Salesian Literature

Chapter 13:  [Five daily spiritual exercises besides meditation]

Fifth exercise:  Longing for God[1] Ejaculatory prayers[2] and Good Thoughts

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We recollect ourselves in God because we long for him, and we long for him in order to recollect ourselves in him.  Thus, longing for God and recollection in God support one another.  Both arise from and are born of good thoughts.

 

Therefore, long for God again and again, Philothea, by short and ardent soarings of the heart: admire his beauty, ask for his help, throw yourself in spirit at the foot of the Cross, adore his goodness, speak to him often about salvation, give him your heart a thousand times a day, fix your interior eyes upon his gentleness, hold out your hand to him like a little child to its father that he may guide you, put him on your breast as a delightful nosegay, plant him in your spirit like a banner.  Make a thousand different movements of your heart, to rekindle in yourself love for God, and to rouse yourself to an ardent and tender affection for this divine Spouse.

 

Ejaculatory prayers are made in this way.  The great St. Augustine recommended them earnestly to the devout Proba.  Philothea, devoting ourselves to such frequent, personal and affectionate communion with God, we will be filled with the perfume of his perfections.  This exercise is not difficult.  It can be interwoven with all our occupations and work without causing the least disturbance.  All the more so because, both in the awareness of God’s presence and in these interior longings, we turn aside only in a small way and briefly.  This is no obstacle, but rather help us very much to continue what we are doing.  The pilgrim takes a little wine to give to his heart and to refresh his mouth.  Even though he stops for some time to do this, he does not end his journey.  Rather, he finds strength to complete it with greater speed and ease.  He stops in order to go on better.

 

Many have made a collection of numerous vocal ejaculatory prayers which are no doubt very helpful.  However, I advise you not to force yourself to use any particular words.  Rather, say in your heart or aloud those which love prompts at the time, for it will inspire you with as many as you want.  It is true that certain words have a special ability to delight the heart in this respect.  Such are the ejaculatory prayers scattered in such abundance throughout the Psalms of David, as also the various invocations of the name of Jesus and the darts of love to be found in the Song of Songs.  Hymns are also helpful for this purpose, provided they are sung with attention.

 

In brief, men in love with a human and natural love have their thoughts turned, almost always, towards the person they love.  Their heart is full of affection for her.  They always speak her praises.  In her absence, they lose no opportunity to express their love through letters.  They carve her name on the bark of every tree they find.  Similarly, those who love God cannot stop thinking of him, seeking him, longing for him and speaking of him.  They would engrave, if it were possible, the holy and sacred name of Jesus on the breast of every person in the world.

 

To the above, they are invited by every creature.  There is not a single creature which does not proclaim the praise of their dearly Beloved.  As St. Augustine says, following St. Anthony, everything in the world speaks to them, in a language that is silent but full of meaning, about the one they love.  All things stir up good thoughts in them and these are the source, later on, of numerous longings for God and ejaculatory prayers.  Here are some examples.

 

St. Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus, recounted to his people the following incident.  As he was walking on the sea shore, he noticed that the waves moving over the sand left behind various kinds of shells, bits of grass, small oysters and similar rubbish which the sea cast up and as it were spat out on the shore.  Then, returning with other waves, it took back part of this and swallowed it up again.  But the rocks nearby remained firm in their place, although the waves beat violently against them.  On seeing this, he made a beautiful reflection, as follows.  The weak are like the shells and bits of grass, letting themselves be carried away sometimes by consolation, subject to the waves of fortune.  But the courageous remain firm and unmoved in every kind of storm.  As the result of these thoughts, he said these ejaculator prayers of David: Lord, save me, for the waters are engulfing me.  Lord, set me free from the deep waters.  I am carried into the depths of the sea and the storm is drowning me (Ps. 69:1, 15, 2).  At that time, he was greatly troubled by the ill-advised usurpation of the bishopric which Maximus had taken in hand.

 

St. Fulgentius, Bishop of Ruspe, was present at a general assembly of the Roman nobles while Theodoric, king of the Goths, was making a speech.  Seeing the brilliance of so many lords, all in order according to their rank, he said to himself: “My God, how beautiful the heavenly Jerusalem must be, since here below the earthly Rome appears so impressive.  And if in this world such splendour is allowed to those who love vanity, the glory in the world to come awaiting those who contemplate the truth must be very great indeed.”

 

St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose birth has done great honour to our mountains[3], is said to have been remarkable in this practice of good thoughts.  This holy Prelate was once on a journey when a hare, hunted by dogs, ran under his horse.  The close danger of death had led it to seek safety there.  The dogs, yelping all around, did not dare to attempt violating the sanctuary to which their prey had fled.  This unusual sight caused laughter among all present.  But the great Anselm said, amid tears and sights: “You laugh, but the poor animal does not.  The spiritual enemies of a person, who is pursued and harassed by being led astray into all sorts of sins, wait for him at the narrow gate of death to catch and devour him.  Filled with fear, he seeks help and safety everywhere.  If he cannot find it, he is mocked and laughed at.”  After saying this, he went on his way in great sadness.

 

St. Anthony[4] once received a respectful letter from Constantine the Great[5].  At this, the religious living with him were greatly surprised.  He said to them: “What are you amazed that a king should write to a man?  Rather wonder that the everlasting God has written his law for mortal men and, even more, that he has spoken to them face to face in the person of his Son.”

 

St. Francis of Assisi noticed a sheep all alone in a flock of goats.  He said to his companion:  “See how gentle this poor little sheep is amid the goats.  So did our Lord go about gentle and humble among the Pharisees.”  On another occasion he saw a little lamb being devoured by a hog.  He shed tears as he said: “Alas, little lamb, your death is a lifelike figure of the death of my Saviour.”

 

Francis Borgia, the great man of our time[6], when still Duke of Gandia, would make numerous devout reflections while hunting.  “I used to wonder”, he said later, “that the falcons return to the fist, allowing themselves to be hooded and tied to the perch, while men are so unresponsible to the voice of God.”

 

The great St. Basil said that the rose amid the thorns has this message for men: “Mortal men, whatever gives most pleasure in this world is mixed with sadness.  Nothing in it is pure.  Sorrow always goes along with joy, widowhood with marriage, care with fruitfulness, humiliation with fame, expense with honours, disgust with delights and sickness with health.  The rose is a beautiful flower indeed, but it makes me very sad.  It reminds me of my sin, for which the earth was condemned to produce thorns.”

 

A devout person, looking at a stream on a calm night, and seeing heaven with the stars reflected in it, said: “My God,  when you place me in your holy tabernacles, these stars will be under my feet.  As the stars of heaven are reflected on earth, so men on earth are reflected in heaven, in the living waters of divine charity.”  Another devout person, watching a river flowing by, exclaimed: “My heart will never find rest until it plunges into God, the sea where it took its origin.”

 

St. Frances of Rome, seeing a pleasant stream, and kneeling on its bank to pray, was rapt in ecstasy.  She repeated many times, quite softly, the words: “The grace of my God flows gently and smoothly like this little stream.”  Another saintly person, looking at the trees in flower, sighed and said: “Why am I alone without blossom in the garden of the Church?”

 

Still another holy person, watching little chicken gathered under their mother’s wings, said: “Lord, keep us safe under the shadow of your wings” (Ps. 17:8).  Yet another, looking at a sunflower, said: “My God, when will my heart follow the attractions of your goodness?”  The same person, seeing some pansies, beautiful to look at but without fragrance, said: “Alas, my thoughts are like that.  Beautiful when spoken, but without influence or fruit.”

 

You see, Philothea, how we can foster good thoughts and ejaculatory prayers from all that we come across in the course of this mortal life.  Unhappy are those who turn creatures away from their Creator to involve them in sin.  Happy are those who associate creatures in the glorification of their Creator, using their emptiness to honour the truth.  St. Gregory Nazianzen said: “It is definitely my practice to turn everything to my spiritual advantage.”  Read the devout account that St. Jerome has written about St. Paula.  It is inspiring to find it full of good thoughts and ejaculatory prayers which she used to draw from all sorts of incidents.

 

In this exercise of the awareness of God’s presence and of ejaculatory prayers is to be found the most important practice of devotion.  It can make up for the lack of all other prayers.  But to make good its absence, by any other means, is almost impossible.  Without this exercise, the contemplative life cannot be well lived, and the active life will be lived only badly.  Without it, relaxation is only idleness and work only discomfort.  Therefore, I ask you earnestly, take up this exercise with all your heart and never stop practising it.

 

 

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[1]  Literally “Aspirations”:  this word is used by some writers to mean ejaculatory prayers.  Here St. Francis is also referring to another spiritual activity that is, earnest longing for God.

[2]  From “to ejaculate” = “to say suddenly and briefly”.  Ejaculatory prayers are short prayers that can be said quickly and repeated often, life “Father, I thank you”; “My Jesus, Mercy”; “Lord, help me.”

[3]  He was born in 1033 at Aosta, on the border of Savoy.

[4]  From  Egypt, the founder of Christian monasticism (251-356)

[5]  First Christian emperor (306-337).

[6]  He died in 1572 as the third General of Jesuits, canonized in 1671.

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