Revolution of Love.com
It Is All in the Preparation
by Brian
Recently, I came across a Catholic resource book printed in the 1940’s that specifically focused on the spiritual life. In the section on mental prayer, the author mentioned the term “proximate preparation,” which immediately caught my attention. The author explained that the proximate preparation is a simple step to help enhance a person’s morning meditation.
The proximate preparation was used and promoted by many saints. One saint that highly recommended it was the founder of the Jesuits and author of the spiritual exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius not only practiced, but advised his fellow Jesuits to use the proximate preparation in order to enhance their time of prayer and meditation. I remember reading how St. Stanislaus Kosta would prepare his morning meditation the night before, using the proximate preparation that his Jesuit instructors taught him.
The proximate preparation includes three easy steps, two of which are to be done in the evening and the final step in the morning. Step One: Choose the topic of your meditation. Step Two: Pick a point or two from your topic that you feel called to reflect upon. Step Three: When you wake in the morning, let your thoughts turn immediately to the topic of your meditation and the points for reflection.
You may be asking yourself whether this is going a bit overboard to simply meditate, but I would disagree. Meditation is extremely important to the life of the soul. St. Alphonsus Ligouri wrote, “Mental prayer is the blessed furnace in which souls are inflamed with the divine love.” I have observed that many people have little difficulty in preparing their body for a jog by stretching or preparing for a dinner party the night before or preparing for a long journey by packing in advance. We have no problem spending extra time preparing for those things that are important to us. So why, may I ask, should we have a problem spending a few minutes in the evening preparing for the following day’s meditation when the sole purpose of meditating is to grow closer to Christ.
I believe the best time to prepare for one’s meditation is the evening, after the examination of conscience. The preparation doesn’t have to be long or detailed, spending a few minutes would do, but it should help you know the topic of your meditation and the point(s) you will use for your time of reflection. Lastly, it is important not to forget that once you awake the following morning, your thoughts should gently turn to the subject of your meditation.
The proximate preparation is a beautiful spiritual tool that is meant to help every baptized Catholic make the most of their daily meditation. It is simple and easy to use, and will prevent you from wasting precious time in the morning trying to figure out a topic or theme to meditate upon. It may take awhile to get in the habit of using the it, but believe me it is well worth it. Remember, its all in the preparation!
God bless.