Mental prayer is, at the heart of the spiritual life, the summit of Christian prayer — and one of the most misunderstood words. It is rarely spoken of, and when it is, almost no one understands it in the same way: for some, it means reciting many prayers; for others, reflecting at length on a text; for still others, “feeling” the presence of God, or reaching a state of calm similar to what today’s wellness market sells as “meditation”. Many believe it is reserved for monks and mystics, and give up before even beginning.
Yet mental prayer, in the sense of the Catholic tradition, is neither a recitation, nor a reasoning, nor an emotion, nor a technique. The Christian tradition distinguishes “three major expressions of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and mental prayer”[1], and mental prayer is the simplest and highest form. Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church and mistress of mental prayer, gave the definition that the Catechism has received:
“Mental prayer, in my opinion, is nothing but an intimate exchange of friendship, where one converses often alone to alone with this God by whom one knows oneself to be loved.” — Saint Teresa of Avila, quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2709[2]
Everything is there: mental prayer is not, first of all, something one does, but Someone one frequents. It is a friendship — therefore a gratuitous relationship, where one is with the Beloved for His own sake, and not for the productivity of the exercise. The Catechism sums it up in a word: “a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus”[3]. Everything else — the false ideas reviewed in this article — are but counterfeits or misunderstandings.
This article lists the most frequent misconceptions about mental prayer, grouped according to whether they concern its nature, its practice, or its source and goal. For each, it states the error in its common form, shows why it is appealing, why it is false, and then recalls what the Church truly teaches, with supporting quotations. This is neither an anthology nor a practical guide: for the authentic voice of the saints on mental prayer, see What the Saints Say About Mental Prayer; for the nature of mental prayer, its conditions, method, and fruits, see How to Grow in Mental Prayer; and for the dimension of silence so closely related to it, see Common Errors Concerning Interior Silence. Here, we clear the ground: first learning to recognize false ideas in order to better receive the true treasure.
Why is mental prayer so misunderstood?
A technical word that everyone understands differently
The first difficulty lies in the word itself. “Oraison” is an old and technical term, which everyday language has almost forgotten or reduced to the vague meaning of “prayer.” Many use it as a synonym for “reciting prayers,” others as an equivalent of “meditation”—without seeing that the Catechism carefully distinguishes these realities. There is vocal prayer, which “associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart, following the example of Christ praying to his Father and teaching the ‘Our Father’ to his disciples”[4]; there is meditation, which “is above all a quest” where “the mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life”[5]; and there is mental prayer, which is neither one nor the other, but “the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer,” “a gift, a grace” that “can only be received in humility and poverty”[6].
To confuse these three forms is to make it impossible to understand mental prayer. One seeks it in words when it is found in silence; one seeks it in the effort of thought when it is found in the gaze of love. The misunderstanding is therefore not a mere detail of vocabulary: it distorts from the outset everything one expects from mental prayer, and thus everything one experiences in it.
A practice overshadowed by “wellness meditation”
A second, more contemporary source of confusion: for the past twenty years, the word “meditation” has been massively appropriated by the wellness industry. Mindfulness apps, anti-stress sessions, breathing and relaxation techniques—all of this presents itself as “meditation,” and the general public no longer distinguishes Christian mental prayer from these imported practices, often of Eastern inspiration. People think they are “meditating” or “doing mental prayer” when in reality they are seeking to relax, to refocus on themselves, to calm their mind.
Yet Christian mental prayer is exactly the opposite of a withdrawal into oneself: it is oriented toward a “Thou.” The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith devoted an entire letter to this distinction, Orationis formas (1989), to remind us that Christian prayer “is always determined by the structure of Christian faith” and that it “avoids impersonal techniques or concentration on oneself, which can create a kind of rut, imprisoning the one who prays in a spiritual intimacy”[7]. Wellness meditation soothes symptoms; mental prayer opens the soul to a Person. As long as one sees in mental prayer only an inner comfort, one has missed the essential.
Errors About the Nature of Mental Prayer
"To do mental prayer is to recite prayers"
This is the most widespread confusion: to do mental prayer would be to “say one’s prayers”—to string together formulas, recite a rosary, go through a prayer book, multiply “Our Fathers” and “Hail Marys.” Mental prayer is then classified among vocal prayers, and one believes one has done it as soon as one has said a lot. The error is seductive because vocal prayer is good, necessary, and accessible: it is the prayer of the Church, the very one Christ himself taught.
But vocal prayer and mental prayer are not the same thing. Vocal prayer gives words to prayer; mental prayer, at its summit, does without them. “Mental prayer is silence”[8], writes the Catechism: not the absence of prayer, but a prayer become so simple that it no longer needs words. One can recite a thousand formulas without ever doing mental prayer, just as one can talk a lot without ever loving; and one can make a deep mental prayer without saying a single word, like two friends who are silent together. Recitation can lead to mental prayer—many saints began this way—but it is not mental prayer. To confuse the two is to confuse the porch with the sanctuary. Mental prayer begins precisely where one stops reciting to gaze: “a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus”[9].
"Mental prayer is to reflect, meditate, make a fine reasoning"
An intellectual variant, frequent among cultivated minds: to do mental prayer would be to think—to analyze a passage from the Gospel, unfold an edifying reasoning, draw conclusions, produce beautiful considerations. One then judges one’s mental prayer by the richness of the ideas found there, and becomes discouraged as soon as the mind “has nothing to say.” The error is seductive because it confuses mental prayer with meditation, which is indeed a true work of the intelligence: the Catechism acknowledges that meditation “engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire”[10] to deepen the truths of the faith.
But mental prayer is not meditation. Meditation is a “search”[11]; mental prayer is a rest in the One who has been found. Thought serves as a starting point, not as the goal: once the heart is turned toward God, reasoning must give way to the simple gaze of love. Saint Teresa of Avila expressed it in a phrase that has freed generations of anxious pray-ers from the fear of “thinking nothing”:
“The important thing is not to think much, but to love much; so do whatever most arouses you to love.” — Saint Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, Fourth Mansions, ch. 1[12]
Mental prayer is therefore not measured by the quantity of thoughts, but by the quality of love. A very simple mental prayer, where one has remained gazing at Jesus without “finding” anything intelligent, is worth infinitely more than a brilliant meditation where one has admired one’s own thinking. The peasant of Ars understood this better than the scholars: when his parish priest asked him what he did for hours before the tabernacle, he simply replied: “I look at Him and He looks at me”[13].
"Mental prayer is to feel God, to live emotions"
An affective error, and a great cause of false joys and then discouragement: one would judge the success of mental prayer by what one feels. A “successful” mental prayer would be one where one has experienced sweetness, sensible peace, emotion, the palpable presence of God; a “failed” mental prayer, one where nothing was felt. One ends up measuring one’s prayer life by the temperature of one’s feelings. The error is seductive because, at the beginning, God often gives sensible consolations, which help one to pray and give a taste for mental prayer.
But feeling is not the measure of mental prayer—and God, in his pedagogy, deliberately withdraws it to purify love. The Catechism classifies dryness not among failures, but among the normal trials of those who pray sincerely:
“Another difficulty, especially for those who sincerely want to pray, is dryness. […] It is the moment of pure faith standing faithfully with Jesus in the agony and at the tomb.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2731[14]
Mental prayer is an act of faith and will, not an affective state. One can make an excellent mental prayer in the midst of dryness, by simple fidelity, and a mediocre one in consolation, by resting on one’s own sensations. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who often fell asleep during her mental prayer, felt no anxiety about it: “I think that little children please their parents as much when they are asleep as when they are awake”[15]. Measuring mental prayer by feeling is to confuse the gift with the Giver, and to risk abandoning it as soon as consolation departs. How to pass through this dryness is developed in How to Grow in Mental Prayer.
"Mental prayer is reserved for monks and mystics"
An error of reduction, and a great excuse: mental prayer would be the business of contemplatives—monks, Carmelites, elite souls called to extraordinary graces. For the ordinary layperson, the overwhelmed parent, the busy worker, it would be out of reach, even presumptuous. One admires from afar the saints who “had this gift,” and excuses oneself: “mental prayer is not for me.” The error is seductive because it is convenient: it relegates mental prayer to a state of life one will never embrace.
But mental prayer is offered to all the baptized. Saint Teresa of Avila, who nevertheless describes the highest graces, insists: the door of mental prayer is open to anyone who truly desires it. Saint Francis de Sales wrote his entire Introduction to the Devout Life to demonstrate that devotion—and mental prayer, which is its heart—suits every vocation: to the soldier as to the mother of a family, to the craftsman as to the prince[16]. And Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a simple lay brother cook, lived in uninterrupted union with God amid his pots and pans:
“For me, the time of action does not differ from the time of mental prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen […] I possess God in as great a tranquility as if I were on my knees.” — Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, The Practice of the Presence of God[17]
Mental prayer is therefore not a matter of state of life, but of desire and humility. Saint Catherine of Siena, overwhelmed with works, taught how to carry within oneself an “inner cell” from which one never departs, even in the midst of action[18]. To believe oneself excused from mental prayer because one is not a monk is to refuse a treasure that belongs to every Christian.
Errors Regarding the Practice of Mental Prayer
“I’ll do mental prayer when I have time”
A very modern error, and the most deadly in practice: mental prayer would be done “when one has time”, in the gaps of the day, if the opportunity arises. It is put at the bottom of the to-do list, after work, chores, and leisure — and since the list is never empty, mental prayer never happens. The error is seductive because it seems reasonable: one would pray “when available”, as a free person, without constraint.
But mental prayer without a fixed time is mental prayer that dies. The Catechism is strikingly clear on this point:
“We do not pray when we have the time: we take the time to be for the Lord, with the firm determination not to take it back from him along the way, whatever the trials and dryness of the encounter.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2710[19]
Mental prayer requires a decision: a chosen, fixed, defended time, as one would defend an appointment with someone one loves. “The choice of the time and duration of prayer depends on a determined will”[20]. Without this resolution, the first unexpected event always wins, and after months one realizes one has stopped praying altogether. Faithfulness to a fixed time — even if short, even if arid — is the condition for any mental prayer that endures; this is treated concretely in How to Grow in Mental Prayer.
“If I am constantly distracted, my mental prayer is a failure”
The error of the generous beginner, and a major cause of giving up: one would judge one’s mental prayer by the absence of distractions. The heart wanders, the mind drifts to a thousand worries, one finds oneself thinking of everything except God — and concludes that one “can’t do it”, that one is “not made for this”. Many abandon mental prayer for this reason alone. The error is seductive because distraction is real, annoying, and one would like a perfectly calm mind.
But distraction is not the enemy of mental prayer: it is its ordinary material. The Catechism is liberatingly realistic:
“The habitual difficulty of our prayer is distraction. […] To go hunting for distractions would be to fall into their traps, whereas it is enough to return to our heart […]” — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2729[21]
To do mental prayer is not to have no stray thoughts, but to return — gently, endlessly — to the One we contemplate, each time we have strayed. Saint Francis de Sales said it with unforgettable gentleness: even if, during the whole hour of your mental prayer, you did nothing but “bring your heart back and place it again beside Our Lord, even if it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well spent”[22]. Distraction “reveals to us what we are attached to”[23], and this humble return is itself prayer. Mental prayer is not the absence of distractions: it is the faithfulness to return.
“If it is dry and boring, it means it is useless”
A variant of the emotional error, but applied to perseverance: as soon as mental prayer becomes arid, boring, tasteless, one concludes it is useless — that God is not listening, that one is wasting one’s time, that it is better to stop. Dryness is experienced as a sign of abandonment or failure. The error is seductive because boredom is painful and our age instinctively flees anything that does not “yield” something immediate.
But dryness, far from being a sign of uselessness, is often the most fruitful moment of mental prayer. It is the hour when one prays no longer for consolation, but for God alone. Venerable Henri-Marie Boudon made it a reason to persevere, not to give up:
“Let us never abandon the pious exercise of mental prayer, even if we find in it only dryness and suffering […]. Let this, on the contrary, encourage us to persevere, for very often God wants to test how far we have embraced the Cross.” — Venerable Henri-Marie Boudon, Les Saintes voies de la Croix[24]
Saint Marie of the Incarnation advised likewise: “whatever dryness or temptation you may have, never leave mental prayer and never shorten the time prescribed for you”[25]. Christ himself gently reproached Saint Gemma Galgani for praying only with sensible fervor: “during the days when you enjoy my presence, you are full of fervor… now, however, prayer bores you”[26]. Dryness is not proof that mental prayer is useless; it is “the moment of pure faith”[27], where love is proven. Why God thus deprives the soul of his consolations is developed in Common Errors Regarding Interior Silence.
“To pray well, you have to talk a lot and think a lot”
The error of the zealous pray-er, and the exact opposite of the previous error about feelings: one would believe that the value of mental prayer lies in quantity — many words, many thoughts, many petitions, as if one had to “fill” the time of prayer for it to count. One then exhausts oneself by constantly talking to God, spinning out considerations, and reproaches oneself for every moment of silence as if it were a void. The error is seductive because it is generous and active: it gives the impression of “doing” something.
But Christ expressly condemned this logic of abundance:
“When you pray, do not babble like the pagans: they think that by using many words they will be heard.” — Gospel according to Saint Matthew 6:7[28]
Mental prayer is not a matter of quantity, but of presence. The holy Curé of Ars, who spent hours before the tabernacle, summed it up for his parishioners:
“You do not have to talk much to pray well. We know that the good God is there, in the holy tabernacle; we open our heart to him; we delight in his presence. That is the best prayer.” — Saint John Vianney[29]
The highest mental prayer is often the most stripped-down: a simple gaze, a “here I am”, a silence filled with love. As one advances, words and thoughts become rare, and presence becomes dense. Wanting to say and think everything is still to cover with noise the voice one claims to listen to.
Errors About the Source and Goal of Mental Prayer
"It is I who succeed in mental prayer, by my method and my efforts"
The error of willful natures: mental prayer would be a performance—enough method, enough concentration, enough discipline, and one would "succeed" in prayer as one succeeds in an exercise. One tenses up to produce recollection, struggles to silence one's thoughts, exhausts oneself trying to "do well"—and judges oneself harshly when prayer "fails." The error is seductive because it contains a grain of truth: mental prayer does indeed require fidelity, asceticism, and real resolve.
But mental prayer is not, first of all, a conquest: it is a gift. The Catechism states this unambiguously: "Prayer is a gift, a grace; it can only be received in humility and poverty"[30]. One can and must do one's part—choose the time, dispose body and soul, set aside the superfluous—but mental prayer itself, as an encounter, is always received, never manufactured. The venerable Marthe Robin put it in her simple language: "For mental prayer, the Lord wants souls that are very docile and very faithful and very supple, not trusting at all, in any way, in themselves"[31]. Humility is the condition for all prayer: "He who humbles himself will be exalted. Humility is the foundation of prayer"[32]. Tense effort produces the opposite of what it seeks: the more one strains to succeed, the more agitated one becomes. The secret is not to force, but to let oneself be led—to the point that the soul learning to pray "in" the will of God enters into the very prayer of Christ and receives a fruitfulness that surpasses its own strength[33]. Marthe Robin added that the true sign of good mental prayer is that one leaves it more humble: "The soul must be intent on leaving mental prayer very humble"[34].
"Mental prayer is for feeling good, relaxing, or obtaining things"
A utilitarian error, the one most in tune with the spirit of the age: mental prayer would be a means serving something else—to relax, manage stress, find inner peace, or obtain from God what one desires. One "does" one's mental prayer as one takes a remedy, for the benefit expected from it, and stops as soon as it no longer "pays off." The error is seductive because it aligns both with the culture of well-being and a certain religion of petition: praying to receive.
But mental prayer is not a tool, it is an end—or rather, its end is in God alone. Its goal is not the well-being it brings, nor even the graces one obtains there, but union in love with God. Turning back to oneself is precisely the trap denounced by Orationis formas: "the love of God, the sole object of Christian contemplation, is a reality that cannot be 'possessed' by any method or technique"[35]. Reducing mental prayer to its benefits is to treat God as a dispenser of peace and favors, instead of loving Him for Himself. Mental prayer done "to feel good" turns back on oneself and becomes a refinement of self-love. True mental prayer is disinterested: one goes for God, and peace comes as a surplus, just as friendship brings joy without being sought for itself. "At the evening of this life," writes St. John of the Cross, "you will be examined on love"[36]—not on the comfort you have drawn from prayer.
"One must seek extraordinary graces, mystical experiences"
A subtle error, and the most "spiritual" in appearance: one would seek in mental prayer the extraordinary—lights, visions, revelations, mystical tastes, sensible phenomena that would prove one is "making progress." One clings to consolations as signs, worries about not receiving anything dazzling, envies the graces of the great mystics. The error is seductive because it wears the colors of fervor: one thinks one desires God when in reality one desires God's gifts.
But the masters of mental prayer are unanimous: one must neither desire nor seek the extraordinary. St. John of the Cross devotes a long section of The Ascent of Mount Carmel to teaching that the soul must neither seek nor cling to visions, revelations, and supernatural tastes, but leave them aside to walk in naked faith, the only true means of union with God[37]. The same saint gave a harsh name to the tendency of those who cling to sensible sweetness: spiritual gluttony, the fault of beginners who "set their end" in taste and consolation more than in the purity of love[38]. The ordinary and sure way is not that of wonders, but of humble and obscure fidelity. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus traced the "little way" precisely against this fascination with the extraordinary: prayer is "a simple glance toward Heaven, a cry of recognition and love"[39], accessible to the smallest. Seeking the extraordinary in mental prayer is to risk missing God Himself, who most often gives Himself in the night of faith and the grayness of ordinary days.
Error and Truth, at a Glance
The table below summarizes the misunderstandings discussed: on the left, the error in its common formulation; in the center, what makes it false; on the right, what the Church actually teaches, with its source. It is read line by line, as a quick antidote to common misconceptions.
| The Common Error | Why It's False | What the Church Teaches |
|---|---|---|
| Mental prayer is reciting prayers | Confuses vocal prayer (the words) with mental prayer (the gaze) | Mental prayer is “silence”, a “gaze of faith fixed on Jesus” (CCC § 2717; § 2724)[40] |
| Mental prayer is reflecting and reasoning | Confuses meditation (searching) with mental prayer (resting in God) | “What matters is not to think much, but to love much” (Teresa of Avila)[41] |
| Mental prayer is feeling God | Feeling is not the measure; dryness is normal | Dryness, “a moment of pure faith” (CCC § 2731)[42] |
| Mental prayer is reserved for monks | It is offered to all the baptized, in every state of life | God possessed “in the clatter of my kitchen” (Brother Lawrence)[43] |
| I will do mental prayer when I have time | Without a fixed and resolute time, mental prayer dies | “We do not do mental prayer when we have time: we make time for it” (CCC § 2710)[44] |
| If I am distracted, I have failed | Distraction is the ordinary matter of the struggle | “It is enough to return to our heart” (CCC § 2729)[45] |
| If it is dry, it is useless | Dryness is often the most fruitful moment | “Let us never abandon mental prayer… even in dryness” (Boudon)[46] |
| One must speak and think a lot | Prayer is not a matter of quantity of words | “Do not babble like the pagans” (Mt 6:7)[47]; “one must not speak much” (Curé of Ars)[48] |
| I am the one who succeeds in my mental prayer | Mental prayer is a gift received, not a performance | “Mental prayer is a gift, a grace… received in humility” (CCC § 2713)[49] |
| Mental prayer is for feeling good | The end of mental prayer is union in love, not usefulness | The love of God “cannot be possessed by any method” (CDF, n. 31)[50] |
| One must seek the extraordinary in it | The sure way is naked faith, not wonders | Leave aside visions and tastes to walk in faith (John of the Cross)[51] |
True Mental Prayer, in a Word
At the end of this journey, true mental prayer can be defined by contrast with all that it is not. It is not the recitation of prayers, but the gaze that begins where words end; not reasoning, but love; not an emotion, but an act of faith that endures in dryness; not a privilege of the cloister, but a good for every baptized person; not an activity squeezed into the gaps of the day, but a decided and defended appointment; not the absence of distractions, but fidelity in returning; not a performance to be achieved, but a gift to be received; not a tool for feeling better, but a gratuitous friendship; not a hunt for wonders, but the naked faith where God gives Himself. In a word from Saint Teresa of Avila: “an intimate exchange of friendship”[52] with Him whom one knows is loved by. All the rest—the false ideas reviewed in this article—are but counterfeits.
Further Reading
- What do the saints say about mental prayer — the anthology: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, Lisieux, Alphonsus Liguori, Brother Lawrence, the authentic voice of the masters of prayer.
- How to grow in mental prayer — the practical guide: nature, conditions, simple method, the struggle with distractions and dryness, fruits.
- Common errors concerning interior silence — the twin article, on silence so close to mental prayer: emptiness, stopping thoughts, technique, quietism.
Notes and References
Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2721: "The Christian tradition comprises three major expressions of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and mental prayer. They have in common the recollection of the heart." Mame/Plon edition, 1992; text verified on the official Catechism.
1Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2709, quoting Saint Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life (autobiography), ch. 8: "Mental prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us." Text verified on the official Catechism (Vatican.va, French version).
2 52Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2724: "Mental prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, a listening to the Word of God, a silent love. It realizes union with Christ […]." Mame/Plon edition, 1992; text verified on the official Catechism.
3 9 40Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2722: "Vocal prayer, founded on the union of body and spirit in human nature, associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart, following the example of Christ praying to his Father and teaching the 'Our Father' to his disciples." Mame/Plon edition, 1992.
4Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2705: "Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking." Mame/Plon edition, 1992.
5 11Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2713: "Mental prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. […] Mental prayer is a gift, a grace; it can only be received in humility and poverty." Mame/Plon edition, 1992.
6 30 49Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation (Orationis formas), October 15, 1989, n. 3: Christian prayer "is always determined by the structure of Christian faith"; it is "a personal, intimate and profound dialogue between man and God" and "avoids impersonal techniques or concentration on oneself, which can create a kind of rut, imprisoning the one who prays in a spiritual intimacy" (text on vatican.va).
7Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2717: "Mental prayer is silence, this 'symbol of the world to come' […]. In this silence, unbearable to the 'outer' man, the Father speaks his incarnate Word, suffering, dead and risen, and the Spirit of sonship makes us share in the prayer of Jesus." Mame/Plon edition, 1992.
8Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2708: "Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization is necessary in order to deepen convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of heart, and strengthen the will to follow Christ." Mame/Plon edition, 1992.
10Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), The Interior Castle (The Mansions), Fourth Mansions, ch. 1: "The important thing is not to think much, but to love much; do, then, whatever most arouses you to love" (Spanish: "no está la cosa en pensar mucho, sino en amar mucho"). The same idea recurs in the Book of Foundations, ch. 5. Reference edition: Œuvres complètes, Carmel translation, Cerf.
12 41Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2715: "Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. 'I look at him and he looks at me,' said, in the time of his holy Curé, the peasant of Ars praying before the tabernacle. […] This gaze at Jesus is renunciation of self. His gaze purifies the heart." The anecdote of the peasant is reported by Abbé F. Trochu, Le Curé d'Ars saint Jean-Marie Vianney. Mame/Plon edition, 1992.
13Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2731: "Another difficulty, especially for those who sincerely want to pray, is dryness. […] It is the moment of pure faith standing faithfully with Jesus in the agony and at the tomb." Mame/Plon edition, 1992; text verified on the official Catechism (Vatican.va, French version).
14 27 42Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), Autobiographical Manuscripts, Ms A, on her dryness and sleep during mental prayer: "I should be distressed about it. […] I think that little children please their parents as much when they are asleep as when they are awake." Reference edition: Œuvres complètes, Cerf / DDB.
15Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Introduction to the Devout Life (1609), Part I, ch. 3 ("That devotion is suitable for every vocation and profession"): true devotion — of which mental prayer is the heart — is not reserved for religious, but is suitable for the soldier, the craftsman, the prince, the married woman, each according to his or her state. The whole work is written for "Philothea," a laywoman engaged in the world. Reference edition: Œuvres, Annecy; reprint Seuil, Médiaspaul.
16Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (Nicolas Herman, c. 1614-1691), The Practice of the Presence of God (maxims, letters and conversations collected by Joseph de Beaufort): "The time of action does not differ for me from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen […] I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were on my knees." Numerous reprints (Seuil, Points Sagesses).
17 43Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Doctor of the Church, recurring image of the "interior cell" in her Letters and her Dialogue: to build within oneself a cell of self-knowledge and knowledge of God from which one never departs, so as to remain united to God in the midst of activity. Reference edition: The Dialogue and The Letters, trans. E. Cartier.
18Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2710: "The choice of the time and duration of mental prayer is determined by a resolute will […]. One does not pray when one has time: one takes time to be for the Lord, with the firm determination not to take it back, whatever the trials and dryness of the encounter." Mame/Plon edition, 1992; text verified on the official Catechism (Vatican.va, French version).
19 20 44Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2729: "The habitual difficulty of our prayer is distraction. […] To go hunting for distractions would be to fall into their traps, whereas it is enough to return to our heart: a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him […]" Mame/Plon edition, 1992; text verified on the official Catechism (Vatican.va, French version).
21 23 45Saint Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life (1609), Part II, ch. 7 ("remedies against distractions"): "If your heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back gently to its point […]; and even if you did nothing during the whole hour of prayer but bring your heart back and place it again beside Our Lord, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed."
22Venerable Henri-Marie Boudon (1624-1702), Les Saintes voies de la Croix, Book I, ch. V: "Let us never abandon the pious exercise of mental prayer, even if we find in it only dryness and suffering, even if our mind is prey to terrible and painful distractions. On the contrary, let this encourage us to persevere, for very often God wants to test how far we have embraced the Cross." Quoted in the thematic collection of the Library.
24 46Saint Marie of the Incarnation (Marie Guyart, 1599-1672), Letter 99, quoted in the thematic collection of spiritual quotations of the Library (reference to the Correspondence, ed. Dom Guy Oury, Solesmes): "Above all, whatever aridity or temptation you may have, never give up mental prayer and never shorten the time prescribed for you."
25Jesus to Saint Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), Intimate Diary, July 24, 1900 (quoted in the thematic collection of the Library): affectionate reproach to the soul whose fervor wanes — "During the days when you enjoy my presence, you are full of fervor and it costs you little effort to pray. Now, on the other hand, prayer bores you […]."
26Gospel according to Saint Matthew 6:7, official liturgical translation (AELF): "When you pray, do not babble like the pagans: they think that by using many words they will be heard." Text verified on aelf.org.
28 47Saint John Mary Vianney, the Curé of Ars (1786-1859): "It is not necessary to speak much to pray well. We know that the good God is there, in the holy tabernacle; we open our heart to him; we delight in his presence. That is the best prayer." Catechism on prayer, reported by Abbé A. Monnin, Esprit du Curé d'Ars.
29 48Venerable Marthe Robin (1902-1981), Journal: December 1929 - November 1932, Éditions Foyer de Charité, 2012, p. 36: "For mental prayer, the Lord wants souls that are very docile and very faithful and very supple, not trusting in themselves at all, in any way."
31Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2559, quoting Saint John Damascene (De fide orthodoxa, III, 24): "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." The paragraph adds: "It is the one who humbles himself who is exalted. Humility is the foundation of prayer." Official French edition, Mame/Plon, 1992; text verified on the official Catechism (Vatican.va).
32Jesus to Luisa Piccarreta (1865-1947), The Book of Heaven, volume 14, April 21, 1922 ("Effects of prayer made in the Divine Will"): Luisa spends the morning "praying with Jesus in His Will" — "Who can say what praying with Jesus is and the effects that follow?" On April 25, 1922, Jesus marvels at the scope of the acts accomplished in His Will: "Oh! The fruitfulness of these acts!"
33Venerable Marthe Robin, Journal: December 1929 - November 1932, Éditions Foyer de Charité, 2012, p. 36: "The soul must be careful to come out of mental prayer very humble; it is then that the devil, understanding that he gains nothing, will very rarely renew his artifices."
34CDF, Orationis formas, n. 31: "The love of God, the sole object of Christian contemplation, is a reality that cannot be 'possessed' by any method or technique." (vatican.va).
35 50Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), Sayings of Light and Love (Dichos de luz y amor), n. 60: "At the evening of this life, you will be examined on love" (A la tarde te examinarán en el amor). Reference edition: Œuvres complètes, Cerf / Éditions du Carmel.
36Saint John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book II, ch. 11 and following: the soul must neither desire nor become attached to visions, revelations, locutions, and supernatural tastes, even if from God; it must set them aside and walk in "naked faith", the only proximate and proportionate means of union with God. To linger on them exposes one to illusion and delays pure union. Reference edition: Œuvres complètes, Cerf / Éditions du Carmel.
37 51Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night, Book I, ch. 6 (On spiritual gluttony): beginners, because of the sweetness they find in their spiritual exercises, "set their end" in this taste and sensible consolation more than in the purity of love. Reference edition: Œuvres complètes, Carmel translation, Cerf.
38Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2558, quoting Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Autobiographical Manuscripts, C 25r: "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look turned toward Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, in the midst of trial as in the midst of joy."
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