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MENTAL PRAYER AFTER MEDITATION
REVIEW
Its necessity and obligation—its two divisions.
According to the rules laid down by St. Ignatius,
the Meditation is usually followed by an examen
or Review, as we generally call it. It must be
noted that this point is not only of great utility,
but of absolute necessity both for acquiring the
art of Meditation, as also for gathering fruit from
the Meditation just completed. A Sister sometimes lives for a long time in Religion, makes a
daily Meditation and yet always remains ignorant
of its art, either because she makes no review, or
makes it badly. Or she meditates daily on the
eternal truths, and under the light of these, forms
resolutions of improving her life; and yet the
same passions are always alive within her, she is a
prey to the same vices and defects—often almost
entirely from the same cause, negligence in the
Review. We may be sure that no rule which St.
Ignatius lays down for successful Meditation is
superfluous—that all the parts are mutually related, like the links of a chain. If one is taken
away or broken, the whole chain is rendered useless, or at least unserviceable.
Let it therefore be one of the principles deeply
imprinted on your mind from the very outset, that
the Review after the Meditation must never be
omitted, and that if by chance you are prevented
from making it immediately after the Meditation,
still it must always be made, however late. It
would be better to omit some other prayer or
devout exercise which you have adopted from
personal devotion, most praiseworthy in itself, but
less important than the Review.
Although St. Ignatius seems to intend this Review should be made with the sole purpose of
examining the Meditation just completed, yet it
evidently cannot be made without some recapitulation. So the Review is usually divided into two
parts, the Examen, properly so called, and the
repetition or Recapitulation.
EXAMEN
When, then, the Meditation is finished, we must
examine its success, and this both as to the
preparation and as to the Meditation itself.
With regard to the preparation: Did I read
or listen attentively to the reading of the Points
on the previous evening? Did I then keep recollected? Did I recall the subject of my Meditation, after going to bed, before going to sleep?
In the morning, did I again recall it, excluding all
other thoughts? Did I, while dressing and going
to the Chapel, entertain appropriate sentiments?
Did I check all agitation of soul, especially just
before Meditation? Did I before beginning the
Meditation think what I was going to do, and of
God's presence?—So much with regard to the
preparation.
With regard to the Meditation proper: 1. Beginning.—With what reverence, attention and devotion did I make the Preparatory
Prayer? Did I make the Preludes, especially the
second, asking for light and the particular, grace
to be drawn from this Meditation?
2. Body.—Did I promptly use the faculties of
the soul? My memory by attentively pondering
the subject matter? My understanding by reasoning upon the question:
What ought I to consider about this? What practical lesson, etc.—
by weighing the motives: necessity, utility, fitness, etc.? My will, by exciting affections through
the course of the Meditation? By making serious
resolutions for a better life and for perfection?
By adding a humble petition to my resolutions ?
In all this, were distractions overcome, or at
least not given way to? Was any weariness
which may have been felt, conquered or at least
set at nought, and no interruption allowed in the
application of the mind, as far as was possible?
Did I have recourse to the First Prelude, if there
was one, to fix my wandering imagination and
fasten it upon the subject matter? Did I seriously apply my mind throughout every Point?
3. End.—Was my colloquy made fervently,
with a petition for grace? Was the feeling of
torpor, which occasionally arises towards the end
of Meditation, shaken off? Did I end my Meditation reverently?
Finally, from beginning to end, did I do my
best to correspond with the grace of God? Did I
apply my mind to the Meditation seriously? Did
I keep a proper posture? With interior and exterior reverence? Was my Meditation broken
off or interrupted without necessity? Or if there
was such necessity, did I at least preserve tranquility of mind and recollection of spirit?
There is no reason why you should be alarmed
by the number of questions contained in the
examen, for their number might even be further
increased. Provided you know how Meditation
should be made, you will soon see without difficulty where there is any defect, for your conscience will point it out and reproach you with
it. By going through the different parts of the
Meditation, as we have said, it is scarcely possible for any defect to escape your notice.
St. Ignatius adds: If the meditation has succeeded badly, I will with sorrow inquire the
causes and resolve to do better. These causes
will be discovered by the help of what has just
been said. Should no reason of the failure be
here discovered, you must examine the remote
preparation, your recollection during the day, the
observance of the rules, purity of heart, and
spirit of mortification, etc. For it is certain that
God often punishes in time of prayer, faults committed at other moments, and on the contrary,
often rewards largely in time of prayer, fervor
in His service in other things. If we have failed and cannot perceive the cause, let us be humble
and believe that the reason is being purposely
withheld from our eyes. Yet this humility must
not be of such a nature as to cause too great
anxiety, but must leave the will resigned to that
of God. St. Ignatius's words are to be noted: I will inquire the causes with sorrow and purpose
of amendment. This indeed is the primary purpose of the review, to learn to meditate and form
the habit of meditating well. If every day we
do what St. Ignatius here prescribes, we shall,
by God's grace, easily acquire this art.
If the Meditation has succeeded, St. Ignatius
further adds, I will give thanks to God and observe the same method for the future; that is, I
will always observe the same order and application of mind.
SUMMARY
The Recapitulation is the second part of the
Review, over and beyond the Examen, or rather,
accompanying and forming part of it.
In other words, the outline of the Meditation
must be called to mind, and what was proposed in
the different Points. While the defects are thus
examined, or rather occur to the mind of their own accord, at the
same time the practical conclusions drawn from each Point are recalled;
the motives for which they were accepted by the
mind, and the resolutions formed.
If there has been particular light anywhere, or if some truth has
been more clearly perceived than usual, if a maxim, an expression,
or some motive has made an impression on the mind, it should be
again recalled, dwelt upon with pleasure, and reexamined, and the plan formed to
often recall, reconsider and reexamine it again
later on. Then the resolutions formed in course
of the Meditation must be confirmed, the time of
their accomplishment determined, the probable
circumstances, as far as this is possible, once
more reviewed. Finally, in a short petition, God's
help must be implored for their faithful execution.
The immense usefulness of this Review, proved
by experience, will urge those who are truly
desirous of spiritual advancement and perfection, to make it carefully. For them the Review
will produce, as it were, a harvest of fruit, which
without it would have perished. Besides, it not
infrequently happens that the taste of devotion
which has been sought without result during the
Meditation, is found during the Review. And if
you have been dry and devoid of noble desires or
resolutions—either from your own fault or without any fault of yours—the Review by God's
grace makes up for all this; and there you can
form good resolutions, no less efficacious, than in
the Meditation proper. But in all this, experience teaches more than speaking or writing.
God's Goodness is incredible and surpasses all
understanding, for it pours its grace on those
who apply themselves seriously to Meditation, in
order that they may be encouraged to daily increase that attention and be in proportion more
liberally rewarded by greater graces from Our
Lord.
To the Review may be added a device which
many make use of to assure the execution of their
resolutions: They choose some ejaculatory
prayer in keeping with the subject of the Meditation and their resolutions, and this they repeat
at intervals throughout the day, thus recalling
their Meditation and reminding themselves without effort of their resolutions.
If this fruit of the Meditation is made to coincide with the subject of the Particular Examen, evidently the result will be great spiritual gain.
We often break our resolutions because the
truths which brought us to form them, grow dim
or even fade away entirely. This, then, will be
a means of keeping them alive in our souls. The
Saints indeed were not Saints for any other
reason, but that they kept the light of eternal
truths present in their mind, and were thus
always incited by God's grace, to order their life
in all things in conformity with these truths.
Finally, you must not neglect the advice which
is usually given, and is so familiar to all who aim
at perfection, namely, that something of the
Meditation should be noted in writing, and afterwards reread from time to time.
The lights and the resolutions are to be thus
noted. If the resolutions alone be noted, and the
motives on which they were based omitted, they
will usually be lacking in the strength necessary
for their accomplishment. So, note should be
made of all the lights, that is the truths which
have been well thought over, good thoughts, and
motives urging the soul to take such resolutions.
For when these are, later on, read at an opportune time, together with the resolutions, you will
be more effectively stirred to their faithful observance. As a rule these notes should not be
lengthy, but concise and clear. Nor should all
the resolutions be noted, but only the more important, or those for which there will not be so
frequent a call; what concerns your daily actions
or defects are much better remembered by a
prompt and immediate execution and daily practice, than by being noted in writing.
This record of lights and resolutions ought
more especially to be made during your retreat, since at that time a
plan of action has to be determined upon, not for a day or two, but for
the whole year, and in certain points for one's
whole life. We can only touch upon this here.
Nothing remains but to repeat what was said
in the beginning, that the art of Meditation is
the science of the Saints, gained much more by
the unction of the Holy Ghost, and a good will, than from any human
teaching. However perfectly you know all the rules here laid down, it
would evidently be of little help, unless it were
accompanied by a true desire of advancement;
nor on the other hand, would the desire of
progress and the observance of all the rules be
of any use unless the grace of the Holy Ghost be
granted? For this is no man's work, but God's.
Yet there can be no doubt, but that God, in His
infinite mercy and goodness, will aid you if you
will be good, and even this same good will of
spiritual progress is one of God's great gifts. Use, then, with the
help of God's grace, these
means as far as you are able, at the same time
often, begging of God this grace: Lord, teach
me to pray, teach me to meditate; give me the gift of prayer. All
good things will come to us
with it and innumerable riches through its
hand. . . . For it is an infinite treasure to
men; which they that use, become the friends of
God, being commended for the gift of discipline.
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