A Woman at Prayer is a book from the Cenacle Retreat House in Rosharon, Texas. It was published in 1962 by The Rev. Conleth Overman. The book came into my possession about 1973 and was a real help to me then and through the years since. The sub-title, Suggestions for Holiness, sets it apart from most modern books for women in that it is quite plain spoken. But even though it isn't for the faint of heart and is somewhat dated, I decided that from time to time (Fridays?) I will publish some of Rev. Overman's essays just as he wrote them.PERFECTION FOR LAYFOLK
To be upward-reaching is a sign of life.
When Our Divine Saviour said, "Be ye perfect," He was addressing Himself to all. It was a very high perfection that He urged upon His followers. "Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mat 5:48). Consequently each Christian is bound to two things: First to strive for perfection, and, second, to try to scale the heights without ever being content wit a second-best sort of holiness.
Since the model of our personal perfection is the infinite perfection of God, the question naturally suggests itself, how is God perfect? God is perfect in his boundless life of knowledge and love. God the Father loves Himself and expresses His love in the Word, His divine Son; God loves Himself and breathes forth this love in the Holy Spirit. This is God's limitless perfect life.
Our perfection, then, consists in knowing and loving God with all the power of our being. Knowledge alone won't sanctify us; we must prefer God above all things and cleave to Him. But an ever increasing knowledge of God is essential if we are to grow in love to the perfection expected of us by Christ.
Two things we must avoid if we would be perfect: One, we must cease to know the world; and we must refrain from loving the passing things of time. The life of multitudes today consists in knowing creatures* to the exclusion of a knowledge of God. Many people have their minds so filled with creatures* of all descriptions-cocktails, cigarettes, TV, movies, food, best-sellers, sex, headlines, gossip, clothing, ads, business, etc.--that there is no room in their heads for the truths of God. And the same goes for their wills. They have so attached themselves to things, both animate and inanimate, real and imaginary, that their wills are bound down to earth. "Where your treasure is," said Christ with great psychological insight, "there is your heart also." (Mat 6:21)
So, break your bonds! Practice recollection to clear your mind of the mirage of creatures; practice detachment to open your wills to the attraction of Divine goodness. Are we asking so much? Well, child, you'll have to make these two renunciations ultimately anyhow. The angel of death will forcibly tear you away from your toys and gewgaws; and your false loves will be revealed. It is much wiser to set. yourself to this painful process of recollection and detachment now.
Know God! Put aside the slop that goes into your mind through the multiple channels of modern communication. Take up your New Testament, your Imitation of Christ, one of the good books about the Saints or God's revealed truth. Pull the shades of your bedroom windows, get down on your knees and ponder the great truths of the Faith. Fill your mind with God.
Love God! To love means to prefer, to cleave to. Stop trying to possess all the unnecessary creatures that your eyes see; be content with simple things. Turn to God. Love to be in His presence at Church. Love to remember his spiritual presence within you: "Know you not that you are the temple of God?" (I Cor: 3:16)
* 'Creature' means material things, esp. the all-pervasive materialism of our culture.
P.S. Phil. 3:13-14
Editor's note: What popped out at me the first time I read this, was how to love God. This had puzzled me for some time. But I could easily understand how to prefer Him to all others, and to hang on to Him when the world seemed to be turned upside down.
Two things we must avoid if we would be perfect: One, we must cease to know the world; and we must refrain from loving the passing things of time. The life of multitudes today consists in knowing creatures* to the exclusion of a knowledge of God. Many people have their minds so filled with creatures* of all descriptions-cocktails, cigarettes, TV, movies, food, best-sellers, sex, headlines, gossip, clothing, ads, business, etc.--that there is no room in their heads for the truths of God. And the same goes for their wills. They have so attached themselves to things, both animate and inanimate, real and imaginary, that their wills are bound down to earth. "Where your treasure is," said Christ with great psychological insight, "there is your heart also." (Mat 6:21)
So, break your bonds! Practice recollection to clear your mind of the mirage of creatures; practice detachment to open your wills to the attraction of Divine goodness. Are we asking so much? Well, child, you'll have to make these two renunciations ultimately anyhow. The angel of death will forcibly tear you away from your toys and gewgaws; and your false loves will be revealed. It is much wiser to set. yourself to this painful process of recollection and detachment now.
Know God! Put aside the slop that goes into your mind through the multiple channels of modern communication. Take up your New Testament, your Imitation of Christ, one of the good books about the Saints or God's revealed truth. Pull the shades of your bedroom windows, get down on your knees and ponder the great truths of the Faith. Fill your mind with God.
Love God! To love means to prefer, to cleave to. Stop trying to possess all the unnecessary creatures that your eyes see; be content with simple things. Turn to God. Love to be in His presence at Church. Love to remember his spiritual presence within you: "Know you not that you are the temple of God?" (I Cor: 3:16)
* 'Creature' means material things, esp. the all-pervasive materialism of our culture.
P.S. Phil. 3:13-14
Editor's note: What popped out at me the first time I read this, was how to love God. This had puzzled me for some time. But I could easily understand how to prefer Him to all others, and to hang on to Him when the world seemed to be turned upside down.
4 comments:
Hmmm. Put aside the slop. This will take some sorting!
Hmmm....you are right. I know what he means, but then I'm pretty dated too!
oh, I totally get what he means. Just saying there is a lot of slop to sort out.
"Slop" is refuse and garbage that farmers used to feed pigs. Nowadays, pigs are fed very scientifically, so I guess it is an archaic term. It can also be used as a verb - as in "Slop the pigs".
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