Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/15



To PRAY  means  to  commune  with  God  —  to  converse with  God. This is  why  we  have  chosen  for  the present work  the  main  title,  "With  God."

Discussing the  question:  Is  Mental  Prayer  Easy? a spiritual  writer  says  :

"In order  to  pray  with  fruit  and  without  distraction it  is  very  useful  and  in  most  cases  necessary  to  spend some  time  in  meditation  or  pious  thought  on  some definite  subject,  and  from  this  fact,  as  before  stated, the  whole  exercise  is  often  called  mieditation.  instead of  mental  prayer.  This  often  misleads  people  into imagining  that  meditation,  that  is,  the  use  of  the intellect  in  thinking  on  a  holy  subject,  is  the  main end  to  be  aimed  at,  whereas  in  fact  it  is  only  a  means to  the  end,  which  is  prayer  or  conversation  with  God. Meditation  furnishes  us  with  the  matter  for  conversation, but  it  is  not  itself  prayer  at  all.  When  thinking and  reflecting  the  soul  speaks  to  itself,  reasons  with itself;  in  prayer  it  speaks  to  God."

Our sub-title  reads:  Book  of  Prayers  and Reflections," and  accurately  describes  the  purpose of  this  work,  which  is  to  aid  not  any  particular  class, but  the  faithful  in  general,  in  those  precious  hours when  they  turn  away  from  the  distracting  occupations and  pleasures  of  life  to  give  attention  to  "  the one thing  necessary,"  their  one  real  business  here below,  the  salvation  of  their  immortal  souls,  by  reflecting on  the  eternal  truths,  by  uplifting  their  hearts to  heaven  and  communing  with  God  in  prayer,  so  as to  secure  His  grace  now,  and  eventually  that  ever-