Episode Transcript  

One

The National Park of the Soul 

Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross are universal masters of prayer. John describes the spiritual journey to God and happiness as the Ascent of Mt Carmel. I like this imagery because I love hiking to the top of a mountain. 

When my kids were young, we began to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The first time with my kids, I wanted to begin at Fern Lake Trail Head, to Odessa Lake, then up and over to Bear Lake and loop back to the beginning. However, before we started, a volunteer ranger said, “It’s too dangerous to go to the top. There is ice and snow. You can’t make it, so don’t even try.”

Well, he had the uniform, so we believed him. So we settled for going to the waterfall and turning back. When we got there, we looked up with longing, but remembered we were told we couldn’t make it. Just then, we saw two figures coming over the ridge. As they drew nearer, there were two old ladies with handbags and dress shoes. Well at that moment, two emotions rushed over me: First, anger that the volunteer ranger had no idea what he was talking about. He had probably never been to the top nor even tried. The second emotion was joy, because we all knew in that instant, if they could make it, then so could we!

Two

The Life of Prayer is similar to this experience. 

Most Catholics were taught to say prayers as a child: the Our Father and Hail Mary. And many people speak to God in their own words throughout the day. This is a vocal prayer. It is the very beginning of the journey, but it’s certainly not the whole landscape of prayer. There is a whole “national park” of the soul waiting to be explored. 

Sadly, many never venture into the amazing spiritual landscape because they did not know it was even there, and they were never shown the way, so they never went on to discursive meditation and never reached the mountain top of contemplation. 

Well, Jesus has shown us the way, and He wants to carry us to the top of the Mountain. And the Church has given us the expert guides in St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. They tell us: You too can reach the top.

Most people have never been taught the stages of this journey of prayer or how to make progress. But I want you to know it because we have somewhere amazing to go!

Three

The Stages of Prayer 

Teresa of Avila describes the spiritual journey in seven stages or interior mansions.

The first mansion begins with a combination of vocal prayer and discursive meditation, exactly what we practice in this Rosary Podcast. The second mansion is effective prayer. The third mansion is prayer of simplicity. Then comes the Dark Night of the Senses. The fourth mansion is infused contemplation. The fifth mansion, prayer of union. The sixth mansion, prayer of conforming union. Then the Dark Night of the Spirit. Finally, the seventh mansion, prayer of transforming union 

We can simplify it further and organize it into three stages: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation. But without exception, God created every person on earth to reach the top. We just need to place ourselves in the arms of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and let Him carry us to the top of the mountain of God.  

Teresa of Avila said ,”I am certain that all who do not stop on the way will drink this living water.”

Four

Contemplation, the mountain top experience, is kind of like the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible. 

Remember the short tax collector in Jericho who wanted to see Jesus. He tries to see Jesus from afar, from the top of a sycamore tree. That is like seeing Jesus with faith. But because Zacchaeus was determined and he persevered in his effort to see Jesus, something wonderful happened…”When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and spoke to him: 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am coming to your house today.' And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.”

That is precisely what happens in contemplation. Jesus comes to us in a way that we can experience Him. We really get to do as the Scriptures say, we taste and see how good the Lord is. 

Five

The two most important things you need to remember are that this journey of the soul to the mountain top of God, this is for everyone, not just for the spiritually elite. It is for all of us spiritual slobs. Second, the wonderful thing about prayer is that it does not get harder. It actually gets easier the farther you progress. As our relationship with God grows, prayer gets easier because God takes over more and more of the work. He carries us to the top of the mountain. We just have to learn to let him.

Fulton Sheen described the growth of prayer from vocal prayer to meditation to contemplation this way: In vocal prayer, we go to God on foot. In meditation, we go to God on horseback. In contemplation, we go to God in a jet.

Our job is to do two things: Do meditation every day and always have a resolution, that is, always end your meditation with some concrete good action you will practice that day. That is how we grow in virtue and holiness. That is what we aim to do with this Rosary Podcast, to help you grow in discursive meditation and a resolution. Remove the bad actions, the sinful actions, from your life and the circumstances or the occasions that lead to those sins. Do these two things every day and you have the infallible means to growing in holiness, happiness, and peace. 

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