Contemplative Haven

In conjunction with my recent post (Father Thomas Dubay – Deep Conversion), here is the second interview done by Peter Herbeck on the show, “The Choices We Face”, a production of Renewal Ministries.  In this interview, Father Dubay and Mr. Herbeck discuss “deep prayer”.  Many thanks to Christopher Paul for providing these videos on his Tangle channel.  The interviews, as well as other wonderful resources, can also be found on the website of Renewal Ministries.

Some highlights:

• there are degrees of depth of intimacy with Triune Beauty
• the importance of teaching meditative prayer to youngsters, to help them move beyond solely vocal prayer
• the movement from meditative prayer to the beginnings of infused contemplative prayer (God-given), then to advanced contemplative prayer and ultimately the Transforming Union
• infused contemplation is an experience, a knowing, loving awareness of God with no traits of words, images or concepts.  God makes Himself experienced to those who want Him
• there is a universal call to deep prayer, and God will give the grace to all who desire it to reach the Transforming Union
• we have to do the work to get through any blockages (eg., venial sins) that prevent us from moving forward into the deeper levels of intimacy God desires for us
• the inter-causality between deep conversion and deep prayer

Here is something that I think you will find helpful in terms of our understanding of degrees or stages along the path of holiness.  Father Thomas Dubay is the guest on a half-hour program called, “The Choices We Face” (a production of Renewal Ministries), with an excellent interviewer, Peter Herbeck.  The video is on Tangle (formerly Godtube).  Here is the link:  Father Thomas Dubay on “Deep Conversion”.  As always, Father Dubay is very down-to-earth and straightforward about all of us growing in holiness.

Some highlights:

• conversion in this sense is referring to moral conversion, from bad to good, from good to better, from better to best
• degrees or stages of conversion:  1) coming out of alienation from God  (i.e., coming out of mortal sin into a state of grace); 2) giving up venial sin; 3) heroic virtue (i.e., perfection as far as it is possible on earth – no limit to one’s love)
• everyone is called to heroic virtue
• growing in holiness means becoming perfected in Christ, with a discussion of how this is not a legalistic perfectionism
• our intention should be to “go all the way with God”, i.e., to desire to become a saint
• refers to a locution from God to Angela of Foligno, concerning her desire to be holy:  “Make yourself a capacity, and I will make Myself a torrent”.

Enjoy!