On the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the "School of Virtue"
P. Michael Plattig O.Carm.
300 years ago, in 1693, a book titled "A Clear and Easy Way to Engage in Inner Prayer" was discovered in Bamberg. It contains a summary of the teachings on prayer and spirituality of the "Touraine Reform," which emerged in the 17th century from France (province of Tours), spread throughout the Carmelite Order of ancient observance, and has influenced until our century. The author, P. Hyacinthus a Matre Dei (from Mother of God) (1652–1723), was a lecturer in theology, novice master, prior of various monasteries, and provincial of the Upper German Carmelite province, and wrote this book as a guide for novices, that is, for beginners in prayer. Subsequent editions (there are currently known to be five German and three Latin) bear the title "A New Witty and Instructive School of Virtue, in which the way and behavior of engaging in inner prayer is shown and how to walk beneficially in the presence of God," therefore in the following text, the work will be abbreviated as "SC" (School of Virtue). I consider the insights of this school of prayer, translated into our everyday language, to be completely relevant and timely, and therefore I would like to briefly and selectively describe them.
The basic assumption is faith in the presence of God, for SC quotes St. Paul from Acts 17:28: "… in him we live, move, and are…"
There are three modes of God's presence:
To practice these modes, SC recommends various forms of prayer.
The figurative presence is practiced by the praying person with the help of their imagination, recalling in their mind how Jesus walks with them, stands by them, and accompanies them. This includes reading Scripture, contemplating the life of Jesus, and imagining being a participant in these events. SC refers to Teresa of Avila as a teacher of contemplation. This also includes the guidelines of the Carmelite order, which emphasize the importance of meditating on the law of the Lord (Scripture) day and night, that is, continually (cf. chap. 7), wherein the Carmelite is described as a person in whose mouth and heart the whole wealth of God's word should dwell, from which they can then shape their actions (cf. chap. 14).
In this contemplation, it is not about pure products of the imagination, as the method of prayer through direction shows (directions). It is always about reflecting on one's own actions against the background of the Scriptures and drawing from them insight and direction. P. Carlos Mesters O.Carm., an exegete in Brazil, uses an eloquent image: just as a television must be connected to an antenna to receive a clear image, so too must life be connected to Scripture to gain clarity and outlines. Thus, the movement occurs in this view from life to Scripture and from Scripture back to life. Moreover, the Scriptures cannot be understood as a cookbook according to the instruction "take...," nor can they be used simply as a repository of pious sayings, but the process of this transmission is quite complicated and, depending on circumstances, time-consuming, therefore it requires patience and perseverance. It is about searching for answers and stimuli from Scripture, life, and the message of Jesus for one's life. Naturally, every text, every word, every event will not be equally important; only certain texts, often perhaps just words, will impact and be appropriate, and that is what is important. Because we (hopefully) continue to evolve, the biblical passages that are currently relevant will change throughout our development.
Therefore, SC is about this transmission of Scripture, full of images and active, into our lives. It is a kind of meditation that is spoken of with Mary, where it says: "Mary kept all these things in her heart and pondered them" (Luke 2:19). It is a contemplation of events, realities set against the background of our faith, whose primary source is Scripture. Contemplation that suffices without costly techniques and teachings, whose subject is simply one's own life and experience. Meditation originally does not mean a teaching on prayer in a specific bodily position, but the constant resonation of psalms and words of Scripture, as well as the contemplation of Scripture until it gives its last invigorating juice, and that every day.
In exercising rational presence, it involves using human reason, so it means more of contemplative knowledge, for example, recognizing the Creator in all creation and praising Him with gratitude. It is about contemplating the greater contexts of our lives before the face of God, in prayer to Him. To this end, again, guides (directions), thanksgiving prayers, and also brief prayers are employed.
In direction (= to direct rightly) my actions consciously take place before the face of God, my actions relate to God's redemptive action. In contemplation of this, it then shows to what extent my actions correspond to God's will or not. This is naturally often more difficult and time-consuming than it seems, because just as clear and distinct God’s will often is not every day. Nevertheless, trust remains that with honest effort, thorough reflection, and responsible decision-making before the face of God I act rightly, even if something else may later appear, and that in this search for harmony with God's will, peace and inner balance grow.
Brief prayers, repeatedly formulated by the mind, are to sharpen the consciousness of God's presence daily and continually remind us of His involvement in this ongoing decision-making process. These short prayers are recommended for various daily situations and occurrences, that is, when getting up, on the way to work, during work, but also in certain movements of the mind, such as joy, fear, anxiety, etc. SC recommends personal words for these brief prayers but also encourages the praying person to allow the words of Scripture into their hearts, especially from the psalms, because "the word of God is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword; ... it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
For both of these exercises, the praying person can do much themselves; they can apply and use their imagination and reason. However, with the third exercise, the inclination of the heart as the action of the will, one can only act with readiness. The own event, namely heartfelt love for God, which manifests in joyful and fervent brief prayers, is and will remain a gift from God. For the person, it is about patiently and persistently walking in the presence of God, practicing this, then God will allow them to experience Him, but how, when, and where He wants to.
The exercise requires patience and perseverance, depending on circumstances, even repeatedly the effort of a new beginning. SC gives some advice for this type of prayer. For this way of praying, it is sufficient to keep in mind a few good thoughts, with which one can formulate prayers, briefly and without grand words.
Very often, people confess that they have prayed irreverently. Assuming that it is not just a "superficial sin," or that they are confessing "out of caution," then what is clearly meant is this incomplete tuning to prayer, that the person is not exclusively focused on prayer, but thoughts wander. Regardless of the fact that concentration on prayer remains a constant task and that also prayer times need to be upheld, nevertheless, we must establish within our tradition that during work, nor during the day is it possible, nor necessary to achieve this. A few good thoughts are sufficient, in fact, we should make those thoughts, which apparently distract us from prayer, the content of our prayer, presenting them to God precisely because they occupy us; if we are to speak with God about our lives, these thoughts belong to that, because they are part of us. Just like our good intention to pray, just like mental flights, our inability, our fatigue, our lukewarmness, our dryness, and lack of imagination also belong to our prayer, if it is to be whole, continuous, and thus in the spirit of Holy Scripture.
SC further recommends engaging with one thought, one word repeatedly throughout the day. Some spiritual work, some collection of sayings, as offered by various authors, can certainly help us here, but they can only serve as a memory aid and cannot replace continuous reading of Scripture or more extensive reading of spiritual authors.
Finally, SC warns us not to use any form of violence in this exercise, either against ourselves or against God. Dwelling in the presence of God cannot be forced; it can only be patiently practiced, and when the exercise fails, it is enough for God that we ask for success, that we lay our good will at His feet and thus draw our incapacity to articulate all of it into the presence of God.
In the preface, Hyacinthus a Matre Dei describes prayer and its goal: "It is the general opinion of the holy fathers that inner prayer is the best and most powerful means by which a member of the order frees themselves from many sins, overcomes evil habits, calms passions, conquers temptations, achieves virtues, and reaches the unity of their heart with God in which true perfection lies. Therefore, St. Teresa of Avila says: "Contemplation is the only means to rise from sins and get back on the right path to bliss"; furthermore, she says that contemplation is the beginning of achieving Christian virtues, indeed life of a Christian is in contemplation, without which a Christian, and even more so a member of the order, is dead... Where, however, contemplation is diligently and constantly practiced, Teresa says, the doors of divine grace and gifts are open; and since infinite goodness desires nothing more than to pour out into our hearts and unite with us, it inevitably happens that such people daily grow more and more in virtues, are purified from all earthly impulses, taste heavenly sweetness, and thus transformed into a new person identify with God."
From: Karmel-Kontakt, Rundbrief für den Freundeskreis
der Karmeliten 51/1993, pp. 4–5
translated by Dr. Vojtěch Pola.
