St. Francis de Sales and prayer

 

 

SIX STEPS TO PRAYER by St. Francis de Sales

 

St. Francis de Sales, one of the great spiritual directors among the saints, offers six steps to prayer that can allow you to enter more deeply into meditation and conversation with the Lord:

 

1.    Place yourself in the presence of God.    Remember that God is near you.  Take a moment to invite him into your time of prayer.  Meet him as if you were meeting a friend.

 

2.   Ask God for his assistance.   Ask that he would help in your meditation.   Pray that God uses this time to draw you closer to him.

 

3.   Read over a passage of Scripture or some other spiritual work.    In this case (a book of Pope Francis quotes),  your spiritual reading will be the words of Pope Francis,  but also consider supplementing this with Scripture,  the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or other spiritual readings.

 

4.   Take some time to reflect and think over what you have read.    Your goal is not necessarily to learn something but to enter more deeply into a relationship with Jesus and to understand yourself and God more intimately.  Listen to what God is trying to tell you.

 

5.   Have a conversation with God about your reflections and thoughts.    In this step,  you want to ask yourself:   What stood out to you in your spiritual reading?   What is God trying to tell you through what you just read?   What feelings arise in your heart?   Talk to God about these things.

 

6.   Conclude your time in prayer.   In your conclusion,  St. Francis recommends thanking God for your time in prayer, making petitions for yourself and others, and developing a practical resolution.   Take what insights you have gained and apply them to your life in a practical way.   For example,  do you need to be more faithful to prayer?   Do you need to forgive someone?

 

As St. Francis de Sales and many other spiritual writers make clear,  there is no perfect method or process for prayer, which is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit. 

 

(These words are from the introduction to a book,  THROUGH THE YEAR WITH POPE FRANCIS,    daily reflections taken from homilies and other addresses and articles written about our new Holy Father,   Pope Francis.   The book is published by Our Sunday Visitor and edited by Kevin Cotter.)