The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions, Second Edition. Mike Aquilina
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your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray: O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of your faithful, grant us in that same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in his consolations, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Then read slowly and let the words penetrate your thoughts and heart. Scripture is a precious gift from God, to be savored.
It’s important to approach Scripture with a humble heart. God will speak to us through His word, but our knowledge and understanding are limited. We best apply the word of God to our lives with the help of spiritual direction. Personal interpretation must always yield in obedience to the teaching of the Church. It is the Church that has been appointed the protector of God’s word and, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the final interpreter of the Word.
There are many translations of Scripture, but only certain versions are approved for liturgical use in the Church. Since these versions have been scrutinized by Church authorities for accuracy of translation, it is best to use these versions for personal devotion as well. In this book, we’ve used the Revised Standard Version of the Bible — Second Catholic Edition and the New American Bible, revised edition (from which the Scripture readings at Mass are taken).
You should also know that not all Christians accept the full text of the Bible as the Tradition has preserved it for us. It is best to find a Bible that is explicitly Catholic. Sometimes you can tell by the words on the cover; sometimes you can tell by the presence of an imprimatur, or statement that the book is consistent with the teachings of the Church, on the Bible’s copyright page.
Some people use the daily readings from the Mass as their daily scriptural reading. Doing this can help us to participate more fully in the Church’s liturgical life. The Mass readings are easily found under the Bible tab of the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (usccb.org).
Make It Your Own
A religion teacher wanted to impress upon his students the value of God’s word in the Bible. He told them that the book was useless unless it was used. “If a passage of Scripture touches you,” he said, “tear it out of the book and carry it with you and read it regularly.” We don’t necessarily need to destroy a book, but carrying Scripture with us is a good idea. There are pocket New Testaments that fit easily into a coat, a briefcase, or a purse. Various apps and downloads will make Scripture accessible on your cell phone or tablet. How often do you find yourself waiting — for a bus, for your doctor, for someone to pick up a phone? What a wonderful opportunity to read a few passages of the New Testament.
The Bible can also be invaluable in family devotions. Reading a short passage, perhaps from the Book of Proverbs or the Psalms, at the end of a meal, will help family members grow in knowledge and appreciation of Scripture.
The Word of God
“I pose a question to you: do you read a passage of the Gospel every day? Yes, no … yes, no … half of the time … some yes, some no. It is important! Do you read the Gospel? It is so good; it is a good thing to have a small book of the Gospel, a little one, and to carry in our pocket or in our purse and read a little passage in whatever moment presents itself during the day. In any given moment of the day I take the Gospel from my pocket and I read something, a short passage. Jesus is there and he speaks to us in the Gospel!”
— Pope Francis
“Read very often the divine Scriptures; never abandon the sacred reading.”
— St. John Chrysostom
“Divine Scripture is like a field in which we are going to build a house. We cannot be lazy and be happy to build just on the surface: we have to dig down until we reach the living rock, and this rock is Christ.”
— St. Augustine
3. How to Practice “Mental Prayer”
Have you noticed how some longtime friends can communicate without words? A gesture, a glance, a movement conveys all the information they need. The truth told in a handshake or an embrace perhaps could never be put into words.
In our relationship with God, our words are invaluable. But they are not everything. Our recited, formal prayer is sometimes called vocal prayer. There is another kind of prayer that is offered in silence. Vocal prayer has its limits, and sometimes words and forms can be more of an obstacle than a help. In addition to vocal prayer, we must also communicate with God in a way that does not primarily depend on words.
This is mental prayer. In mental prayer, the mind and heart do the work of communication. Perhaps this sounds exotic, but it really shouldn’t. You’ve probably already experienced mental prayer without being fully aware of it. Perhaps you were trying to understand the seemingly senseless suffering of a friend, and you found yourself mentally raising the situation up to God, asking Him to give you light.
Or maybe you experienced mental prayer while looking at a crucifix. You began to think about the sacrifice of Jesus — that He became a man and bore our sins. You considered the love He showed to you in submitting himself to men and carrying the cross. As you considered those facts, your heart stirred with love. Your affections reached out to embrace the God who has done so much for you. This is mental prayer. Although words may play a part, it is your mind, heart, and will that communicate directly with God.
Another example: It is right before Communion at Mass. As you pray the “Lamb of God,” you are struck by your unworthiness to receive the all-holy God. You heart again is moved to revulsion toward your sins and gratitude for the mercy of God. As you consider God’s love for you, your affections “speak” love to Him. You experience a strong desire to be more faithful. Almost imperceptibly you recommit yourself to God.
Mental prayer is the conversation with God that takes place in the quiet of your own mind and heart. It is more than running down a mental list of gratitudes and grievances; it is speaking your mind, speaking from the heart — it is giving God the time and the silence to answer you in the depths of your soul.
Mental prayer is something we can cultivate. Sometimes, it just seems to happen, as in the above examples, because in all prayer, God is taking the initiative. We enter into the communication that He has already begun. Yet we should never see prayer as a passive activity. We can set specific times when we engage in mental prayer. During these times, we specifically turn our hearts and minds to God. At the beginning of our time of mental prayer, we make an act of the will, giving our full attention to God. We acknowledge His presence and His love. Then we open our thoughts to God and allow our heart to respond. We are moved to godly intent, decisions, and action. This type of focused mental prayer is sometimes called meditation and will be discussed in greater detail in the next chapter.
We have said on several occasions that prayer is a two-way relationship — God speaks to us and we speak to God. Often the question is: “How do I hear God?” It probably won’t be by audible words. Yet we can and should expect to “hear” God in our mental prayer.
Consider the one person to whom you are closest. Don’t you sometimes communicate without words — by a smile, a wink, a nudge? Some communication transcends words. Communication from God to us normally transcends words. Moreover, communication from God normally transcends the senses of sight and touch as well. That link between you and your friend, although deeper than words, still depends on the senses. Your communication with God, on the other hand, can go beyond all senses. He can communicate fully at the level of heart and mind.
Most people have experienced this to some degree. For example, you may be prayerfully reading a passage from the Bible when some line seems to jump off the page. You experience urgency about the passage, or you come to a new level of understanding. Is it merely your mind working on the Scripture? Maybe, but it is also quite possible that the new insight has its origin in the Holy Spirit working within you — God