Having written lately about concerns over our country and
the coming election, it’s probably a
coincidence that in my morning meditations lately I have been reading two
books about prayer. The first, Praying
in the Cellar by Anthony Delisi, was recommended by my friend, Barb. The second, A School of Prayer by Pope
Benedict XVI was recommended by my local Catholic book store.
Anthony Delisi is the founder of the Lay
Cistercian movement, aimed at bringing monastic spirituality into the lives of
lay people around the world. Based in a
monastery near Atlanta, he has spent many of his 80 years in Africa, and in
this book he reflects back on his life and the lessons he has learned. He uses his early-morning prayer time to
imagine himself in the cellar of his childhood home, to enter a dark quiet
place where he can pray, “the place where I as steward of the goods of my
person, can be at the sensitive center of my life.”
“Once we enter into the cellar and expose our fears to the
Father, strange things may indeed happen.
Slowly we become aware of the nearness of the God who loves us.” Strange things indeed happened as I read this
book. It was an unusual book, compared
to most of my readings. It really didn’t
educate me in any new insights of my faith, nor seem to bring me closer to God,
but it did resonate with me nonetheless.
I found Delisi’s simple reflections on his childhood events, and even
the cellar itself and the tomatoes and bananas stored there, to be somehow
quieting. It was a peaceful read,
although that doesn’t describe it adequately.
Does it teach you how to pray?
Perhaps, but I think it is more just a reading of someone who DOES know
how to pray, to see and accept God as part of his life. It gives me a sense of peace, knowing men
such as Delisi exist. If you wish to
find some deep religious insights, this book may bore you --- in a way it bored
me! But I still liked it.
“Once again I find myself in the cellar among the jars,
locking myself in. This door reminds me
of another door in Rome, Italy, along the street not far from the Abbey of San
Anselmo. Tourists peep through the
keyhole to get a glimpse of the dome of Saint Peter’s in the distance. If I look through the keyhole of the door in
this dark, cool room, am I able, with faith, to see the gates of heaven and the
heavenly Father peeping down at me in this room? Does this make sense?” A thought leading to a memory leading to a
reflection, those are the words Fr. Delisi writes. I found looking at his praying, his
journaling of his prayers, to give me peace in my morning meditations. And after reading a section I could put the
book down and float into my own memories and reflections --- not a bad thing.
“Papa bought the cheapest olive oil from the third
pressing. Today, olive oil is advertised
as ‘virgin’ or ‘extra virgin.’ It could
even be widowed, but as long as it is olive oil, it is good enough for
me.” Fr. Delisi is a simple man, as are
his prayers: I pray, we pray, Our Father who art in heaven … and in this cellar with
the tomato sauce, preserves, and wine.
You are with us, and we fear no evil.
To You be praise and honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - -
In the spring of 2011, Pope Benedict XVI began offering a
catechesis on prayer at his regular Wednesday talks in St. Peter’s Square. This book, A School of Prayer, is the text of
31 of those talks. After reading Fr.
Delisi’s book on prayers, I picked this one off my bookshelf and began
reading. Thus far I’ve only read a few
of the talks our Pope has given, but I can already see the same wisdom and
simplicity I found in so many of Benedict’s previous books and talks. Compared to the depths of JPII, Benedict
speaks more simply. He makes simple
statements, but they give you pause, as you realize the depth of what they
mean. And he explains simply, as if
talking to a little child. The depths of
philosophy and theology? Yes, but
presented so clearly that anyone can understand.
In his talks, Pope Benedict walks through the
prayers found in the Bible, God talking to his children, starting with those in
the Old Testament (Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Elijah), and then moving on to
the Psalms, the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and finally he gives us his thoughts
on differing types of prayers. “Dear
friends, in these examples of prayer of different epochs and civilizations
emerge the human being’s awareness of his creaturely condition and his
dependence on Another superior to him who is the source of all good. The human being prays because he cannot fail
to wonder about the meaning of his life, which remains obscure and
discomforting if it is not put in relation to the mystery of God and his plan
for the world.”
“Man knows that by himself he cannot respond to his own
fundamental need to understand. However
much he is deluded and still deludes himself that he is self-sufficient, he
experiences his own insufficiency. Man
bears within him a thirst for the infinite, a quest for beauty, a desire for
love, a need for light and truth which impel him towards the Absolute. And man knows, in a certain way, that he can
turn to God; he knows he can pray to him.
St. Thomas Aquinas defines prayer as ‘an expression of man’s desire for
God.’ … In prayer, man considers himself
and his situation before God and experiences being a creature in need of help,
incapable of obtaining on his own the fulfillment of his life and his hope.”
At the end of each talk, the pope speaks directly to his
listeners. This is the concluding
instruction after his first talk: “Dear
brothers and sisters, let us learn to pause longer before God, who revealed
himself in Jesus Christ, let us learn to recognize in silence, in our hearts,
his voice that calls us and leads us back to the depths of our existence, to
the source of life, to the source of salvation, to enable us to go beyond the
limitations of our life and to open ourselves to God’s dimension, to the
relationship with him, which is Infinite Love.”
I’ve written in recent days about the need to pray for our
country, to place our petitions at the feet of God. This is a good thing, and he DOES hear our
prayers. These two books go into deeper
dimensions of prayer, beyond what we want, and into a conversation with
God. What does HE want? What is he quietly giving to us, without our even
asking? By his words and examples, what
does he expect of us, his children?
These two books open prayer into greater dimensions, beyond the concerns
for ourselves. Fr. Delisi demonstrates
how we can go into a quiet place, and God will help us see him in our
lives. Benedict goes deeper, and
demonstrates how God acted in the lives of the saints, and how he touched the
lives of his people; how he loved them.
Both books, with their short chapters, are excellent for growing in
prayer, in opening ourselves up for conversations with God. In this Year of Faith in the Catholic Church,
these books are practical examples of how we can grow in our faith.
Whether you think your life is blessed, or just one trial
after another, there is one thing I can guarantee you: that there will be
trials ahead. These books demonstrate
how you can effectively deal with those trials --- not alone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It took many years for me to learn how to pray. In the beginning, there were many hours of
darkness, and the feeling of being alone --- kind of like those prayers in the
cellar. But I persisted. And there were also many times of
consolations, including those times when I finally understood the prayers
answered in Scripture, even as Pope Benedict described. These were all part of my experiences in
growing in prayer.
In the beginning, it almost seemed a chore to pray --- I
even bought the watch with its thoroughly irritating buzzer to remind me when
to pray (even as I now set my phone alarm at 12 and 6, times to remind me to
re-learn the Angelus prayer). Yes,
learning to pray did take some persistence.
And I thank God for those small consolations along the way, those little
“aha! I see You there!” moments as described in Scripture. And the even much softer said, “aha, I see … no,
I feel … I, uh, …, … I know You are there” moments. Even now, I praise Him for those
consolations, those prayers answered, and those moments when I just KNEW He was
with me, especially in my sorrows.
One of the greatest blessings given me, over the years, was
His leading me to a church which had regular Eucharistic adoration and, through
others, encouraging me to spend time alone with Him there. It was there, in those quiet hours that we
grew to be friends. Now, like lovers
holding hands watching a starlit night, we need not speak. Like friends reading poetry aloud by the
light of the fireplace, we understand.
And like children being tucked into bed in a warm home, we know we love
one another. Prayer, especially in front
of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, is all those things to me. But even when I am not there, I see Him in
the eyes of those he puts in my path, in the words they say, and in the love
and consolations I offer them, His.
But, where do His blessings to me come from? I know me most intimately, and I am certainly
not one deserving of any love or recognition or trust, especially from a
God. And yet sometimes He uses me, for
reasons I know not why, and even in ways I know not how. He uses me because I, in confidence told Him
it’s okay to do so. In our quiet
moments, I told Him that what I have is His.
I told Him we are friends, and that I love Him. I told Him I trust in Him.
That’s what friends do.
That is what prayer makes us.
That’s what gives me so much peace --- knowing I am not alone. He’s always there when I call, and most
especially, even when I do not.
You will seek me,
and when you seek with your whole heart,
you will find me.
--- You will pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
-- Jer 29:13
and when you seek with your whole heart,
you will find me.
--- You will pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
-- Jer 29:13
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