Pope Paul VI named St. Teresa of Avila a Doctor of the Church on September 27, 1970, referring to her as a Teacher of Prayer. Although she did not study the idea of prayer and didn’t set out to be a teacher, her writing shares wonderful insights about prayer. Her revelations are completely based on her own personal experiences in prayer.
Teresa was 47 when she began writing her first book, The Life. Here she describes the first few stages or “grades of prayer” experienced in a contemplative lifestyle from ascetical to mystical prayer, explaining that each person progresses through the development of these stages in his or her own time.
The initial stage is characterized by vocal prayer and discursive meditation. Gradually, as the contemplative person matures into the process of prayer, the soul begins to have more control than the conscious mind, and eventually God has complete control of the prayer event. This is the beginning of mysticism.
In later works, she refines and expands her descriptions of contemplative prayer. She also acknowledges the teaching of St. Augustine when he describes his effort to look for God, realizing that the place to find him was within himself. Teresa builds on that idea to say that there is no need to go to a particular place to pray. “However quietly we speak, he is so near that he will hear us. We need no wings to go in search of him, but have only to find a place where we can be alone and look upon him present within us” (cited here, para 12)
Since most of us are considering everyday lives and not entering contemplative orders, I think this is the central idea that ties St. Teresa’s teaching to our prayer experiences. Actually, learning about the process of contemplative prayer can probably enhance any prayer routine, so you might want to visit the site referenced in the last paragraph to explore that process more deeply. But for our purposes here, let’s focus on this one big idea, finding a location for prayer.
I think some people will do much better praying in a church setting. Certainly a church is built to inspire prayer, and that might help you to focus in prayer. We can probably go out on a limb and say that a church is the ideal place for prayer. It would be great to be able to spend 30 minutes or so in church every day just talking to God.
But let’s be honest, the best plan for prayer is the one you will actually accomplish. Actually getting to your church every day might be an unrealistic expectation. So the assumption that you need to be in church to pray is what leads to a Christian who prays every Sunday (or many Sundays) in church and then forgets about prayer for the rest of the week.
Still, being in church has its benefits, so let’s just agree that we won’t rely on the church environment to develop a prayer habit, but we will consider finding more opportunities to get to church, besides just on Sundays.
As an example, in the Catholic Church we sometimes practice Eucharistic Exposition. At my parish, we have Exposition every Thursday. I have been talking to a teacher friend, who goes to the same parish, about picking one Thursday per month to attend the final hour of Eucharistic Exposition together.
So if we don’t have to be in church to pray, where should we go? Honestly, we don’t have to go anyplace special at all, as St. Teresa described in the quote above. But she does recommend that someplace quiet it helpful. That might be the biggest challenge. Also, it might be more about finding a time that is quiet, not just a place.
I know in my house, I have managed to condition myself to get to bed earlier and wake up before everyone else, whether I have to work that day or not. That is my best quiet time for prayer. There is something calm and soothing about being the only one awake in the morning. How will you find a quiet time and place for prayer?
The final thought I’ll share about prayer is one we’ve discussed in prior weeks. I believe we have to establish a routine of prayer if we really want to be successful. Everyone is so over-scheduled these days, and I do believe that we should ideally simplify our lives. But if that is not possible right now, then we have to embrace the schedule and put prayer on the agenda.
If not first thing in the morning, maybe prayer before bedtime is the right solution. I will share that I am less successful with that plan. I found that as my overly-busy life catches up with me, I am often struggling to get everything finished that I want to do in time to get to bed at a decent hour. That creates stress and urgency, which are not really conducive to a prayerful heart and soul.
This makes me think about my Dad. Now that I am a parent, myself, I sometimes realize in retrospect how impressive certain things were in my childhood. For example, he knelt next to our beds with us almost every night for years saying bedtime prayers. I will probably always regret that I really didn’t establish that habit with my kids.
Meanwhile, I think there is a benefit to morning prayer. It really helps you start your day on the right foot, putting you in a better frame of mind to deal with any stresses that might arise. I think it helps me just to be a more positive person, in general. But whenever and wherever you choose, just make sure you have a plan. I didn’t start a regular prayer routine until fairly recently, and it completely changed my life.
Lord, we thank you for Your guidance in our lives. Help us to discover the best ways to meet You regularly in prayer. Draw us closer to you every day that we might become the members of Your body that you are calling us to become.