LPC Meditations

Sharing the fruits of contemplation and study for the glory of God

Tag: Meditation

  • Meditating on Death to Avoid Temptation and Vain Thoughts

    From St. Alphonsus’ Preparation for Death, available on Saints’ Books

    Consideration 1, Second Point: Further descriptions of one who has departed this life

    “In that corruption many worms are generated, which feed upon the flesh. The rats come to feast upon the body, some on the outside, others entering into the mouth and bowels. The cheeks, the lips, and the hair fall in pieces ; the ribs are the first to become bare of flesh, then the arms and the legs…

    …in the end, nothing remains of that body but a fetid skeleton, which, in course of time, is divided, the bones being separated,
    and the head falling from the body…

    …Behold, then, what man is a little dust upon a threshing-floor, which is carried away by the wind.”

    Do I really want to spend 10 minutes examining my face for imperfections like scars, pimples, and unwanted facial hair when that same skin will rot away? Do I really want to eat impulsively and commit sins of gluttony and intemperance when that very mouth and throat will be eaten away itself? Do I want to compare my body to others, judging and scorning others or submitting to envy at the beauty of others when we will all be the same in the end–dry bones and eventually dust? Do I want to offend my God in all these ways and more because of passions of the flesh–because I believe fulfilling these impulsive desires will bring some sort of satisfaction to me when in reality, they can become the cause of my damnation?

    How many times do these thoughts distract me from my real duties? How many times am I distracted from prayer then become discouraged or from giving attention to my children then become angry at the chaos that follows from that distraction? I should reject these illusions early, before I have allowed them to steal away my energy and focus on the tasks I am called to do. Perhaps all my other problems will be addressed if I keep myself on track with this meditation–always remembering what I will end up like, as well as those around me. Perhaps these images of decay and bodily corruption will reveal the emptiness of my temptations and will allow me to dismiss them more easily. How can I continue to stress about the furniture layout of my living room or about finding the best apartment if I know I might be carried out of it, never to see it again? Or about my clothes, knowing they will be given away or donated after my death? Truly, the anxieties of this world disappear at the knowledge that they are not permanent, but because of my weakness and shallow-mindedness, I quickly forget this truth and return to the same anxieties.

    My God, help me to never forget the truth of my short life. Keep my death in mind so I can keep my focus on what truly matters–Your perfect will and adorable commands. Help me be, instead, like David and pray:

    “Lord, let me know my end, the number of my days,

    that I may learn how frail I am.” (Psalm 39:5, USCCB)

  • Meditating on Death Leads to Detachment

    From St. Alphonsus’ Preparation for Death.

    Consideration 1: Description of one who has Departed this Life.

    First Point: “Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return” (Genesis 3:19)

    My goal is to be as ready as I can be for judgement at the day of my death, but I cannot do this without first becoming detached from the goods of this world. I must feel indifferent about losing them or at least be willing to give them up, if I am ever required to–including my own family. If I feel entitled to love, peace, comfort, acceptance, pleasure, bodily health, and so on, then I will become irritated if I lose them or if they are threatened. I desire to never be inflamed with anger towards another person or to put myself in a place of temptation because of my own attachments to earthly things–things which can be taken away at any moment.

    19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.j

    20 But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.

    21 For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. (Matthew 6:19-21, USCCB)

    To start becoming detached from these earthly goods, I can keep in mind where my final destination is–my death. I can see how these small, innocent pleasures will be taken away from me once my soul leaves my body. They will provide me no help at the moment of my death. The only thing that will comfort me is the knowledge that Christ died for my sins and that He has merited salvation for me. I want to be mindful of this truth at all times, so I know where my focus should always be.

    What am I to do, then? How will my life change practically from this desire?

    First, I will embrace every little opportunity of pain and discomfort. Coffee spilled on the rug? I accept it. A little bit stuffy in the car and I can’t take off my sweater? I accept it. My toddler screams so loud I have a ringing in my ear? I accept it. How can I ever be purged from my venial sins and vices, as the saints have, if I can hardly stand the smallest discomforts? Therefore, I accept them all and refuse to complain.

    Second, if I find myself complaining (whether in word, thought, or action), I will immediately humble myself to God and apologize for rejecting this small opportunity of detachment. I will instead accept the humiliation of my failure as the “substitute” and will resume my efforts to embrace those small pains. If I struggle to embrace them, I can try to picture them as preparation or training for my death and how much I prefer suffering now, while I have the chance, rather than in purgatory.

    Third, I will respond to thoughts of pleasures for goods or temptations of irritation with a thought of my approaching death. I will ask myself “Will this comfort me at all when I am weak, pale, and on the brink of death?”. I will simply move on and resume my focus on whatever task I was meant to be doing, refusing to give more attention or energy to something that will not profit me and will risk my readiness for death.

    Oh my God, I offer you these humble resolutions. I am weak and incapable of offering any great sacrifice to you. I don’t know how to mortify myself prudently like the saints did, but I can, at least, accept the smallest sacrifices you send my way. Help me to persevere and to prepare myself for the day of my death that you picked out for me. Please have patience with me and allow me to live long enough until I am sufficiently prepared to meet you. I cannot do this alone, so I ask for your help. Thank you for this meditation, for the time you have given me so far, and for the opportunity to amend my life. Amen.

  • Protecting Prayer to Overcome All Sin

    General Goal: Eradicate all form of sin from my life.

    Particular Goal: Protect my meditation and prayer times in a manner that is sustainable and reasonable to my state of life.

    Considerations:

    • The purpose of my life is to love God and to serve Him (Baltimore Catechism I Lesson 1. Q.6). I do this by ordering my life according to His will, obeying all His commands, and rooting out the smallest of sins or vices from my soul.
    • Meditation is essential to identifying and hating sin in my life while prayer is essential in receiving the graces to overcome them. Neglecting this means I will never overcome my venial sins and will likely backslide into a state of spiritual lukewarmness or even worse–mortal sin.
    • In order to ensure I meditate and pray regularly, I must identify and address anything (within my control) that takes away from the time needed to meditate and pray. In other words, I must protect the times to pray at all costs, while still fulfilling my duties towards my husband, children, and others that have a reasonable right to my time.
    • I must expect and accept the fact the trouble, discomforts, and disappointments that dedication to prayer might bring me. I must be okay with leaving early from family gatherings and receive complaints from them, heading to be earlier on movie nights though my husband asks me for another episode, and so on. I must also prevent myself from earnestly desiring or anticipating any of these fun, innocent activities so that I don’t become too attached and feel tempted to forego my resolutions. The more I hold them in my mind, the more “good” I see in them and the harder it will be to set them aside when I need to. I must avoid Eve’s mistake in beholding the forbidden fruit for too long: “The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes” (Genesis 3:6)
    • I must be OK with unexpected interruptions or with pausing my reserved times if it’s for the sake of charity: tending to my children when they have a fever or a stomach bug, an extra special occasion like a wedding that requires me to stay up later than usual, an unexpected guest during rosary time, etc. I should not allow temptations of scrupulosity or over-zealousness cause anxiety or frustration within myself, since these works are in themselves good, pleasing, and obedient to God

    Resolutions:

    • Identify the prayer times I am most likely to miss/have missed most often and plan the activities around that time extra carefully. I should make sure the children are busy with a quiet activity and that other tasks are scheduled in such a way that leaves me free to focus fully on prayer. Notify my husband of this so he knows it’s coming and that it doesn’t interfere with his plans
    • Set aside weekend bedtimes that let me stay up a little later than usual to spend quality time with my husband but still permit enough time in the morning for meditation and prayer. Notify him before date nights or movie nights begin and set a timer 30 minutes or 15 minutes before in order to mentally prepare and not delay when it’s time to wrap up the evening.
    • When going to family parties or other gatherings, keep the bedtime in mind and plan to leave with enough time to prep for bed (the children too), to fall asleep, and then still have enough time to wake up for prayer. Again, visualize the negative reactions this might cause so as to expect them and be OK with the disapproval/disappointment others will feel. If my husband objects and decides to stay, then it is no longer my responsibility and I am not the cause of any missed prayer times. I would, after all, be fulfilling another God-given duty: to submit to my husband as the head of the family (Ephesians 5:22)

    My God, please help me to detach from the simple pleasures of this life, especially from those I get from my spouse and our other friends and family. As much as I love them and enjoy their company, I do not wish them to become an obstacle to my devotion towards You. Help me keep the words of my Lord in mind so as to give me strength during those moments of temptation:

    “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

    Mother of Good Counsel, pray for me. St. Joseph, pray for me. Glory be to God forever. Amen.

  • Meditating on Death is Essential

    I want to live like a saint. I want to live for Christ alone and not seek the pleasures of this life–as innocent as they may be–but rather see them as means to get to Christ. I read how the saints prefer to die a thousand deaths and relive thousands of sufferings or even an eternity of purgatory rather than offend God once or stand in His presence with one sin on their soul–not even one blemish.

    I find myself shuddering at these thoughts. I can barely picture myself enduring ONE death, much less a thousand painful ones. This fear of suffering signals to me that I am nowhere near the level of sanctity I long to have. I am too attached to the comforts and pleasures of this world, so I am pained at the mere THOUGHT of losing them. This means I must do something to change the way I view the joys of this world and put them in their proper place. I will begin to meditate on death more vividly than before, and I will use St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Preparation for Death to do so, at least as a starting point.

    When I begin to desire a cup of warm coffee, I will picture my cold body, pale and spotted blue. What good would that warmth do then?

    When I begin to excite at the thought of a nice restaurant meal, I will picture my lifeless tongue and open mouth in my coffin. What good would the flavors and texture of that dish do then?

    When I begin to worry about my appearance to others or how my personality or thoughts might displease them or repel them from me, I will picture how they, too, will be laid stiff in a coffin. What good would their opinion of me be then?

    I am put off by thinking such things and it feels grim to always be bringing death to mind but it must be done. As St. Alphonsus Liguori says, we are rushing to death–every breath brings us closer to that final day. How can I possibly let myself forget this? I may not be able to have a skull with me to always look at, as the Benedictines do, but I can hold the thought in my mind. I can use my approaching death as a reminder to keep my desires in check, to keep my priorities straight, and to continue working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

    Ultimately, my goal is to become holy. I do not want to be depressed thinking about dead bodies all the time. Our Lord Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus and He Himself destroyed death by His resurrection. I want to desire God above all things, for His own sake, but to do this, I need to first overcome the illusions I have–the false idea I will live forever. I need to shatter the image as the “main character” that will never be killed off and make myself realize that I am like everyone else and will one day be on my own death bed. It is sobering, but it is necessary. My day of judgement is coming, but I will not feel that as real unless I first understand that I will die. So, I pray with David:

    “Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is!” (Psalm 39:4)