virtues that flow from charity: a) conformity to God's will, for we delight in doing the will of those we love; b) desire to procure the glory of God and the salvation of souls, for if we love we cannot but praise and seek praise for the object of our affections; c) love of silence and recollection, for we want to be alone with Him Whom we love, in order to think the oftener of Him and to tell Him again of our love; d) desire of frequent Communion, for we want to possess as perfectly as we can the object of our love, to welcome Him joyfully into our hearts and joyfully abide with Him all the day long; e) the spirit of sacrifice, for we know that we cannot be one with the Crucified and through Him with God, except inasmuch as we deny ourselves and sacrifice our ease in order to carry our cross without faltering and to accept all the trials that Providence sends us. 983\. 3° In affective prayer we often find spiritual consolation. There is no purer, no sweeter joy than that found in the companionship of a friend, and Jesus being the tenderest and most generous of friends, we relish in His presence a taste of Heaven’s joys: To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise. True, side by side with these joys there are at times trials, such as aridity, but we accept these with a sweet resignation and we tell God again and again that in spite of all we wish to love and serve Him. The thought that we suffer for God’s sake alleviates our sufferings and becomes a source of consolation. We may add that affective prayer is not as difficult as discursive prayer. In the latter, fatigue follows quickly upon the effort of reasoning, whilst if we let our heart produce sentiments of love, of gratitude, of praise, the soul experiences a sweet rest, and is thus enabled to conserve its energies for action. 984\. 4° Lastly, affective prayer becomes more and more simple as we lessen the number and the variety of affections and intensify a certain few of them, and it thus leads us on gradually to the prayer of simplicity. This already constitutes acquired contemplation, and it prepares for infused contemplation the souls that are called to it. Of this we shall speak when treating of the unitive way. ## Art. III. The Disadvantages and the Dangers of Affective Prayer The best things in this world are not free from disadvantages and dangers. This holds true of affective prayer unless it be practiced with discretion. We shall now point out its dangers and disadvantages together with the proper remedies. 985\. 1° The first danger is mental strain, leading to fatigue and exhaustion. Some persons, anxious to lend intensity to their affective acts, strain their minds and hearts, and violently bestir themselves to produce acts of love in which nature plays a greater part than grace. Such efforts wear out their nervous system and cause the blood to rush to the brain; a sort of slow fever consumes their strength and they are soon exhausted. Physiological disorders even may ensue, and sensations more or less sensual may join with devout affections. 986\. This is a serious defect which must be corrected at the very outset by consulting a wise director and following his advice. Now, the remedy consists in the profound conviction that true love of God is centered in the will rather than in the feelings; that the generosity of that love does not consist in vehement [1] emotional transports, but in a calm and determined purpose of refusing nothing to Almighty God. Let us bear in mind that love is an act of the will. No doubt, it does react on the feelings and excite more or less lively emotions, yet these do not constitute the essence of true devotion; they are but accidental manifestations thereof which must remain subject to the will and must be regulated by it. In the absence of this control, the emotions gain the ascendency, (which means disorder) and instead of fostering solid piety, they make it degenerate into sentimental, at times into sensual love, for all violent emotions are fundamentally of the same kind, and the passage from one to the other is easy. We must therefore strive to spiritualize our affections, to moderate them and press them into the service of the will. Then we shall enjoy a peace that lies above and beyond all feeling, “The peace of God which surpasseth all understanding.” [2] 987\. 2° The second danger of affective prayer is pride and presumption. Because one is possessed of good and noble sentiments, of holy desires, of fine projects for spiritual progress; because one experiences sensible fervor, and in such moments scorns the pleasures and goods and vanities of this world, one becomes easily persuaded that one is far more advanced in the spiritual life than one really is, and one may even wonder whether one has not all but reached the heights of perfection and contemplation. At times, one may even hold one’s breath at prayer awaiting some divine communication. These sentiments show, on the contrary, that one is still far removed from such exalted heights; for, the saints and the truly fervent distrust themselves, ever regard themselves as the worst, and readily believe that others are better than themselves. Therefore, one must return to the practice of humility and self-distrust, taking into consideration what we shall say subsequently regarding this virtue. Besides, when these sentiments of pride develop, God frequently takes it upon Himself to bring back such souls to a right sense of their unworthiness and their insufficiency, by depriving them of consolations and of choice graces. Then they realize that they are as yet far removed from the desired goal. 988\. 3° There are some who make their entire devotion consist in a quest after spiritual consolations, whilst they neglect their duties of state and the practice of the ordinary virtues. Provided they are able to make what they consider beautiful meditations, they imagine themselves to be perfect. This is a gross delusion. There is no perfection without conformity to the divine will; and it is God’s will that besides keeping the commandments we should faithfully discharge our duties of state, practice the homely virtues of modesty, kindness, graciousness, amiability, as well as the greater ones. To believe that one is a saint because one loves prayer and especially the comforts of prayer, is to forget that he alone is perfect who does the will of God: “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father.” [1] Once we know how to remove these obstacles and dangers by using the means indicated, affective prayer becomes highly conducive to our spiritual progress as well as to the exercise of apostolic zeal. ## Art. IV. Methods of Affective Prayer These methods are reduced to two types: the method of St. Ignatius and that of St. Sulpice. I. The Methods of St. Ignatius [2] Among the methods of St. Ignatius there are three related to affective prayer: 1° Contemplation. 2° The Application of the Senses. 3° Meditated vocal prayer. 1° ST. IGNATIUS’ METHOD OF CONTEMPLATION 989\. It is not question here of infused contemplation nor even of acquired contemplation, but of a method of affective prayer.To contemplate any given thing is not merely to glance at it, but to linger on it with pleasure, to look at it with wonder and love, much as a mother gazes upon her child. The object of this contemplation may be the mysteries of Our Lord or the divine attributes. When we meditate upon some mystery: 1) we contemplate the persons who take part in it, for instance, the Most Blessed Trinity, Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, the Saints; 2) we listen to their words, see to whom they are addressed, and search their meaning; 3) we consider the nature and circumstances of their actions. All these lead us to offer our homage to God, to Jesus Christ, to Our Lady and to the Saints, and thus to know and to love better our Blessed Saviour. 990\. That this contemplation may be fruitful, we look upon the mystery in question, not as a past event, but as one actually taking place before our eyes. Moreover, we do not simply witness the mystery, but actively share in it, for example, by making our own the sentiments that animated the Blessed Virgin at the moment of Our Lord’s birth. Besides, we seek to attain some practical result, for example, a more intimate knowledge of Jesus, a more unselfish love for Him. We can easily see how a subject thus considered readily admits of all sentiments of admiration, adoration, gratitude, love towards God, as well as of self-reproach, unworthiness, sorrow at the sight of our sins, in a word, of every kind of prayer which we can offer for ourselves and for others. In order that these manifold affections may not alter our peace of soul, we must not forget the wise remark of St. Ignatius [1]: “If I experience in this or that point of meditation such sentiments as I wanted to excite in my soul, I shall stop and tarry there, without concerning myself with proceeding further, until my soul has had its fill; for it is not an abundance of knowledge that lays hold on the soul and satisfies it, but the inward relish of the truths it meditates.” 2° THE APPLICATION OF THE SENSES 991\. This is the name given to a very simple and very devout way of meditating. It consists in the imaginative or spiritual exercise of our senses upon some mystery of Our Lord’s life, in order that the soul may attain to a fuller realization of all the circumstances attending the said mystery, and that the heart may be moved to stir up pious sentiments and to make good resolutions. The following is an example taken from the mystery of the Nativity. 1\) Application of the sense of sight: I see the tiny Babe laid in the manger, the straw whereon He rests, the swaddling clothes wherewith He is wrapped. I see His little hands trembling with cold, His eyes glistening with tears. This Infant is my God! I adore Him with lively sentiments of faith. I see the Blessed Virgin, a picture of meekness and heavenly beauty! I see her taking the Child Jesus in her arms, covering Him tenderly, pressing Him to her heart and laying Him upon the straw. That Babe is her Son and her God! I wonder and pray. Then I think of Holy Communion, in which I receive the self-same Jesus. Do I have Mary’s faith, Mary’s love? 2\) Application of the sense of hearing: I hear the cries of the Divine Infant. I hear the sobs that suffering wrings from Him. He is cold, He suffers, chiefly hecause of the hard-heartedness of men. I listen to the words His heart speaks to the heart of His Mother. I hearken to the answer She makes, an answer full of faith, of adoration, of humility, of love. I join in her sentiments. 3\) Application of the sense of smell: I breathe the aroma of the virtues the lowly manger holds, the fragrance of Christ Jesus, and I beg my Savior to grant me that spiritual sense that will enable me to breathe in the perfume of His humility. 4\) Application of the sense of taste: I relish the delight of being nigh to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the delight of loving them, and the better to enjoy this delight I silently rest close to my Savior. 5\) Application of the sense of touch: With loving reverence I feel that straw whereon my Savior lies, I press it to my lips with love; and by the leave of the Divine Child, I kiss His sacred feet. [1] One ends by holding a devout colloquy with Jesus and with His Blessed Mother, asking the grace of loving this Divine Savior with a more generous love. 992\. As to meditation on the divine attributes, it is made by considering each of them with sentiments of adoration, of praise, and of love, in order to arrive at the complete surrender of self to God. [2] 3° VOCAL PRAYER MEDITATED 993\. This method of meditating consists in a leisurely consideration of any vocal prayer, such as the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Hail Holy Queen etc., in order to ponder and relish the meaning of each word. Thus, with the Lord’s Prayer, we consider the first word and say, for instance: O my God, Thou the Eternal, the Almighty Creator of all things, Thou hast adopted me as Thy child, Thou art my Father. Thou art so, because at Baptism Thou hast vouchsafed to have me share in that divine life which is Thine, because each day Thou dost foster it in my soul. Thou art so, because Thou lovest me with a love surpassing that of any earthly father or mother for a child, because Thou dost encompass me with a solicitude truly paternal. [1] We dwell upon this one word as long as we find therein new depths of meaning and draw therefrom fresh sentiments that yield some light, strength or consolation. If we find in one word or two sufficient matter for all the time of our prayer, we do not proceed further, but we relish these words, draw from them some practical conclusion, and pray to be enabled to carry it out. These methods are three simple and easy ways of making affective prayer. II\. The Method of St. Sulpice We have already noted, n. 701, that this method is particularly adapted to affective prayer. Souls in the illuminative way may make profitable use of it if only they bear in mind the following remarks: 994\. 1° The first point, the adoration, which was rather brief for beginners, is now prolonged more and more, and at times may take up over one-half of the time of meditation. The soul, seized by love for God, admires, adores, praises, blesses, thanks now the Three Divine Persons, now each of Them in particular, now Our Blessed Lord, the perfect model of the virtue we wish to make our own. According to circumstances, the soul likewise offers here its reverent, grateful, and loving homages to the Blessed Virgin and to the Saints, and whilst so doing it feels itself drawn to imitate their virtues. 995\. 2° The second point, the communion, likewise becomes almost completely affective. The few considerations made are rather brief, and they are made in the form of a colloquy with God or with Our Lord, thus: “Help me, O my God, to establish this truth more firmly in my soul…” These colloquies are accompanied or followed by outpourings of gratitude for the lights received, and by ardent desires of practicing the virtue upon which we meditate. On turning to examine ourselves with regard to this virtue, we do so under the gaze of Jesus and by comparison with this Divine Model. The result is a clearer realization, by far, of our defects and of our misery which are brought out by the contrast between Him and us. Then sentiments of humiliation and shame are more deeply felt, our confidence in God increases because we find ourselves before the Divine Healer of souls, and instinctively the heart utters the cry: “Lord, behold him whom Thou lovest is sick.” 1 Earnest petitions are then made for the grace of practicing some particular virtue, petitions in behalf of others, petitions for the universal Church, petitions full of confidence, because being incorporated into Christ, we know our prayers have His support. 996\. 3° The third point, the co-operation, assumes a more affective character: the resolution that we form is submitted to Jesus for approval, and the desire which prompts us to carry it out in practice is that of becoming even more thoroughly one with Christ. For the realization of this good purpose we rely on His collaboration, while distrusting ourselves. We associate this resolution with a spiritual bouquet, a loving aspiration which we repeat often during the course of the day, and which helps us not only to put our resolution into practice, but also to remind us of Him Who inspired it. 997\. There are times, however, when the soul affected by aridity, cannot, save with great difficulty, produce such affections. Then, in sweet abandonment to the will of God, it reaffirms its determination to love Him, to remain loyal to Him, to abide in His presence and in His service, no matter what it may cost; it humbly avows its own unworthiness, its own powerlessness, makes its will one with Christ’s, offers with Him the homages He renders to God and joins thereto its own suffering at not being able to do more to honor the Divine Majesty. These acts of the will are even richer in merit than devout affections. Such are the principal methods of affective prayer. Let each one choose the method best adapted to himself, and, under the influence of divine grace, take from it what actually answers to his needs and supernatural attractions. In this manner the soul will advance in the practice of virtue. [[at-sl-fn-20|Fn: B2 Ch. I]] --- ![[maps/bibliography#^biblio-tan]] > [[at-sl-19|← Book II]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-21|B2 Ch. II →]]