NEW AND DIVINE HOLINESS

In his book, The Splendor of Creation, the Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi refers to it as "A New State of Mystical Union." Dr. Iannuzzi is a theologian and author of four books on mystical and dogmatic theology. He has lectured internationally on the gift of the Divine Will. He calls it the "eternal mode" of mystical contemplation. I have been wondering how this eternal mode relates to what Abbot Thomas Keating calls "The Night of Self." Do any of my readers have any ideas on this subject?

HERALD of the FATIMA APPARITIONS: JOHN M. HAFFERT

I have just finished writing, what I believe is, the first (soon to be published) biography of John Haffert. V. Rev. Canon Galamba di Oliveira, D.D. of Leiria, Portugal wrote of John in 1961 in the Foreword of John's book, MEET THE WITNESSES of the Miracle of the Sun that: "there are three jewels of inestimable value which will immortalize his (John's) name in the noble gallery of illustrious lay Catholics of the United States of our age: His profound devotion to the Mother of God and to Holy Mother Church; the initiative of the great pilgrimage of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima (the Pilgrim Virgin) through Canada and the United States since October, 1947; and finally, that powerful and enthusiastic crusade of the Blue Army, which has spread through the entire world to bring all mankind the message and devotion of Our Lady of Fatima."

John M. Haffert's biography is now at the publishers. I expect it to be available sometime in July 2009.

Prayer and Pope John Paul II

In CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OF HOPE by Pope John Paul II, he is asked to describe how he prays. I love the answer that the Pope gives. He writes: "YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT! The Pope prays as the Holy Spirit permits him to pray." To a contemplative like John Paul the Great, one has to wonder how literally these words of the Pope should be taken. The deeper meaning of this aspect of prayer is rarely addressed. Would any of my readers be willing to hazard an answer?

Holiday Greetings

To the readers of my blog I would like to wish you a Happy Holiday, and to the Christians I pray that you will have a very blessed and special Christmas, and to all a New Year filled with Hope.

I have been very busy writing my second book. As soon as I finish it next year I hope to resume regular postings on this blog.

Are There Distractions In Centering Prayer?

Fr. Thomas Keating, former Cistercian Abbot, author of numerous religious books, and founder of Contemplative Outreach, wrote somewhere that “There are no distractions in Centering Prayer.” What I think he means is that distractions are a normal part of Centering Prayer and we should not be disturbed even if they dominate our prayer period as long as we keep employing our sacred word or equivalent. He uses the following analogy. He compares our thoughts to tightly packed boats sitting on a river. When we do something to reduce this number “space begins to appear between the boats. Up comes the reality on which they are floating.” (Open Mind, Open Heart, p. 110)

We reduce the number of boats by our centering practice. Each time we become aware of a thought we say our sacred word. The question arises as to what we mean by becoming aware of a thought? This can be confusing for some of us. For me I relate the boat to an idea or sentence passing through my mind. When I find that a single sentence or thought leads to another similar sentence or thought, that is they are connected in some specific way, I identify this as becoming aware of a thought in centering prayer terms.

However, this thought sequence could go on for awhile before I actually become aware that this has happened and that I need to use the sacred word. Then if I fail to use the sacred word or whatever it is that I do to ignore the boat, I am allowing myself to be distracted. The key point for me is that, the fact that I got hooked on some special thought and my mind wandered in that direction, is not a distraction even though it lasts for a few minutes. It is only a distraction if, when I realize what has happened I linger on the thought, (perhaps it so enticing or seems so important), instead of immediately invoking my sacred word.

Surprisingly, Centering Prayer can be particularly helpful when we attend Mass or perform other devotions such as the Rosary. Regular and consistent practice of Centering Prayer is similar to an athlete training for a sport. We are trained by Centering Prayer to be much more conscious of our thoughts and often, more importantly, our feelings. Consequently when we attend Mass and a sudden distraction or emotion overtakes us and draws us away from the Mass, the discipline/training involved in our Centering Prayer practice helps us to recognize this distraction much more quickly and recover our attention to the Mass more easily.

Another Definition of WORDLESS PRAYER

In a private message to Dr. Gianna Sullivan on June 10, 2006, the Vigil of Trinity Sunday, Our Lady of Emmitsburg spoke of the love of the Holy Trinity for us and urged us that, with all our heart, we give "to the Holy Trinity every bit of Love within" us. The Mother of God then adds these priceless words:

"THERE IS NO PRAYER GREATER THAN THIS,
THAN TO LOVE SO MUCH THAT YOU CANNOT SPEAK."

'Safari in a Wordless Prayer'

In reading the Contemplative Outreach News, Vol. 23 #1, on their website, I found the following poem under Reader's Reflections. It is titled Safari in a Wordless Prayer and was published in a book entitled Safari of the Spirit. This poem, which was anonymously written by a hermit living in the desert with the bushmen, beautifully expresses the prayer in which God prays in us. It is printed below:

After years of
daily practice
and devotions,

The many words
of prayers
begin to fail.

To continue as before
becomes so painful

that the sole solution
seems to be

Give up,
abandon prayer!

But listen
as the Spirit calls

Deep into the
wordless dark.

Make safari to the
silent heart,

Where the midday
mind is left behind.

Surrounded by the
stillness,

Awed by Presence in
the night,

Share the ever-living
Word of Christ,

And become his
never-ending prayer.

So unable to find
proper words to pray

Becomes a blessing,

For the spirit helps
using our weakness,

And speaks for us
before the
Father’s face,

In a wondrous
wordless way,

That only God can
understand

And prayers,
the words we try to say
or do

Become prayer,
the Word that
says it all for you.