The Stages of Prayer

Prayer is friendship with God: it is talking, listening and just being with God. This corresponds to the three major expressions of prayer: Vocal prayer, mediation, and contemplation.

The goal of this friendship with God we call prayer is Heaven. Heaven is a transforming union with God. The journey to heaven does not begin at death. The journey or pilgrimage to heaven is supposed to begin now. In fact, you are traveling either closer to heaven or closer to hell at each moment. Time is dynamic. There is no standing still and there are only two ultimate destinations: heaven and union with God or hell and eternal isolation and loneliness.

We are indebted to the great Doctor on Prayer, Teresa of Avila, for explaining the different stages in the journey of the soul to Heaven or union with God. The landscape of prayer has been divided into (9) stages: Vocal prayer, Meditation, Affective prayer, Prayers of Simplicity, Infused Contemplation, Prayers of Quiet, Prayers of Union, Prayers of Conforming Union, and the Prayers of Transforming Union.

It is a doctrine of the Catholic Church that every person was created by God to reach at least the 5th stage of prayer, infused contemplation, because every person was created for holiness and holiness is the fruit of contemplation. Every one of you praying now has the God given capacity to reach at least the 5th stage in this life – that is if you desire it and persevere in prayer.

St. Faustina describes her experience of contemplation this way: "O Holy Trinity, Eternal God, I thank you for allowing me to know the greatness and the various degrees of glory to which souls attain. Oh, what a great difference of depth in the knowledge of God there is between one degree and another! Oh, if people could only know this! O my God, if I were able to attain one more degree, I would gladly suffer all the torments of the martyrs put together."

With Stages 3-4  we begin to desire to spend time with Jesus and Mary without talking, without trying to figure things (discursive meditation), but simply to remain alone with them in quiet.

John of the Cross describes this as: “An inclination to remain alone and in quietude…If those in whom this occurs, know how to remain quiet (not talking or trying to figure things out) they will soon in that unconcern and idleness delicately experience the interior nourishment.”

This prepares us for stage 5 (contemplation): “Contemplation is nothing but a hidden, peaceful and loving inflow of God. If it is given room, it will inflame the spirit with love.” John of the Cross

The transition from stage 4 to 5 involves: The Dark Night of the Senses

Which accomplishes 2 things in us. First, it purges the soul of all disordered attachments, misdirected desires, and idols and addictions that block God from entering more fully (Pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust). Then, it prepares the soul to share more fully in His divine life. We could not handle His divine life if He didn’t prepare us. It would be like pouring new wine into old wine skins.

Contemplation is an experience of God, drinking of the Living Water which quenches the thirst of the soul which satisfies as nothing else in the world. How do we prepare to Drink of the Living Water?

Jesus said to St. Angela of Foligno, “Make yourself a capacity and I will make myself a torrent.”

1. Desire, want transforming union with God

2. Receive the Eucharist and Reconciliation Frequently

3. Persevere in a Daily Examination of Conscience with Daily Meditation and a Resolution

4. Pray the Daily Rosary

5. Live a well ordered and balanced life (a Rule of Life)

6. Have a Spiritual Director or at least good Spiritual Friendship to give you encouragement and accountability.