St. Vincent took the prayer life of Jesus as an example for himself. He was convinced that he had to go to Jesus every day and ask of Him: “Lord, teach me to pray”. In the course of his day he felt that it was almost an obligation on him to reserve certain times for prayer and meditation. St. Vincent was a man of constant prayer, he prayed everywhere and anywhere. His spiritual diary is a virtual river of prayers. In his prayers he did not borrow words or feelings, rather they were born of what was happening in his soul and they expressed what he was experiencing and feeling. He attained a remarkable level of contemplative prayer; his life was prayer and his every action was a conscious and deliberate glorification of God.
From the above we understand that spirituality does not consist of performing devotional spiritual exercises but is, rather, a transformation of ones life through reflection, meditation and contemplation of the Word; the love of God which is experienced in prayer is made visible in ones actions and interaction with others.
St. Vincent, in his prayer, is completely absorbed in God. Let us pray with him:
“My God, in every moment you nourish me with your Wisdom and you destroy my ignorance. You nourish me with your inaccessible Light and you destroy all my shadows. You nourish me with your infinite Perfection and you
destroy my life which is a monstrosity of imperfections. You nourish me with your infinite Being and you destroy my brutish life, my loathsome self, a sinful man, and by a miracle of your Mercy, even though I have merited infinite times to lose God forever, God himself with all of his Nature, Person and Attributes made Himself all mine, he becomes my nourishment and he nourishes me always, so as to transform me into Himself and make me one with Him. Therefore, I am all in God and God is all in me: and with His eternal nature he brings me to all times and in his immensity he brings me to all places and I experience myself as eternal and immersed in Him. Oh Wondrous God, oh Infinite Mercy”. (cf. OOCC X, 696-698)
AfT, Nov 2007
