Book Review of
Method of Meditation -Fr. Jan Philipp Roothaan
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“Would not a poor man learn with diligence a trade from which he hoped to amass great wealth? With what eagerness, then, we ought to beg for the gift of meditation!”
Fr. Jan Philipp Roothaan, SJ’s (1785-1853) Ignatian method of meditation affords us a chance to answer the daily call to be cooperative with God’s grace, and presents us with the accurate approach to the application of the three powers of our soul: memory, intellect, and will. It is common that one meditates every day yet does not know the art of meditation because of the absence of a proper reflection and resolutions.
The Method of Meditation consist of first removing the obstacles which hinder us of the proper disposition to meditation so that we can readily practice the Science of the Saints in directing our entire activity to God’s glory, which in turn will be a benediction to our spiritual advancement. The journey continues with methods of imagining the different subject matters of meditation – a scene from the life of our Lord, an historical fact, intangible subjects, or words of Christ. This opens the road to a fervent colloquy directed to God, to Jesus Christ, to the Blessed Virgin, or to some other Saint, as the subject of the meditation suggests. A request for grace is immediately followed and the meditation ends by an examination or recapitulation.
“If we do what is prescribed here every day, with the assistance of God's grace, we shall easily acquire the art. It is a priceless treasure for men. Those who use it become sharers of the friendship of God, being commended for the gift of discipline.” - Fr. Jan Philipp Roothaan, SJ
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