Thursday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Perhaps as we have discussed the first two stages of the Scale of the Cloister, reading and meditation, you may have thought to yourself, “Well, anybody could do this, regardless of whether they actually believed or not.” And it is true that even the staunchest atheist could pick up the scriptures, read them, and think about what they mean. If this crossed your mind, be assured that the author of The Scale thinks the same way. Guigo says that both the good and the bad can read or meditate. To progress to the next stage of prayer, however, requires a much different level of commitment. It requires an authentic desire to know God.
Meditation leaves off with the promises of God in Scripture. Scripture testifies in one place that the pure of heart will see God. In another Jesus promises to sit down and dine with whoever will open the door. Jesus promises us more than simple reading and thinking. He actually wants to visit us!
What must we do to receive the visit of God? We must ask! In order to arrive at the experience of God’s presence within us, we must fervently ask Him to come and visit our souls. The stage which Guido calls ‘prayer’ is the stage that definitively opens us up to interacting with God as the Living God who wants to establish a relationship with us. Up until this time we could theoretically relegate God to the realm of ideas, keeping Him at arms’ length by endlessly considering options and possibilities. This tactic of turning God into an idea is a sophisticated form of self-protection, because we remain in control of the ideas we mull in our minds. To call upon God, though, opens us up to the reality of a relationship. God is not obligated to give His graces to every person. The relationship with God is the meeting of two persons possessing the freedom that relationship entails. In human life, must we not phone a friend in order to ask that person to our house. And must we not be a welcoming guest if we want that person to return? So with God.
Prayer occurs when we realize that we cannot force God “to show up.” All we can do is prepare a place and invite Him to visit. And if the Lord should hold Himself away? That only serves to enflame the soul’s desire. In this stage, we become like the bride beckoning for the bridegroom, awaiting his approach. We call to the Lord, speaking to Him of the desires of our hearts. St. Ignatius always recommended that we never let a prayer period go by without some time for what he called “colloquy,” a time to speak with the Lord, accusing ourselves of sin, asking for graces, or expressing our desires. It is an expectant moment of the not-yet, which looks forward to the ultimate grace which only God can give.