My mother's hidden prayer life.

ONE OF MY EARLY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES is that of my mother kneeling at her "prayer chair," reverently going through all the novenas and litanies in her bulging "Mother's Love" prayer book. Besides being a wife, nurse, and mother of six, she spent an hour each morning, before dawn, saying her prayers. I'm not sure if she ever heard the expression lectio divina, a traditional method of prayer that begins with a scripture reading, moves on to some meditative thoughts and affectionate responses, and then settles into a silent resting in the Lord's presence.

Prayer, when reduced to its bare bones, is essentially listening and responding--listening to a God who speaks in scripture, in daily events, in the movements of the heart, in the community, in the needs of our brothers and sisters, in the signs of the times; and then responding appropriately to what the Lord is telling us or asking of us. Prayer is communication in which God takes the initiative, and we are first and foremost listeners.

My mother gave me no advice on how to pray--she simply prayed and set an example. The best advice anyone can give us is to pray the way we can, with simplicity, with deep love, with reverence. Perhaps if my mother had had a more formal training in the history of spirituality she might have offered this advice.

1. Lectio divina. Identify your five favorite scripture passages and put them to memory. Among the references that continue to touch my life are: Ezekiel 36:24-28, Isaiah 43:1-4, Luke 19:1-10, Galatians 6:2, and Revelation 3:2.

Read a single passage or several verses out loud, every word tasted and felt deep within the soul. No hurry here, no attempt to get through the text. Rather, put yourself in God's presence and try to realize you are being addressed directly, now. Slowly repeat the scriptural text, letting it draw you more deeply into God's presence.

2. Meditatio (meditation). The capacity to reflect is one of the great gifts of God. Through reasoning we come to understanding and meaning, taking experiences and finding their cause and effect, wisdom and insight. This is an active time in our prayer, and one that might be made more specific by taking notes.

One's prayer might be greatly enriched by asking for the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us to ponder God's word with devotion and insight. Left to ourselves we tend to develop narrow routines that lock us into categories and perspectives that are unnecessarily too limited. The Spirit of God offers us gifts of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to break through the word into discovering the Word.

3. Oratio (oration). After reading and pondering the Word of God, we are invited to move into the region of the heart. In this land of feeling, yearning, desire, and longing, we allow our affective life to engage God's presence. Ultimately, prayer is a matter of the heart; it is a matter of love. It is here that God shares the secrets of the divine heart as we share our heart's longings with our God.

Saint Therese of Lisieux, our most recent Doctor of the church, explains: "With me, prayer is a lifting of the heart, a look toward heaven, a cry of gratitude and love uttered equally in sorrow and joy; in a word, something noble, supernatural, which enlarges my soul and unites it to God."

Whatever helps us to lift our minds and hearts to God might well be considered lectio divina, a form of divine reading.

4. Contemplatio (contemplation). What we do in prayer is very important; what God does in prayer is of the essence. Meditation and oration are activities that engage our energies and keep us "busy." With contemplation, we turn from activity to a "holy passivity" and attempt to turn off the thoughts and feelings and settle gently into the silence of God's presence, just being with God in the dark and quiet of our souls. This is very difficult. It appears as idleness, maybe even a waste of time. Nothing happens. And yet, something that is really important is happening--an encounter with God.

A note of caution. The various types of prayer described above are not necessarily linear. Someone might read the passage "This is my body given for you" and immediately rest in God's presence through contemplative silence. Or, for the more intellectually inclined, meditation may be the primary form of prayer for 20 or 30 years. Others will find prayer of the heart to be the most meaningful expression of faith.

I'm not sure what went on in the heart of my mother as she knelt in prayer morning after morning. But I do know that her love for her family, church, and community verified that the time spent with the Lord bore fruit. Active concern for others will always be the test of the authenticity of any prayer form. To quote the poet Samuel Coleridge:

He prayeth best, who loveth best

All things both great and small;

For the dear God who loveth us,

He made and loveth all.