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Priests
& Prayer / Meditation / Contemplation
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"[The]
priest that leaves out his prayers is lost!"
"A
prelate should be foremost in action, more uplifted than others in
contemplation." (Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of
the Church)
"[T]hey
ought to dispose and prepare themselves, as the Scripture says:
Before prayer prepare your soul, and do not be like someone who
tempts God." (Council of Basil)
"The
more pains they take to meditate well, the more clearly will they
understand the greatness and holiness of the priestly
office." (Pope Leo XIII, "Exeunte Iam Anno", 1888
A.D.)
"Dear
brothers in the priesthood, we must often pause in prayer and
meditate on the mystery of our vocation, our hearts filled with
wonder and gratitude to God for this ineffable gift." (Pope
John Paul II)
"It
is stated in Decretal i,1: 'The worthier the priest, the sooner is
he heard in the needs for which he prays.'" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"Do not neglect, O holy man of God, to pray
and to intercede for me, when by your words you cause the divine
Word to come down, and when by a bloodless cutting you separate
the Body and Blood of the Lord, your words serving as a
knife." (St. Gregory of Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church, 4th century A.D.)
"There
is a special, very important reason which should urge us to
meditation; it is that meditation is a rich source of the wisdom
and virtue which are so useful in the supremely difficult task of
caring for souls." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
"As
Gregory says (Regulae Pastoralis ii,1), 'a prelate should be
foremost in action, and more uplifted than others in
contemplation,' because it is incumbent on him to contemplate, not
only for his own sake, but also for the purpose of instructing
others." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"There is no duty which Christ and His
Apostles more emphatically urged by both precept and example than
that of prayer and supplication to Almighty God. The Fathers and
Doctors in subsequent times have taught that this is a matter of
such grave necessity, that if men neglect it they hope in vain for
eternal salvation." (Pope Leo XIII, "Fidentem Piumque
Animum", 1896 A.D.)
"Realize, my brethren, that nothing is so
necessary to an ecclesiastic as mental prayer before, during and
after all our actions. I will sing, said the prophet, and I will
understand. If administering the sacraments, my brother, meditate
on what you are doing; if celebrating Mass, ponder on what you are
offering; in reciting the Psalms, reflect on what you are saying
and to whom you are speaking; if directing souls, reflect on the
Blood with which they were washed." (St. Charles Borromeo)
"Above
all else, the Church exhorts us to the practice of meditation,
which raises the mind to the contemplation of heavenly things,
which influences the heart with love of God and guides it on the
straight path to Him. This meditation on sacred things offers the
best means of preparation before and of thanksgiving after the
celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Meditation also disposes
the soul to savor and to comprehend the beauties of the liturgy,
and leads us to the contemplation of the eternal verities, and of
the marvelous examples and teachings of the Gospel." (Pope
Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"The
spiritual life is, indeed, an interior life, a life of intimacy
with God, a life of prayer and contemplation. But this very
meeting with God and with his fatherly love for everyone brings us
face to face with the need to meet our neighbor, to give ourselves
to others, to serve in a humble and disinterested fashion,
following the example which Jesus has proposed to everyone as a
program of life when he washed the feet of the apostles: 'I have
given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to
you' (Jn. 13:15)." (Pope John Paul II)
"Woe then to the priest who so far forgets
himself that he abandons the practice of prayer, rejects the
nourishment of spiritual reading and never turns his attention
inwards upon himself to hear the accusing voice of conscience.
Neither the festering wounds on his conscience, nor even the
tearful pleas of his mother the Church, will move such an
unfortunate priest until those fearsome threats come upon him:
Blind the heart of this people, make dull their ears, and close
their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and understand with their heart and be converted and I
should heal them." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
"Moreover, it is the strict duty of the
priest to have a mind for heavenly things, to teach them, to
inculcate them; in the regulation of his whole life he must be so
much superior to human considerations that whatever he does in the
discharge of his sacred office will be done in accordance with
God, under the impulse and guidance of faith; it is fitting then
that he should possess a certain aptitude to rise above earthly
considerations and strive for heavenly things. Nothing is more
conducive to the acquisition and strengthening of this disposition
of soul, this quasi-natural union with God, than daily meditation;
it is unnecessary to dwell upon this truth which every prudent
person clearly realizes." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"We, on the other hand, though perhaps our
hearts are eager for gaining honors, for increasing our wealth, or
for the mere winning of renown and glory by our learning, are
listless and without inclination for the supremely important and
difficult task of achieving our own sanctification. Rarely do we
take time for recollection and submit our souls to scrutiny; our
soul has become overgrown like the vineyard of the slothful man,
of which it is written: I passed by the field of the slothful man
and by the vineyard of the foolish man; and behold with nettles it
was all filled, and thorns had covered the face thereof, and the
stone wall was broken down." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"We
therefore consider it Our grave duty to exhort you in a special
manner to the practice of daily meditation, a practice recommended
to all the clergy also by Canon Law. For just as the desire for
priestly perfection is nourished and strengthened by daily
meditation, so its neglect is the source of distaste for spiritual
things, through which piety is lessened and grows languid, and the
impulse towards personal sanctification is not only weakened or
ceases altogether, but the entire priestly ministry suffers great
harm. It must therefore be stated without reservation that no
other means has the unique efficacy of meditation, and that, as a
consequence, its daily practice can in no wise be substituted
for." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"All
spiritual writers in their books, all preachers in their sermons,
all confessors in their instructions to their penitents, should
not inculcate anything more strongly than continual prayer; they
should always admonish, exclaim, and continually repeat: Pray,
pray, never case to pray; for if you pray, your salvation will be
secure; but if you leave off praying, your damnation will be
certain. All preachers and directors ought to do this, because,
according to the opinion of every Catholic school, there is no
doubt of this truth, that he who prays obtains grace and is
saved; but those who practices it are too few, and this is why so
few are saved." (St. Alphonsus Liguori,
Doctor of the Church)
"For it is not by pouring forth a copious
stream of words, not by using subtle arguments, not by delivering
violent harangues, that the salvation of souls is effected. The
preacher who is content with those means is nothing but 'sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal.' [I Cor. xiii, 1] What gives a man's
words life and vigor and makes them promote wonderfully the
salvation of souls is Divine grace: 'God gave the increase.' [I
Cor. iii, 6] But the grace of God is not gained by study and
practice: it is won by prayer. Therefore he who is little given to
prayer or neglects it altogether, vainly spends his time and labor
in preaching, for in God's sight his sermons profit neither
himself nor those who hear him." (Pope Benedict XV, "Humani
Generis Redemptionem", 1917 A.D.)
"Here it is fitting We should exhort you
whom God has made His helpers by giving the divine power to
dispense His Sacraments, to turn to meditation and prayer. If the
reformation of private and public morals is needed, it scarcely
requires to be said that in both respects the clergy ought to set
the highest example. Let them therefore remember that they have
been called by Jesus Christ, 'the light of the world, that the
soul of the priest should shine Like a light illuminating the
whole world.' The light of learning, and that in no small degree
is needed in the priest, because it is his duty, to fill others
with wisdom, to destroy errors, to be a guide to the many in the
steep and slippery paths of life." (Pope Leo XIII, "Exeunte
Iam Anno", 1888 A.D.)
"In order to conquer the emotions of lust,
and the snares of the devil, lest we should be led into evil, we
are commanded to seek the divine help in the words, 'pray that ye
enter not into temptation.' How much more is this necessary, if we
wish to labor for the salvation of others? Christ our Lord, the
only begotten Son of God, the source of all grace and virtue,
first showed by example what he taught in word: 'He passed the
whole night in the prayer of God,' and when nigh to the sacrifice
of his life, 'He prayed the longer.' The frailty of nature would
be much less fearful, and the moral character would grow weak and
enervated with much less ease if that divine precept were not so
much disregarded and treated almost with disdain." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Exeunte Iam Anno", 1888 A.D.)
"It
behooves the sacred ministers, therefore, to strive to reproduce
in themselves the examples of the Gospel and the virtues of the
Divine Redeemer. However, just as the food of the body does not
nourish, sustain or develop our life unless, after being digested
and assimilated, it be changed into our own substance, so the
priest cannot acquire dominion over himself and his senses, cannot
purify his spirit, cannot strive for virtue as he should, cannot,
in brief, fulfill faithfully, generously, or fruitfully the duties
of his sacred ministry, unless his life becomes one with the life
of the Lord through assiduous and unceasing meditation on the
mysteries of the Divine Redeemer, the supreme model of perfection
and the inexhaustible source of sanctity." (Pope Pius XII,
"Menti Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"For serious cause the Church urges that
those who serve the altar as an intrusted duty, or who have
entered an institution of the religious life devote themselves at
stated times to pious meditation, to diligent self examination and
criticism, and other spiritual exercises, since they are appointed
in a special way to the liturgical functions of regularly
performing the Sacrifice and of offering due praise. Without doubt
liturgical prayer, since it is the public supplication of the
illustrious Spouse of Jesus Christ, stands out with greater
excellence than private prayers. But this greater excellence by no
means indicates that these two kinds of prayer are different from
and at odds with each other. For, since they are animated by one
and the same zeal, they also come together and are united
according to these words: 'Christ is all and in all' [Col. 3:11],
and strive for the same purposes, until Christ be formed in
us." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei",
1947 A.D.)
"Some
of those who find recollection of the heart a burden, or entirely
neglect it, do not seek to disguise the impoverishment of soul
which results from their attitude, but they try to excuse
themselves on the pretext that they are completely occupied by the
activity of their ministry, to the manifold benefit of others.
They are gravely mistaken. For as they are unaccustomed to
converse with God, their words completely lack the inspiration
which comes from God when they speak to men about God or inculcate
the counsels of the Christian life; it is as if the message of the
Gospel were practically dead in them. However distinguished for
prudence and eloquence, their speech does not echo the voice of
the good Shepherd which the sheep hear to their spiritual profit;
it is mere sound which goes forth without fruit, and sometimes
gives a pernicious example to the disgrace of religion and the
scandal of the good." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
"It is of great importance that the priest
should combine his daily divine meditation with the constant
reading of pious books, especially the inspired books. That was
the command that Paul gave to Timothy: Attend unto reading. The
same lesson was taught by St. Jerome when instructing Nepotianus
on the priestly life: 'Never let the sacred book leave your
hands'; and he gave the following reason for his advice: 'Learn
that which you are to teach; holding to that faithful word which
conforms to doctrine, that you may be able to exhort with sound
doctrine, and refute the opponents.' What great advantages are
gained by priests who are faithful to this practice! With what
unction they preach Christ! Far from flattering and soothing the
hearts and minds of their audience, they stimulate them to better
things, and arouse in them the desire of heavenly things."
(Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Despite the high dignity of the various
functions of the priestly office and the veneration which they
deserve, frequent exercise of these functions may lead those who
discharge them to treat them with less respect than is their due.
From a gradual decline in fervor it is an easy step to
carelessness and even to distaste for the most sacred things. In
addition, a priest cannot avoid daily contact with a corrupt
society; frequently, in the very exercise of pastoral charity, he
must fear the insidious attacks of the infernal serpent. Is it not
all too easy even for religious souls to be tarnished by contact
with the world? It is evident, therefore, that there is a grave
and urgent need for the priest to turn daily to the contemplation
of the eternal truths, so that his mind and will may gain new
strength to stand firm against every enticement to evil."
(Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Finally, the priest, in another way, follows the
example of Christ. Of Him it is written that He 'passed the whole
night in the prayer of God' and 'ever lives to make intercession
for us'; and like Him, the priest, is public and official
intercessor of humanity before God; he has the duty and commission
of offering to God in the name of the Church, over and above
sacrifice strictly so-called, the 'sacrifice of praise,' in public
and official prayer; for several times each day with psalms,
prayers and hymns taken in great part from the inspired books, he
pays to God this dutiful tribute of adoration and thus performs
his necessary office of interceding for humanity. And never did
humanity, in its afflictions, stand more in need of intercession
and of the divine help which it brings. Who can tell how many
chastisements priestly prayer wards off from sinful mankind, how
many blessings it brings down and secures?" (Pope Pius XI,
"Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"It
was not to Timothy alone, but to the whole order of the clergy,
that the command was addressed: 'Take heed to thyself and to
doctrine; be earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt both
save thyself and them that hear thee.' For the saving and for the
perfection of ourselves and of others there is at hand the very
best of help in the Holy Scriptures, as the Book of Psalms, among
others, so constantly insists; but those only will find it who
bring to this divine reading not only docility and attention, but
also piety and an innocent life. For the Sacred Scripture is not
like other books. Dictated by the Holy Ghost, it contains things
of the deepest importance, which in many instances are most
difficult and obscure. To understand and explain such things there
is always required the 'coming' of the same Holy Spirit; that is
to say, His light and His grace; and these, as the Royal Psalmist
so frequently insists, are to be sought by humble prayer and
guarded by holiness of life." (Pope Leo XIII, "Providentissimus
Deus", 1893 A.D.)
"At this point we cannot refrain from
referring with sorrow to those who, carried away by pernicious
novelties, dare to maintain a contrary opinion, and to hold that
time devoted to meditation and prayer is wasted. What calamitous
blindness! Would that such people would take thought seriously
with themselves and realize whither this neglect and contempt of
prayer leads. From it have sprung pride and stubbornness; and
these have produced those bitter fruits which in our paternal love
we hesitate to mention and most earnestly desire to remove
completely. May God answer this our prayer: may he look down with
kindness on those who have strayed, and pour forth on them the
'spirit of grace and of prayer' in such abundance that they may
repent of their error and, of their own will and to the joy of
all, return to the path which they wrongly abandoned, and
henceforth follow it with greater care. God himself be witness, as
he was to the Apostle, of how we long for them all with the love
of Jesus Christ." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
"The
pastoral address of St. Charles Borromeo is relevant here and is
worth recalling: 'Realize, my brethren, that nothing is so
necessary to an ecclesiastic as mental prayer before, during and
after all our actions. I will sing, said the prophet, and I will
understand. If administering the sacraments, my brother, meditate
on what you are doing; if celebrating Mass, ponder on what you are
offering; in reciting the Psalms, reflect on what you are saying
and to whom you are speaking; if directing souls, reflect on the
Blood with which they were washed.' Therefore, it is with good
reason that the Church commends us to repeat frequently the
sentiments of David: Blessed is the man who meditates in the law
of the Lord, whose desire is upon it night and day; everything
that he does shall prosper. There is one final motive which can be
regarded as comprising all the others. If the priest is called
'another Christ' and is truly such by reason of his sharing in
Christ's power, should he not also become and be recognized as
another Christ through imitation of Christ's deeds? 'Let it be our
principal study to meditate upon the life of Jesus Christ.'"
(Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Let
us be convinced, therefore, that a priest must be specially
devoted to the practice of prayer if he is to maintain worthily
his dignity and to fulfill his duty. All too frequently one must
deplore the fact that prayer is a matter of routine rather than of
genuine fervor; the Psalms are recited at the appointed times in a
negligent manner, a few short prayers are said in between; there
is no further thought of consecrating part of the day to speaking
with God, with pious aspirations to him. And it is the priest,
more than any other, who is bound to obey scrupulously the command
of Christ: We ought always pray, a command which Paul so
insistently inculcated: Be instant in prayer, watching in it with
thanksgiving; pray without ceasing. How numerous are the
opportunities of turning to God in prayer which present themselves
daily to the soul which is eager for its own sanctification and
the salvation of others! Anguish of soul, the persistent onslaught
of temptation, our lack of virtue, slackness and failure in our
works, our many offenses and negligences, fear of the divine
judgment, all these should move us to approach the Lord with
tears, in order to obtain help from him and also to increase
without difficulty the treasure of our merit in his eyes."
(Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"The life of a priest who underestimates
the value of meditation, or has lost all taste for it, provides a
sad confirmation of what we have been saying. Let your eyes dwell
on the spectacle of men in whom the mind of Christ, that supremely
precious gift, has grown weak; their thoughts are all on earthly
things, they are engaged in vain pursuits, their words are so much
unimportant chatter; in the performance of their sacred functions
they are careless, cold, perhaps even unworthy. Formerly, these
same men, with the oil of priestly ordination still fresh upon
them, diligently prepared themselves for the recitation of the
Psalms, lest they should be like men who tempt God; they sought a
time and place free from disturbance; they endeavored to grasp the
divine meaning; in union with the psalmist they poured forth their
soul in songs of praise, sorrow and rejoicing. But now, what a
change has taken place! In like manner, little now remains of that
lively devotion which they felt towards the divine mysteries.
Formerly, how beloved were those tabernacles! It was their delight
to be present at the table of the Lord, to invite more and more
pious souls to that banquet! Before Mass, what purity, what
earnestness in the prayers of a loving heart! How great reverence
in the celebration of Mass, with complete observance of the august
rites in all their beauty! What sincerity in thanksgiving! And the
sweet perfume of Christ was diffused over their people! We beg of
you, beloved sons: Call to mind...the former days; for then
your soul was burning with zeal, being nourished by holy
meditation." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
"A point of capital importance is that a
certain time should be given daily to meditation on the eternal
truths. No priest can neglect this practice without incurring a
grave charge of negligence and without detriment to his soul. The
saintly abbot, Bernard, when writing to Eugene III, his former
pupil who had become Roman Pontiff, frankly and emphatically
admonished him never to omit daily divine meditation; he would not
admit as an excusing cause even the many weighty cares which the
supreme pontificate involves. In justification of this advice he
enumerated with great prudence the benefits of the practice of
meditation: 'Meditation purifies the source from which it comes,
the mind. It controls affections, guides our acts, corrects
excesses, rules our conduct, introduces order and dignity into our
lives; it bestows understanding of things divine and human. It
brings clarity where there is confusion, binds what is torn apart,
gathers what is scattered, investigates what is hidden, seeks out
the truth, weighs what has the appearance of truth, and shows up
what is pretense and falsehood. It plans future action and reviews
the past, so that nothing remains in the mind that has not been
corrected or that stands in need of correction. When affairs are
prospering it anticipates the onset of adversity, and when
adversity comes it seems not to feel it, in this it displays in
turn prudence and fortitude.' This summary of the benefits which
meditation is calculated to bring is an instructive reminder not
only of its salutary effect in every department, but also of its
absolute necessity." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
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