St. Bernard stated that the third step towards contemplation is prayer. At this point, the person should really beg God for the graces, all the graces of purification and humility. Such gifts as indifference and a heightened sense of sin occur at this time. One sees the horror of the smallest sin, making repentance easier and faster, in a way. Prayer at this stage is begging for the completion of the purity of heart necessary to see God. St. Bernard makes an interesting comment that seeing a holy man may cause one to greater compunction, as one sees one's own sin more clearly in the face of holiness. How nice it would be if we saw this type of holiness daily, or even on a regular basis. Alas, such is rare. Prayer becomes more and more silent at this stage as well, but still, as all the great saints tell us, we sin and need to ask God for help in changing our hearts. I ask God for His Heart instead of mine. He waits at the door and knocks. We have the free will to let Christ in...or, to be more exact, to realize He is with us constantly. That is the goal of prayer-repentance and the intense awareness of the Presence of God. The imperfections of our mind, heart, and soul need to be destroyed, and our being needs to be purified to accept the fullness of the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity, which we receive at baptism.Sunday 25 November 2012
The Third Step in Bernard's Cloister Stair-Prayer
St. Bernard stated that the third step towards contemplation is prayer. At this point, the person should really beg God for the graces, all the graces of purification and humility. Such gifts as indifference and a heightened sense of sin occur at this time. One sees the horror of the smallest sin, making repentance easier and faster, in a way. Prayer at this stage is begging for the completion of the purity of heart necessary to see God. St. Bernard makes an interesting comment that seeing a holy man may cause one to greater compunction, as one sees one's own sin more clearly in the face of holiness. How nice it would be if we saw this type of holiness daily, or even on a regular basis. Alas, such is rare. Prayer becomes more and more silent at this stage as well, but still, as all the great saints tell us, we sin and need to ask God for help in changing our hearts. I ask God for His Heart instead of mine. He waits at the door and knocks. We have the free will to let Christ in...or, to be more exact, to realize He is with us constantly. That is the goal of prayer-repentance and the intense awareness of the Presence of God. The imperfections of our mind, heart, and soul need to be destroyed, and our being needs to be purified to accept the fullness of the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity, which we receive at baptism.
