Hindrances to Prayer

232. He who interrupts the course of his spiritual exercises and prayer, is like a man who allows a bird to escape from his hand ; he can hardly catch it again.

233 • God being, as He is, inaccessible, do not rest on the consideration of objects perceptible by sense, and comprehended by the understanding. This is to be satisfied with what is less than God ; so doing you will destroy that energy of the soul which is necessary for walking with Him.

234. Never admit into your soul that which is not substantially spiritual ; for if you do so you will lose the sweetness of devotion and recollection.

235. He who relies much on sense will never be very spiritual ; they deceive themselves who think they can in the sheer strength of our grovelling senses, attain to the power of the spirit.

236. The imperfect destroy true devotion, because they seek sensible sweetness in prayer.

237. The fly that touches the honey cannot fly ; so the soul that clings to spiritual sweetness ruins its freedom and hinders contemplation.

238. He who will not dispose himself to pray in every place, but only there where his own taste is gratified, will frequently fail in his prayer ; because, as they say, he can pray only in his own parish.

239. He who is not conscious of liberty of spirit amid the things of sense and sweetness, which should serve as motives to prayer, and whose will rests and feeds upon them, ought to abstain from the use of them, for to him they are a hindrance on the road to God.

240. It is very foolish, when spiritual sweetness and delight fail, to imagine that God has failed us also ; and to imagine, that because we have such sweetness, that we have God also.

241. Very often many spiritual persons employ their senses upon sensible things, under the pretext of giving themselves to prayer, and raising their hearts to God : now this that they do should be called recreation rathei than prayer ; pleasing themselves rather than God.

242. Meditation tends to contemplation, as means tc an end. So when the end is attained, the means are laid aside ; men rest at the end of their journey ; thus when the state of contemplation has been attained meditation must cease.

243. As it is necessary, at the proper time, to give up the work of reflection and meditation in order to draw near unto God, lest it should prove an impediment, so also is it necessary not to give it up before the time lest we should go back.

244. There are three signs of contemplation and interior recollection of the soul: i. When the soul takes no pleasure in transitory things. 2. When it seeks solitude and silence, striving after that which is the more perfect. 3. When meditation, which was once a help, proves a hindrance. These three signs must be found together.

245. In the beginning of the state of contemplation the loving knowledge of God, as it were, imperceptible : in the first place, because it is most subtile and delicate, and, as it were, imperceptible ; in the second place, because the soul has been accustomed to the practice of meditation, which is more cognisable by the senses.

246. The more the soul is disposed for tranquillity, the more will the loving knowledge of contemplation grow ; the soul will feel it and relish it more than all other things whatever ; because it brings with it peace and rest, sweetness and delight, without trouble.

247. They who have entered the state of contemplation, must not for that reason suppose that they are never to make a meditation any more; for in the beginning the habit of it is not so established that they can have it whenever they will ; neither are they so far removed from meditation as to be unable to meditate as they were accustomed to do.

248. Except in the act of contemplation, in all exercises and good works, the soul must make use of memory and good meditations in such a way as to in crease devotion and profit, particularly dwelling on the life, passion, and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that its works, exercises, and life may be conformed to His.

249. The conditions of the ' solitary sparrow ' are five : i. It ascends as high as it can. 2. It admits none to be its companion, even of its own kind. 3. It faces the wind. 4. It has no definite colour. 5. It sing! sweetly. The contemplative soul should be like it ; i must rise high above transitory things, making no mor< account of them than if they never existed ; it must b-so enamoured of solitude and silence as to suffer n« creature to be in its company ; it must face the wind o I the Holy Ghost, corresponding to His inspirations, tha so doing, it may become more worthy of His company it must have no definite colour, bent upon nothing bt < on doing the will of God ; it must sing sweetly in th contemplation and love of God.

250. Though occasionally, in the height of conten plation and simple view of the divinity, the soul may not remember the most sacred humanity of Christ, because God elevates the spirit to knowledge, the most supernatural, yet studiously to forget it is in nowise seemly, seeing that by the contemplation thereof, and loving meditation thereon, the soul will ascend to the highest state of union ; for Christ our Lord is the truth, the gate, the way, and the guide to all good.