Midweek Meditation - Recollection

One of the things that happens during meditative praying is recollection. We remember the past. We contemplate the words of Scripture of how the prophets and saints of old have encountered God. We recall the spiritual experiences of engaging God. Romano Guardini gives us this counsel with regards to recollection as the first step in prayer.

"Prayer must begin with this collectedness. As said before, it is not easy. How little of it we normally possess becomes painfully clear as soon as we make the first attempt. When we try to compose ourselves, unrest redoubles in intensity, not unlike the manner in which at night, when we try to sleep, cares of desires assail us with a force they do not possess during the day. When we want to be truly 'present' we feel how powerful are the voices trying to call us away. As soon as we try to be unified and obtain mastery over ourselves, we experience the full impact and meaning of distraction . . . Everything depends on this state of collectedness. No effort to obtain it is ever wasted. And even if the whole duration of our prayer should be applied to this end only, the time thus used would have been well employed. For collectedness itself is prayer.. . . Finally, if at first we achieve no more than the understanding of how much we lack in inner unity, something will have been gained, for in some way we would have made contact with that centre which knows no distraction." (Romano Guardini, quoted in Richard Foster's Sanctuary of the Soul, p61-2)

Pray with recollection.

conrade