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Sometimes we forget how much mental prayer can help us, especially when we are feeling depressed and isolated from the world.
God is the Divine Physician and if we are open to his graces, he can perform "heart surgery" and penetrate the depths of our heart with his love.
Mental prayer
St. Francis de Sales highly recommends mental prayer in his Introduction to the Devout Life.
He explains the power prayer can have in our daily lives:
Prayer opens the understanding to the brightness of Divine Light, and the will to the warmth of Heavenly Love—nothing can so effectually purify the mind from its many ignorances, or the will from its perverse affections. It is as a healing water which causes the roots of our good desires to send forth fresh shoots, which washes away the soul’s imperfections, and allays the thirst of passion.
He then more specifically mentions mental prayer and the benefits of frequently praying in this way:
But especially I commend earnest mental prayer to you, more particularly such as bears upon the Life and Passion of our Lord. If you contemplate Him frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will grow in His Likeness, and your actions will be moulded on His. He is the Light of the world; therefore in Him, by Him, and for Him we shall be enlightened and illuminated; He is the Tree of Life, beneath the shadow of which we must find rest;—He is the Living Fountain of Jacob’s well, wherein we may wash away every stain.
St. Francis de Sales then uses an analogy to help get his point across to the reader:
Children learn to speak by hearing their mother talk, and stammering forth their childish sounds in imitation; and so if we cleave to the Savior in meditation, listening to His words, watching His actions and intentions, we shall learn in time, through His Grace, to speak, act and will like Himself.
If you find yourself lacking in mental prayer, try to renew your commitment to it and meditate as frequently as you can on the great love God has for you.
