Page:Prayerbookforrel00lasa 0.djvu/62

 thinking upon  this  petition  can  set  us  to  meditating  on the  Passion  of  Christ. The next  petition,  "Lead  us  not into  temptation," refers  especially  to  the  temptations, wiles, and  machinations  of  the  devil;  and  the  last  petition refers,  not  only  to  temporal  and  spiritual  evils,  from which we  ask  to  be  delivered,  but  also  to  this  life  of  exile, from which  the  devout  soul  may  beg  to  be  set  free,  if  it be  God's  will,  in  order  to  enter  upon  the  possession  of her  heavenly  kingdom,  which  is  the  kingdom  of  her Spouse.

This method  of  prayer  may  be  applied  to  the  Hail Mary, and,  indeed,  to  any  other  prayer,  though  no  prayer will be  found  to  contain  so  much  as  this  divine  prayer  of Our  Lord. The Lord's  Prayer,  used  in  this  manner, may also  be  applied  to  any  subject  that  you  may  take up for  meditation;  as,  if  the  meditation  is  on  any  particular virtue,  this  prayer  may  be  made  to  refer  to  that  virtue; if on  the  nativity,  our  Father,  King,  and  Spouse  may  be represented  as  present  in  our  souls  as  an  infant,  while  we use  the  different  petitions,  as  above  pointed  out. If the subject be  the  Passion,  then  we  may  represent  Our  Lord present to  our  souls  as  suffering  and  abandoned  by  all, and so  on.

A few  words  about  the  ordinary  method  of  meditation. Though it  is  best  for  those  who  are  accustomed to meditate  according  to  the  usual  formal  method  to stick  to  the  subject  they  have  chosen,  yet  great  latitude should be  allowed  one's  self  as  to  the  way  of  developing the points,  and  full  liberty  also  to  stop  upon  any  point, or to  dwell  upon  any  affection  that  may  arise,  as  long  as the  soul  is  drawn  to  do  so,  or  finds  any  satisfaction  in  it, so that,  if,  during  the  whole  time  of  meditation  you  do not  advance  beyond  the  first  point,  the  object  of  the  meditation will  be  gained;  for  the  consideration  of  the  subject and  the  reasoning  over  the  points  are  designed  to rouse  affections  and  movements  of  the  will  towards  God, and when  that  happens,  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  smother