How to Meditate!
Meditation
This can be thought of as mental prayer, or praying with the mind. Particularly, it is linked to the prayerfully reading and pondering Scripture, which is distinct from a casual or academic reading of Scripture.
Remember that all prayer, mental, vocal, contemplative, and otherwise, is to be prayed from the heart and directed to the Father.
Meditation is the basis for acquiring all the virtues, and to undertake it is a matter of life and death for all Christians.
Theresa of Avila (16th Century)
Meditation in Scripture
The beginning of the Psalms
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Ps 1:1–6.
The Great Shema
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; 5 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Dt 6:4–9.
Jesus and Meditation
Luke 8:4-8
4 And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Lk 8:4–8.
Luke 8:9-15
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Lk 8:9–15.
Results of Meditation
Joy! & Blessedness. Be like the tree that sits still and slowly absorbs the water from the nearby water. It does not produce fruit quickly, it takes time, sometimes years, but the tree does not give up, it continues to sit still by the water, slowly absorbing more and more.
Ok, so What do I do?
Make time every day to meditate
“a person who is involved in public affairs or pressing occupations” should devote “an hour and a half each day” to prayer and meditation on Scripture. - St Ignatius of Loyola
Brant Pitre, Introduction to the devout live, 21.
I especially counsel you to practice mental prayer, the prayer of the heart… Set aside an hour every day before the midday meal, if possible, early in the morning, when your mind is less distracted and fresher after the night’s rest.” - St Francis de Sales
ibid, 21
Be Faithful to Meditation, and Resolve to Continue
Do NOT give up!
The devil is quick to follow behind an encounter with the Lord, keep going!
Make you commitment to whatever it is that you are committed to daily, and do not stop, even when prayer becomes dry.
What should I pray with to start?
The Gospel from Mass for the current day is a great place to start, use the button below to get the readings for that day.
Luke 8:15
And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Lk 8:15.