The great saints have left us a legacy of prayer. Methods of prayer allow all of us to form schedules, become focused, and learn how to pray without ceasing.
I sincerely hope the three ways I placed under a spotlight in this series will help men and women of the lay life to find ways to incorporate the wisdom of the ages concerning prayer into their lives.
Like any good habit or skill, prayer takes practice and daily diligence. One does not become a marathon runner overnight, but through patience and perseverance. So, too, with prayer.
We all have temperaments given to us by God. Some of us are introverts and some extroverts. Some are intellectuals and some are the good, salt-of-the-earth types. Some are melancholic, some sanguine, and so on.
I believe that our temperaments lead us to one type of prayer or the other, as well as our states in life. Read the posts and hopefully one of these three ways will appeal to your own situation and temperament.
With the priest shortage comes the lack of spiritual directors. We must accept this cross. But, the great Teresas, the great Ignatius, and the great Benedict can be our personal directors through their approaches to prayer.
So, do not be timid in trying one method out.
The rewards of following the wisdom of the greats cannot be underestimated.
