One of my favorite penances that I’ve received for confession was to pray to the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit and ask for special graces to overcome some struggles that I was having. Sitting in the quiet Church in front of the tabernacle, I pulled out my phone and came across a prayer from Cardinal Joseph Mercier who died in 1926. The prayer is one part of his “Secret of Sanctity”, which seemed almost too good to be true.
Cardinal Mercier said “I am going to reveal to you a secret of sanctity and happiness. Five minutes every day keep your imagination quiet. Shut your eyes to all the things of sense and close your ears to all the sounds of earth, so as to be able to withdraw into the sanctuary of your baptized soul, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Speak there to that Holy Spirit, saying:
“O, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to be submissive to everything that you permit to happen to me. Show me only what is your will.”
Cardinal Mercier continued: “If you do this, your life will pass happily and serenely. Consolation will abound even in the midst of troubles. Grace will be given in proportion to the trial as well as strength to bear it, bringing you to the gates of Paradise full of merit. The submission to the Holy Spirit is the Secret of Sanctity.”
That’s it. Just five minutes. While this practice can seem too good to be true, as with all things that are given to us by God, it truly is as good as it sounds. It really is possible to achieve sanctity five minutes at a time. That is all it takes if it is done well. It may take some time, however, to get used to shutting off your senses and thoughts in order to withdraw into the sanctuary of one’s baptized soul.
For me, it was difficult at first, and can sometimes still be difficult, to turn off my imagination and clear my thoughts. It took time for my energizer-bunny brain, which is apparently always thinking of something, to turn off and focus on nothing. When I began to focus on nothing at all and was open to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, that is when I was able to go within my baptized soul and hear God as I have rarely heard Him before.
Here are some tips that I have used to successfully shut off your brain.
1. Do this practice immediately after waking but not in bed. I tried to do this right when my alarm went off and I fell right back to sleep. I had to get out of bed. I prefer to do this practice in the living room where the temptation to crawl back into bed after isn’t present.
2. Practice makes perfect. Don’t give up. I set a timer on my phone for five minutes so that I wouldn’t be tempted to keep checking the time and would just stop when the timer went off. Whenever I had a lot of trouble focusing, I would reset the timer and try again. There were many days that I didn’t do well at shutting off my brain, but I still said the prayer and asked the Holy Ghost to help me do better next time. After some time, I stopped setting the timer, as I literally didn’t want to interrupt God.
3. I’ll say it again, don’t give up. I do this practice each day, regardless of the circumstances. Even if I didn’t sleep well or at all the night before, one of my children woke up and needed to be brought back to bed, my to-do list is ridiculously long, I’m sick, the cat won’t stop meowing, I make sure to devote the five minutes to at least trying to close off the world for God.
4. Sound machines are a big help for busy thoughts or even a fan has helped me calm my brain.
5.Since there are seven fruits of the Holy Spirit, one can pray for a particular fruit each day.
6. I have started to read the Gospel of the day before starting my meditation to stack on another good and holy habit. You could also read the Gospel of the day after your meditation.
As wives and mothers, we are pulled in so many different and demanding directions that it can be difficult to find the time to devote ourselves to prayer. That is why I am personally so thankful that God allowed this practice into my life. I always want to give more of myself to God so that I can better fulfill His will.
This practice has been a tremendous blessing; it has also paved the way for me to spend longer periods of time in contemplative prayer. I pray it helps all who read this as well.
Christina Frye is a lifelong Rhode Islander, wife, mother and founder of Catholic Mom Rhode Island, www.CatholicMomRI.com.
