All The Saints Became Saints Because of Mental Prayer

"All the saints became saints because of mental prayer." - St. Alphonsus Liguori

Preparation 

1. Act of faith in the presence of God ("My God, I believe that I am in Your presence and from the depths of my nothingness, I adore Your majesty."),

2. Act of humility ("Lord, because of my sins I should be suffering the pains of hell right now, I am sorry for having offended thee, in Your mercy please forgive me.")

3. Prayer for God's guidance ("Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus and Mary, Father, please give me Your light in this prayer so that it will be profitable to me.")

These prayers are just suggestions and can be used as a rough guide. You may use them word for word or formulate your own, as long as they include an act of faith, an act of humility, and a prayer for God's guidance.

4. Now say a Hail Mary to ask for Our Lady's assistance and a Glory be to ask St. Joseph, our Guardian Angel, and our patrons to help us.

Meditation

Use a book, a holy image, or a statue (i.e. the Gospels, the Stations of the Cross, Spanish Crucifix, an Icon, an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus...etc).

The subject of meditation does not have to be reading material. Illiterate people and children who cannot yet read are capable of mental prayer.

If we are reading, we read slowly and stop when something strikes us. Extract the thought and make an act of affection. An affection has nothing to do with feelings. Acts of affection can be acts of  thanksgiving, praise, adoration...etc.

Examples of acts affection

"My God, I esteem You above all things."

"I love You above all things."

"I wish every man on earth loved You."

"Let me know what Your will is and give me the grace to follow it."

"My God, I am happy because You are God, the highest good, lacking nothing."

"God, I love You with all my heart."

Use the book or image as a means to make affections.

Make lots of petitions

Humbly ask God for things such as:

Forgiveness of sins

Perseverance

Holiness

A holy death

The salvation of our friends

The grace to love Him more and more (once a person has the love of God he has every other grace).

Ask Him for these things in the name of and by the merits of Jesus Christ.

In dryness

If you are so dry that you cannot make any acts of affection say this prayer:

"O God, come to my aid, O Lord, make haste to help me."

Nothing is more profitable than making petitions over and over in the name of Jesus Christ.

"Ask the Father anything in my name and He will give it to you." - Jesus Christ

Make a resolution

At the end of mental prayer, make a particular resolution. Never finish mental prayer without making a resolution.

"Today Lord, I am not going to get snippy with my boss."

"Today Lord, I am going to be patient with my obnoxious coworker."

"Today Lord, Instead of walking around all day looking severe, I am going to smile."

Conclusion

1. Thank God for the lights you have received during mental prayer.

2. Resolve to keep the resolution you just made.

3. Pray to God the Father, through Jesus and Mary, for the grace to keep that resolution.

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Mothers, you can teach your children very early to start mental prayer. It's nothing fancy. They are talking to Jesus. Everyone except babies can do this.

If we are not saints after our First Holy Communion, it is not because of Our Lord, it is because of obstacles within us. Obstacles: sin, lack of bodily mortification, lack of interior mortification, lack of spiritual reading.

All of these can be solved if we get serious about mental prayer.

Grace comes principally through the sacraments but the grace we get from sacraments comes primarily through our prayer life.

Mental prayer and sin cannot stay together.

Take 15 minutes a day to start. It is an investment in your eternity.

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These truths have been transcribed for the benefit of your soul from this sermon: http://www.audiosancto.org/sermon/20080203-Mental-Prayer-is-Essential-for-Salvation.html