By Fr Ian
Keeping in mind everything that we’ve covered so far, in this post and the next I’d like to advocate two simple and practical ways of praying. These are two concrete practices that can help us move beyond a superficial level of prayer towards a more contemplative experience, strengthening the bond of communion between ourselves and God in the process.
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'But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and you our Father who sees in secret will reward you' (Matthew 6:6) Photo: a room in a Capuchin Franciscan retreat centre.
Preparation for prayer: recollection
First let's recognise that if we want to pray well we can’t just turn rapidly from our ordinary daily activities and glide easily into profound conversation with God. We have to prepare ourselves beforehand. The Catholic spiritual tradition envisages three stages of preparation for prayer: immediate, proximate and remote.
