authenticity in their lives and work
hard to reach the whole truth about
themselves, about God, and about
sanctity. This intense pursuit of truth
colors their whole spiritual life.
Books of prayer frequently call the
Thomistic method of prayer “
discursive meditation.” In this type of
prayer one takes a virtue, fault, or
theological truth and studies it from
every possible angle. Change of
behavior is an essential part of this
prayer—it doesn’t stay at the intellectual level.
Path of devotion
(Augustinian prayer)
This pathway to spiritual growth
uses creative imagination to trans-
pose the world of scripture to
today’s situation—as if the scripture
passage is a personal letter from
God addressed to each one of us
(like Saint Augustine picking up
Romans 13 and reading a message
pointed directly at him). The es-
sential element of this spirituality,
going back to New Testament times
(Jesus, Saint Paul, and the early
church leaders), is experiencing
a personal relationship with God.
Because they read between the lines
and catch what is inexpressible and
spiritual, those who follow the path
of devotion understand symbols and
their use in liturgy.
This path concentrates on meditations that loosen the feelings and
expand the ability to relate to and
love others. The stress is on the love
of self, others, and God. Those on
this path can follow the four steps of
lectio divina: listen to what God says
in scripture; reflect prayerfully and
apply it to today; respond to God’s
Learn more about #102 at VocationNetwork.org
Vocations Office
vocations@franciscanbrothers.org
135 Remsen Street > Brooklyn, N Y 11201
718-858-6217 Ext. 18 > 631-973-6005
Learn more about #478 at VocationNetwork.org
