Exploring the Depths of Prayer

From Merton to St John of the Cross

Prayer, at its core, is a profound personal encounter with God. However, we don't always transition effortlessly from our daily routines into this experience. We need rhythm, discipline, and practice. As the spiritual master Thomas Merton observed, familiar prayers like the Our Father and the Hail Mary can be invaluable tools, helping us to compose our minds. The repetitive nature of prayers like the Rosary, much like the Buddhist concept of calming the "monkey mind," allows us to still the constant chatter of our thoughts and prepare ourselves for communion with God.

Prayer takes countless forms: singing, dancing, processing, reading sacred texts, silence, and emptying the mind. But what unites these diverse expressions? St John of Damascus offered a concise definition: "Prayer is the raising of the mind and the heart to God."

The Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, built by St Louis as a reliquary for the Crown of Thorns, evokes this sense of prayer powerfully. Lord Kenneth Clark described the light filtering through its stained glass as creating a vibration in the air. Here, one senses the electricity of two spirits meeting: the human longing for God and the divine longing for us.  This convergence of passions is prayer. It arises from the awareness, felt as much as thought, that the transcendent realm touches our world, and from the passionate desire to reach it, communicate with it, and touch it. This article will explore the nature of prayer, drawing on the wisdom of key figures in the Catholic spiritual tradition.

Thomas Merton

While prayer, mysticism, and the spiritual life may conjure images of medieval monks or desert hermits, their teachings remain relevant. Let us begin with someone closer to our time: Thomas Merton, who walked the streets of mid-20th century Manhattan. Merton played a vital role in the 20th-century recovery of the Catholic mystical and contemplative tradition, teaching a secularised society how to pray.

Born in France in 1915, Merton's early life was marked by travel and loss. After his mother’s death, he journeyed with his father, eventually finding himself alone in the world after his father’s passing. At Cambridge, he led a dissolute life before moving to America and attending Columbia University.  He flourished there, engaging in student life and developing friendships with creative individuals.  Yet, he was still a secular modern, pursuing experience and pleasure.

A pivotal moment occurred in 1938 when Merton encountered Étienne Gilson's The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy in a bookstore window. Initially disgusted by the "Imprimatur," he nevertheless read the book and it revolutionised his life. Gilson's clear presentation of the Catholic understanding of God resonated deeply. Merton had previously perceived God as a mythological figure, but now he encountered a compelling and intellectually satisfying concept of God, particularly the idea of God's esse, God's capacity to exist through himself – ipsum esse subsistens, the sheer act of being itself. This understanding of God began to draw Merton in.

He explored various religious paths, attending Protestant services before experiencing an intense desire to attend Mass at Corpus Christi Church. Despite limited understanding, he felt transformed. Even the mundane buildings of Columbia appeared transfigured. Later, a conversation with his friend Robert Lax about wanting to be a saint prompted a radical shift in his spiritual thinking.

After exploring various religious orders, Merton eventually found himself at the Trappist monastery of Our Lady of Gethsemane in Kentucky. Here, he discovered "the still point around which the whole country revolves without knowing it"—the power of adoratio, adoration, centring one's life on the praise of God. He entered the monastery shortly after, embarking on a 27-year journey as a monk, poet, and spiritual writer, utterly absorbed in prayer.

Merton's experience, a vivid mystical encounter, illustrates how God calls individuals in diverse ways. While some may have extraordinary visions, others, like Merton, experience a more internal transformation. Merton, a "natural mystic," responded instinctively to the divine. Ultimately, there are many paths to God.

St John of the Cross

Merton’s spiritual mentor was the 16th-century Spanish Carmelite friar, St John of the Cross. John, a reformer, faced opposition and imprisonment. During his confinement, he composed poetry that became central to the Catholic spiritual tradition, describing the intimate union with God.

In his treatise The Living Flame of Love, John uses the image of deep caverns within the human soul—intellect, will, and feeling—ordered towards God. He argues that our restlessness stems from trying to fill these infinite spaces with finite worldly goods. To fulfil these longings, a purging process is necessary, a "purgative way" of ridding ourselves of idols. John describes this as a two-step process: the Dark Night of the Senses and the Dark Night of the Soul. These are not about rejecting the goodness of the world or experiencing depression, but rather antidotes to idolatry.

The Dark Night of the Senses involves letting go of sensual attachments, while the Dark Night of the Soul involves detaching from even mental concepts and images of God. This purification prepares the soul for union with God. In his poem *The Dark Night*, John evokes this journey, describing the "stilled house" of the soul ready to journey forth, illumined by purified desire.  He then portrays the mystical union with Christ in passionate, evocative language, describing the soul and Christ in adoration, "ad os ad os," literally mouth to mouth.

Just as an athlete endures rigorous training to experience moments of ecstatic performance, so too must we undergo spiritual purification to reach the heights of love for God. John, often perceived as a dour figure, reveals through his poetry a profound love, life, ecstasy, and enthusiasm. It is the "both/and"—the dark night leading to the ecstatic embrace of God.

Reflection Questions

1. Merton's journey to faith began with an intellectual encounter that sparked a deep desire for communion with God. Reflecting on your own journey, what intellectual or spiritual experiences have been pivotal in shaping your understanding of God? How have these experiences influenced your desire for prayer and connection with the divine?

2. Merton found God in unexpected places, from a bookstore to a simple diner.  Where in your own life have you experienced God's presence most strongly? How do these experiences shape your understanding of prayer as more than just formal recitations, but a constant awareness of God's presence in the everyday?

3. St. John of the Cross speaks of the "dark night" as a process of purification, letting go of attachments to worldly things and even our own preconceived notions of God. What "dark nights" or challenging periods have you experienced in your spiritual life? How have these experiences shaped your understanding of prayer as a journey that may involve both joy and struggle?

4. St. John of the Cross describes the soul's longing for God as a deep, infinite yearning.  How would you describe your own longing for God? How does this longing motivate your prayer life and shape your desire for deeper communion with God?