Seminar on Salesian way of meditation - Rome 2018!
RMG, 12 June 2018 -- Fr. Ivo Coelho, the General Councilor for Formation convoked last May 2018 an international group of nine Salesians from four continents to deepen the topic of Salesian Way of Meditation. After the fruitful sharing in San Callisto community (Rome), Fr. Ivo shares in his letter some highlights:
How to meditate?
- Some method of meditation is needed, at least in the beginning
- There is no one method of Salesian meditation, though meditation is certainly something distinct from spiritual reading (as we see clearly in Don Bosco’s life and writings). But some of what we say below will set the parameters and indicate some preferences.
- Method consists first of the right dispositions of the heart: faith, fidelity, trust and perseverance
- Perseverance is of the utmost importance, and is a word that occurs often on the lips of Jesus and in the New Testament. We learn to pray by praying, and it is important to ‘be there,’ day by day, for meditation.
- Moments of intense prayer (such as the Spiritual Retreat) and personal spiritual accompaniment can create a good foundation for meditation
- Preparation, both remote and proximate, is of the utmost importance: the habit of reading the Word of God, the Constitutions and good spiritual reading, and the reading of the Word and perhaps a comment the previous day
- The Word of God and the Constitutions are privileged texts for our meditation
- Christ is at the centre of Christian meditation. He is, as Teresa of Avila and Francis de Sales insist, the door through which we enter; it is he who will lead us, if and when he wants, to wordless, affective, contemplative prayer
- The word meditation comes from ‘giving care to,’ ‘giving attention to.’ We begin meditation by placing ourselves in the presence of God, giving attention to him who is always there and who desires to communicate with us
- In the novitiate, it might be good to concentrate on a single method, such as that of the lectio divina.
- Collatio or sharing presupposes that one has already done lectio and meditatio, that one has been touched by the Word; otherwise, what is there to share?
- Keeping a journal is also useful, in order to see the direction in which God is leading me
- A good meditation echoes through the day, gradually overcoming the ‘parallelism’ in our life and leading us to unification of our practices of piety, the sacraments, life and work
- The fruits of meditation are seen in the transformation that takes place in life
- Salesian spiritual guides need to ask about prayer and meditation, and should learn how to accompany confreres in this area
Beyond our clear indication in the Constitutions, on the Boscolink we offer some basic materials shared during this Meditation Encounter in Rome:
In our Constitutions (art. 93) we read:
“We can form praying communities only if individually we become men of prayer. Each one needs to express his own personal and heartfelt way of being a son of God, expressing his gratitude, telling him about his yearnings and his concerns in the apostolate.
For us mental prayer is essential. It strengthens our intimate union with God, saves us from routine, keeps our heart free and fosters our dedication to others. For Don Bosco it is a guarantee of joyous perseverance in our vocation”
Our General Regulations (art. 71) are telling us clearly the way:
“Every day the members will spend in common at least half an hour for meditation and some time in spiritual reading. It is for the local community to devise different ways in which this can be done and encourage the confreres in the fulfilment of this duty”
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