One of the Easy Ways to Become a Saint - Meditation

Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace - Honolulu

I am finishing up a terrific little book by Father Paul Paul O'Sullivan, O.P.  I think everyone in the world would benefit from reading his entire series of books, especially this one An Easy Way to Become a Saint and The Wonders of the Holy Name.

The following is one way Father instructs us on becoming a saint, by meditation:

Why Must We Make Meditation

1. Every Catholic should make daily meditation.
"The person who does not meditate needs no devil to throw him into Hell; he is going there himself." - St. Teresa of Avila

2. Meditation is not hard to make if only we learn how to do it.

3. If we do not meditate, we will never see our faults and therefore we cannot correct them.

4. If we do not meditate we cannot form no idea of the malice of sin. The consequence is that we cannot try to avoid something we don't feel sorry about.

5. "If we do not meditate, we will not see the awful danger we are in of falling into Hell. For this reason, thousands of men and women - men and women like ourselves - are falling into Hell every day."

6. If we do not meditate we cannot prepare ourselves for death. We are afraid to think of death. "That is the reason why so many have bad deaths. Those who know how to meditate on death are no longer afraid of it and moreover, they are sure to have happy deaths. 'Think of your last end and you will never sin'" - God's own words.

7. "God is really and truly our Friend in the truest sense of that world. He is our most loving Father, a most tender Father...We must always think of God as a God of tenderest love. Then we must love Him.

The only reason why we do not love God is that we do not meditate; we do not see how good God is; we do not pray to God to help us to love Him."

An Easy Way to Meditate

1. We must choose for the purpose of meditation a book that we like and that appeals to us personally.

2. We begin by praying to the Holy Spirit for light and guidance. Father recommends meditation of the Third Glorious Mystery.

3. After saying this Mystery fervently, take up your book and read a little - slowly, carefully, attentively, turning over in our minds the meaning of what we have read, applying the lesson to ourselves. Then we pray, asking God to help us understand what we have just read. Then again, read a little and pray.

4. We then make a practical resolution that we must bear in mind all day long.

5. Lastly, we must pray fervently to God to pardon our past faults and give us strength to avoid them in the future.


The Results of Meditation

"Meditation is like a kind and good friend who teaches us, advises, us, encourages us.

This friend is in reality the Holy Ghost, who enlightens our undersanding and strengthens our wills and gives us His graces and gifts, as He gave them to the Apostles.

We see our defects and humbly ask God to pardon us..."