The Quest for Closeness to Our Lord

Contemplative Provocations.

Haggerty, Fr Donald. 

 Ignatius Press. 2013. Kindle Edition.

"Even in the consolation that silent prayer may grant, there is always a deeper layer of spiritual need untouched by peace, unsoothed by the tranquil breeze. This recess of poverty in the soul longs for a companion still not seen. It craves for more than the passing satisfaction. Our gratitude ought to increase if we leave prayer aware of this unsatisfied desire for the one who continues to conceal himself. Perhaps it is the finer grace of prayer." (pp. 25-26)

Without extensive elaboration, I would like to recommend this book length but still brief reflection on contemplative prayer. It could very well be that the time was just right for me to appreciate the insights therein contained, which do not surpass those of so many who have written on the topic, but Fr. Haggerty spoke to me as none other in this one. I am grateful for the appreciation which has come to me through his reflections. I would recommend the book to others of both extremes: both those too sure of their path to contemplation and those stymied by the whole business and perhaps even despairing of attaining a spirit of recollection and prayer drawing close to the Lord Who loves us. In short, the book is not to be discounted. It is more than worth the read. Let the quote above stand for countless others I could have shared. 

One of the haunting discoveries of this time of quarantine with COVID-19 has been for many good Catholics a sense of embarrassment over their estrangement from prayer and hence from God. If for you, in your particular lock-down situation, internet and Netflix have given way to the Holy Rosary or Scripture reading, you might have already discovered the noisy or distracted void which until recently was the common lot of none too few. Claiming space for yourself with the Lord by way of popular devotion, lectio divina and study (as of the catechism) is for all of us Catholics a must. It could be that you were already a Holy Hour steady and find yourself now being restricted by a more or less rigorous pandemic "flatten the curve of infection" regime of social distancing. It could just be that starting from a sincere cultivation of the practice of spiritual communion we can move our hearts to a genuine awareness of what Fr. Haggerty calls the finer grace of prayer, namely living with a soul wounded by love of the unseen Beloved,  always and everywhere  aware of this unsatisfied desire for the one who continues to conceal himself.

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI