Three Fundamental Practices

(in Ecclesiastical Latin, with English Translation)

I. Sénsus praeséntiae Déi — Sense of the Presence of God (knowledge and perception of His omnipresence)

• Ultimate, lofty goal: Sénsus praeséntiae Déi contínuus — Continuous Sense of the Presence of God

II. Simplícitas orátio / Orátio símplex / Contemplátio acquísita — Prayer of Simplicity / Simple Prayer / Acquired Contemplation

• Teresian emphasis (in St. Teresa of Ávila’s native Castilian Spanish): Oración de simple mirada / “Mirar a quién hablamos” / “Poner atención con quién hablamos” — Prayer of simple gaze / “Look to whom we are speaking.” / “Place attention to whom we are speaking.”

[See “Instructions for Prayer of Simplicity, Simple Prayer, Acquired Contemplation” section below]

III. Oblátio córdis contínua / Oblátio súi assídua / Oblátio assídua — Continuous Offering of the Heart / Assiduous Offering of the Self / Assiduous Offering (“of the Heart or Self” is implied in ascetical and mystical theology)

[See “Instructions for Assiduous Offering of the Heart” section below]

• Ultimate, lofty goal, and ultimate Catholic position: A constant, ardent desire to glorify God.

• Pauline Emphasis: “Síne intermíssione oráte” (1 Thes. V, 17) — “Without ceasing, pray.”

• Augustinian Emphasis: “Ípsum énim desidérium túum orátio túa est˙ etsi contínuum desidérium• contínua orátio.” — “For your very desire is your prayer; and if the desire is continuous, the prayer is continuous.” / “Ípsum desidérium túum, orátio túa est” / “Desidérium est orátio túa” / “Desidérium est orátio”

• The “loom” or “warp and weft” of continuous prayer: At transitions, from one task to the next or from one location to another, etc., devoutly dedicate your upcoming task to God by saying a short prayer (such as, “For You, God”) or devoutly make the Sign of the Cross with the intention of dedication.

• Repeated Aspirations (the phraseology of the Latin ones are frequently attested in Church liturgy or authoritative treatises, and are idiomatic to and morphosyntactically correct for Ecclesiastical Latin):

“Hóc Tíbi offéro, Déus” / “Hóc Tíbi offéro, Dómine” / “Hóc Tíbi offéro, Sáncte Spíritus” — “I offer this to You…”

“Tíbi offéro, Déus” / “Tíbi offéro, Dómine” / “Tíbi offéro, Sáncte Spíritus” — “I offer [this] to You…”

“Tíbi, Déus” / “Tíbi, Dómine” / “Tíbi, Sáncte Spíritus” — “For You…”

“Ád Té, Déus” / “Ád Té, Dómine” / “Ád Té, Sancti Spíritus” — “Unto Thee…”

“For You, God. For You, God. Not for me, God. Not for me, God. Every thought, word and deed for You, God. My every motion for You, God. My every breath for You, God. My every heartbeat for You, God. My every moment to You, God.”

“Sacred Heart of Jesus, in love for Thee, I offer this moment to Thee.”

“The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, give me love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

Upon returning from distractions:

“Ád Té convértor, Déus” / “Ád Té convértor, Dómine” / “Ád Té convértor, Sáncte Spíritus.” — “To Thee, I turn…” / “To Thee, I return…”

Assent and Attendance to God for a Minimal Degree of the Prayerful Life (for beginners, or those whose habit of prayer has deteriorated):

“I assent to Thee, God. Now, please, do the rest.”

Instructions for

Prayer of Simplicity, Simple Prayer,

Acquired Contemplation, Prayer of Simple Gaze

To be a better Catholic, to excel in the spiritual life, to overcome your passions and your will, expect not just any prayer or method of prayer to be the most fruitful; pray not just any prayer and pray not by just any method, but rather, pray with the Teresian emphasis of paying attention to whom one is praying. It is more spiritually profitable for one to focus on the entity or person to whom he is praying than to only vocally or mentally articulate a lexical prayer. Maintain prolonged focus on God, the Person of the Holy Trinity, or the saint to whom you are praying, at the expense of all distractions and of equanimity. Mentally focus on your perception or your abstract construct (e.g., a mentally visual representation) of the entity or person to whom you are praying — which you must be cultivated by practice (over days, weeks or months) if not already apprehensible and durable. Sacrifice distractions that might pull you from focus, even if such is an urge to do a pious act but is rooted in scrupulosity (such as feeling an anxious urge to make the Sign of the Cross, to say the Invocation of the Holy Trinity, or to nod your head upon thinking the name of Jesus) — this is mainly for those who are weak in mental integrity —, and courageously persevere in order to break through barriers, which is the stuff of progress and the mark of progress. “Mirar a quién hablamos” — “Look to whom we are speaking.” “Poner atención con quién hablamos” — “Pay attention to whom we are speaking.” This is the prayer of simple gaze (oración de simple mirada). By others it has been called, or equated with, “simple prayer,” “the prayer of simplicity,” and “acquired contemplation.” It is the ultimate type of personal prayer for spiritual profit.

Instructions for Assiduous Offering of the Heart

1. Regarding logismoi* or any interior phenomenon, manifestation, appearance, construct, object, stimuli, distraction, perception, element of mental content, feeling, sense of confusion, etc., offer it up to God or to St. Mary as an offering, oblation, sacrifice.

2. Pray for it to be taken from you.

3. Trust it will be taken from you.

4. Pray for the grace to overcome it.

5. Initiate prayer of simplicity, simple prayer, acquired contemplation, prayer of simple gaze.

6. Optional: Conduct a task of labor (chore, work, etc.).

7. Optional: Frequently practice offering up not only evil things but good things and pleasant things as well, such a feelings of joy, experiences of pleasure, etc., as well as every other interior phenomenon or experience of consciousness in order for you to progress in the rejection of distractions for the benefit of maintaining focus.

*logismoi — a Koine Greek word, plural; meaning in ascetical and mystical theology: intrusive, assaultive, or tempting thoughts, or, more generally, benign but subliminal or “little” thoughts that initiate distraction)

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Three-Step Formula for Baseline Catholic Disposition

I. Cultivate humility and spiritual humility: “I am nothing without Your consent for me to exist; my existence is contingent upon Thy will. I am sinful without Your grace and without devotion to Thee.” Cultivate humility, such as with prayerful recitation of the words “humus” (“dirt”) and “humilitas” (“humility”). Especially cultivate spiritual humility (the deep belief that, by his own powers, man cannot earn God’s favor or blessings at all, nor achieve any spiritual progress, nor achieve spiritual perfection, nor achieve a heavenly afterlife; the opposite of the most insidious vice, spiritual pride). Pray for an increased sense, awareness and acceptance of your spiritual poverty (“poor in spirit”), which is a universal and innate trait of human beings (inherent to fallen human nature). Abhor all interior semblances of spiritual pride. Cultivate and practice generosity, dedication, and devotion to God. To love God more, learn about Him, meditate and contemplate upon the Holy Trinity and His laws, increasingly think about Him, increasingly dedicate every thought, word and deed to Him, every breath and heartbeat to Him, every action and every moment to Him, and increasingly sacrifice other objects of affection and other loves from your life for the sake of your love for God – sacrificed in union with Christ’s passion and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (to the extent that valid ones still occur).

II. Cultivate penitence and contrition: “I’m sorry, God.” Prayerfully list your sins, offenses, objects of guilt; make a spiritual Confession. Meditate upon any and all past sins — the seemingly essential, decade-long element to Br. Lawrence’s gift of the continuous sense of the presence of God.

III. Cultivate primary charity, love for God above all Else: “I love You, God.” Prayerfully list the reasons you love God and the reasons why you should love God.

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