The Catholic Man Show - Ways of Mental Prayer

Ways of Mental Prayer

About our drink:

GlenAllachie 12

The flagship in GlenAllachie’s new core range, released in July 2018. Matured in a mixture of virgin oak, oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, this has sweet flavours of honey, marzipan, bananas and butterscotch.

The GlenAllachie Distillery sits on the Aberlour stream near where it empties into the River Spey. It was built there — less than a mile from the more famous Aberlour Distillery at the base of Ben Rinnes — in 1967 to produce Spirit for Scotch blends. It has been purchased, sold, mothballed, and opened again no fewer than four times since then.

About our gear:

Books that helped in our prayer life:

Adam’s: The Ways of Mental Prayer and Introduction to the Devout Life

David’s: Dark Night of the Soul and Discernment of Spirits 

Jim’s and Juan’s: Consecration to St. Joseph

About the Topic:

Everyone wants to have a better prayer life. Vocal prayer seems to come naturally for most, but mental prayer isn’t as easy and at times can be intimidating on how to begin. This week we pull from a book by Fr. Vital Lehodey called, “The Ways of Mental Prayer”. This book, with an introductory letter from Pope St. Pius X, gives us a manual on how to engage in mental prayer, which is an elevation of the soul to God, to adore him, to thank him, to beg pardon, and ask for graces.

Dom Vital Lehodey was the fourth abbot of the Trappist monastery of Notre-Dame-de-Grace in Bricquebec, Normandy, France. In THE WAYS OF MENTAL PRAYER, he offers a systematic presentation of the teachings on contemplative prayer of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Francis of Sales, St. Alphonsus of Liguori, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and many more. Part One introduces the reader to contemplative or “mental” prayer. Part Two gives instructions for discursive meditation, affective prayer, and the prayer of simplicity. “As time goes on,” writes the author, “and we make progress, we shall feel drawn to a more simple form of prayer, in which the mind begins to be silent in order to let the heart speak.” Part Three describes the mystical states of quiet and union, and gives practical advice for those graced with these higher forms of prayer.