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says: "The  religious  prays  little  who  prays only  when  she  is  on  her  knees  in  the  choir  or  in  the cell." To fulfil  the  obligations  of  her  state,  a  religious should keep  her  soul  continually  united  with  God;  but to maintain  this  constant  union,  continual  prayer  is necessary. There are  three  means  of  acquiring  the habit of  continual  prayer;  namely,  silence,  solitude, and the  presence  of  God. These were  the  means  that the angel  suggested  to  St.  Arsenius  when  he  said:  "If you  wish  to  be  saved,  fly  into  solitude,  observe  silence, and  repose  in  God  by  always  keeping  yourself  in  his presence." We shall  speak  of  each  of  these  means separately.

In the  first  place,  silence  is  a  great  means  of  acquiring the spirit  of  prayer,  and  of  disposing  the  soul  to  converse continually  with  God. We rarely  find  a  spiritual soul that  speaks  much. All souls  of  prayer  are  lovers  of silence  that  is  called  the  guardian  of  innocence,  the  shield against temptations,  and  the  fountain  of  prayer. For by silence  devotion  is  preserved,  and  in  silence  good thoughts spring  up  in  the  soul. St. Bernard  says:  "Silence and  the  absence  of  noise  in  a  certain  manner  force the  soul  to  think  of  God  and  of  eternal  goods." Hence,