Chapter 62

Two Methods to Draw the Mind to the Heart

Set aside a certain hour for yourself—outside your prayer rule; take a prayer book and read—read and ponder the appointed prayers, and bring the thoughts set forth there to feeling. When you later perform your prayer rule, all those feelings will at once be renewed in your soul, and your prayer will be in proper order…

This is the first method to draw the mind to the heart, namely through sympathy with the prayers read and heard, because the feelings of the heart usually hold sway over the mind. The second method is the following: when you perform your home rule, insert into the intervals between the prayers you read your own prayers, whatever arise from the action of those prayers… This method is stronger than the first and will sooner bring the mind into the heart. But it can act only after the first method or together with it.

But you need to have ready still another auxiliary method, or sub-method. If you perform your prayer rule in the way described, it can happen that a small rule, like, for example, the prayers before sleep… would extend very long… You must determine the length of your prayer-reading by a measure—not by the number of prayers you must read, but by time; that is, set aside how long to spend on such and such a rule… not at all increasing it beyond the time you usually spend on it…

Make it a law for yourself never to read prayers merely to finish what is appointed, but to be in prayer under the action of the reading. Read what is appointed as an aid—to hold yourself in prayerful thoughts and feelings.

Acting thus, you will become accustomed always during prayer-readings to be in feeling toward God, and your mind, being drawn by this feeling, will stand in the remembrance of God. (4, 327–329)