Prayer of the Heart
A Salesian Method
A prayer life is essential for those who wish to live a life of devotion. Francis de Sales described prayer as "a stream of holy water that flows forth and makes the plants of our good desires grow green and flourish and quenches the passions that lie within our hearts." (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 1)
What is prayer? In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis wrote: "Prayer, generally speaking, comprehends all the acts of contemplation...a conference or conversation with God...a discussion with the divine majesty...an ascent or elevation of the mind to God. To the extent that prayer is a colloquy, discussion, or conversation of the soul with God, then by prayer we speak to God and God in turn speaks to us. We aspire to God and breathe in God; God reciprocally inspires us and breathes upon us." (Book VI, Chapter 1)
Of all the methods of prayer, Francis recommended "mental prayer, the prayer of the heart, and particularly that which centers on the life and passion of our Lord. By often turning your eyes on Christ in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with him. You will learn Christ's ways and form your actions after the pattern of his." (Introduction, Part II, Chapter 1)
This Prayer of the Heart series offers a Salesian method for meditating upon a specific scene from the life and passion of Jesus found in the Gospels. This series provides a resource for private prayer or for prayer sharing in small faith/church groups. A link to each of the Prayer of the Heart booklets (in MS Word & PDF format) is provided below. Watch for the "*NEW*" tag to indicate when additional meditations have become available.
