Prayer: September 30
The highest and most perfect prayer is contemplation. But this is entirely the work of God, since contemplation is supernatural and superior to our nature. Hence in this type of prayer the soul can do nothing. It can only prepare itself for it. Now, the best preparation is to be humble, to try sincerely to acquire virtue, especially fraternal charity and love of God, have a firm resolve to do God's will in all things, walk along the way of the cross and extinguish self-love.
When St. Augustine the Abbot was asked how he could spend entire nights in prayer, he answered: "I never knew what true contemplation was while I was concerned about myself. But when I succeeded in ridding my mind of all restless thoughts and detaching my heart from all earthly affection, I began to taste that admirable fruit of the divine will which purified souls customarily enjoy in contemplation."
A very enlightened soul wrote thus: "Through experience I have found that to learn mystical theology one must study the crucifix more than books. I mean that one must strive to practice virtue by imitating Jesus Christ and attending to purity of life, prayer, and constancy in doing and suffering whatever God wants of us."
