Prayer
What matters most to us is prayer. Weaving the habit of continual prayer into our lives is the first impulse that moves us to take part in the Fraternity. We want to live in prayer, because it allows us to perceive the presence of God in everyday life, in any place and circumstance.
Prayer may begin lukewarm, almost imperceptibly, but its fervor grows as it becomes frequent. It can be said with the lips or in the mind, while still or in motion, alone or in company, because what matters is to give it our attention: a warm intention of the spirit that longs for God. When prayer becomes truly habitual, the mind stops resisting it and even goes looking for it when it is absent.
Depending on grace, on each person’s circumstances and on the dedication we bring to our personal practice, at some point it begins to descend into the heart. This descent is felt as embodied prayer; it becomes implicit in every moment and changes the way we are and the way we stand in the world, which transforms our conduct entirely. A new calm settles in the soul and we are less exposed to the ups and downs of mind and body; we may feel what happens even more than before, but it does not pull us out of the center, out of that inner hermitage or temple where we have found peace of heart. We then discover in ourselves a great capacity to act free of worry. We realize, truly and not as a figure of speech, that we are in the hands of God.
The Jesus Prayer, or prayer of the Holy Name, is our principal form of prayer, though it allows for variants, since what suits each person depends on the spiritual season they are passing through and even on their temperament. It is very important that the form of prayer we adopt be dear to us, because that makes it easier to attend to it with both understanding and feeling. Uniting these two is essential, since a split between them tends to draw people away from prayer.
With time, prayer grows simpler: it becomes a gaze, and then presence in the instant. This is lived as a kind of “great silence,” even in the midst of noise; there we become aware of the spiritual senses and of their gradual, respectful opening (or we notice that our ordinary physical senses can work in another way, within another range of perception that we might call spiritual). Little by little we are transformed into living prayer.
Every expression of our human being becomes prayerful. We are often filled with a sense of communion with all of creation, and the way we feel the body and relate to the mind and to the world is experienced anew. Unceasing, or very frequent, prayer becomes familiar to us, and its absence is so noticeable that this very fact brings us back to it without difficulty. This is when one feels that “life has been worth it,” or that “life has a deep meaning,” since God has ceased to be a concept and has become a present companion, someone utterly near and alive.
His existence is no longer a belief; passing beyond the limits of faith, it has become experience. Thanks to persevering prayer and the grace that comes with it, any activity can become a personal liturgy; the day becomes a ceremony of encounter with events in the present moment, which we recognize as messengers of the divine will. Acting in keeping with this understanding fills us with meaning. We gladly join in the work of the Holy Spirit, who is restoring our original condition.
This is how we come to recognize our particular vocation at this moment and place the talents we have received at the service of that call. In our fraternity we recognize ourselves in our diversity. From different latitudes and with different struggles, we feel called to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) until we find the Beloved and can say with the psalmist: “Our strength is in the name of our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Moments of Contemplation
Any concrete application of the practice suggested in the text below requires periodic moments of pausing (of stilling) in the midst of daily activities: brief instants in which, through watchful attention, we return to the heart. This return to the heart should be like coming home after having lost our way. During any activity, when we realize that we have lost awareness of ourselves and the disposition of acting in His presence, let us stop as discreetly as possible. There, any of the resources mentioned below can help us return to the center. Breathing gently and deeply a few times while silently invoking the Holy Name of Jesus will be enough to bring us closer to a contemplative gaze. It is a matter of returning to our original purpose and asking for the grace to do so: an occasion to take our place in the inner hermitage and act from there.
The Body
Moderation as a rule
When the body is placed at the service of the spirit, it becomes a temple that welcomes grace and attunes its functions to the impulses grace gives it. It thus becomes a space and a language that join the earthly to the heavenly. As an instrument, the body becomes simple and lively, without overexcitement. Its gestures let the calm that dwells in it shine through. It becomes an instrument that, with its particular talents, unfolds the original vocation it serves.
Nourishment: Avoiding the superfluous, it follows the rule of what is necessary. (Simple and as natural as possible, tending toward natural flavors free of excessive seasoning. It should be suited to one’s pace of activity. Food should not be used as a painkiller for psychological lacks.) (Remember that everything that enters through the senses is a form of nourishment.)
Rest: Suited to the pace of one’s usual activity. (Avoid the softness that leads to sloth and lethargy.) (The breathing, posture and relaxation we recommend demand less energy from the body, thus reducing its need for rest.)
Relaxation as a habit: (Avoiding muscular contractions unnecessary for the activity at hand.) (Muscular tension generates grasping thoughts and at the same time reflects the possessiveness of the mind. In this sense, releasing non-functional tensions and an attitude of trust in Providence reinforce each other.)
Breathing: (Gentle and deep when the activity allows, it regulates the body’s physiology and favors mental silence.) (It also serves as an indicator, since the breath reveals the state of the mind directly and clearly.)
Posture: (It induces states of mind and directs the flow of energy. We recommend an upright posture, free of tension, that keeps the gaze on the middle plane.)
Alternating stillness and movement: (Frequent alternation between stillness and movement is necessary for health in general. Some form of exercise suited to personal taste and ability complements all of the above very well and fosters awareness of the body as an instrument.)
The Mind
Calming the inner tumult
When placed at the service of the spirit, the mind becomes the messenger, translator and interpreter of a transcendent plane. This role becomes evident when the mind falls silent or perseveres in prayer, or when it attends to perception with concentration. A harmonized mind becomes functional. In this way it organizes life experience into practical actions, effective for the purpose set in each case.
Replacing wandering thoughts with prayer: (What is called for is to take attention away from thoughts and bring it to one’s own personal form of prayer. Fighting thoughts strengthens them. Withdrawing attention from them and letting them pass, as one does with clouds in the sky or cars in the street, takes away their strength and leads to their gradual decrease.)
Fasting from unnecessary mental content: (Every stimulus we perceive sets off long chains of thoughts that affect the overall feeling with which we live and condition our behavior. It is necessary to avoid dispersion and to focus perception on what serves our life’s purpose. We should be careful to select what we take in through the media in general and social networks in particular. Planning set times for being “connected” and “disconnected” is highly advisable.)
A unified purpose and direction: (The mind needs a clearly formulated purpose to guide it. To that end, a weekly phrase or aphorism that reminds us of the spiritual north of our life helps unify its contents. Following the “spiritual direction” of one, or at most two, spiritual authors along the same line is highly advisable. Applying oneself to a path with determination and honesty never disappoints. Reading an author is very different from practicing what he advises. We must avoid “spiritual tourism.”)
The Spirit
Living in the divine presence
The spirit is our immaterial essence, the child of God that we are. It is always united to the Holy Spirit and finds its fullness when it governs body and mind. By directing its activity in the world to the service of the supreme design, it finds its freedom. When it unfolds the activity of its spiritual senses, it becomes an instrument of God’s will. It is Christ in us, making existence sacred.
Non-reaction: The practice which, patiently sustained over time, allows the awakening of the spiritual senses, usually dulled by the dominance of the passions. (Non-reaction is any conduct that consciously opposes automatic behavior, or the behavior that the inertia of habit tends to set in motion. It is not the repression of behavior but disidentification from what is mechanical, “the law of sin which is in my members,” through keen observation. This leads to successive insights into the roots of behavior. It is a method that unites the “witness” with the deep intention through which grace shows itself in us.)
The ceremony of the present moment: Withdrawing attention from thoughts leaves us in the present moment, in what is, where the divine presence can be perceived. (Remembering that each instant is an ambassador of the divine will, we do what duty asks of us with a ceremonial attitude. This implies attention to what we perceive, free of anxiety. Living without haste allows us to practice simplicity. Our behavior becomes ordered, precise and clean; we then feel ourselves within a cosmic liturgy, participants in the sacred office of life.)
Abandonment to Divine Providence: Resting on faith and trust in Him to whom we owe everything, we surrender to His will, free of the usual worries that arise from the urge to control and from the belief that the results of our actions depend on us. This abandonment shows itself as a serene joy that remains in the background of every situation, whatever its nature. This gentle contentment, in its fullest expression, is akin to the dispassion spoken of in the Philokalia.
The Holy Name of Jesus brings us the presence of the One we invoke. This presence becomes a way and makes it possible to live the freedom of the children of God. This freedom consists in loving God above all things and others as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). Restoring this original condition gives peace to the human heart and gives meaning to life on this earth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is required to take part and become a member of the Fraternity?
The desire to belong is what matters most. If this desire arises, it will be because one feels some affinity with the spiritual path we offer. Taking part in some of the times of prayer during the week, and/or in the gatherings we hold periodically, is an effective way to give that aspiration concrete form.
What activities do you hold?
As the epigraph at the head of this page says, we pray, we learn and we meet. Our communal prayer is concentrated in several times of prayer each day, Monday to Friday, at different hours, each lasting about 30 minutes. Learning is offered through courses, retreats and simple practices held at varying intervals. And we try to meet once a month to share with one another in search of fraternal encounter, recognizing ourselves as children of the same Father and therefore members of the one universal human family. A simple theme guides the conversation among us all.
If I belong to another group, movement, association, etc., is that an obstacle?
Not at all. The Jesus Prayer is useful to anyone who feels drawn to practice it. In that sense, the Fraternity is simply a school of prayer. One comes, takes part and so strengthens one’s personal practice, and then goes out and offers that experience in one’s own form of apostolate or service. The path to peace of heart set out in the Philokalia and the similar texts we draw on allows and encourages each person’s vocation to unfold wherever they feel called to express it. Our current members include lay brothers and sisters, people from various lay movements, some consecrated men and women from different orders of the Church, priests, and even a few members of confessions other than ours. The Fraternity was born Christian and Catholic and recognizes itself as such, but it is open to anyone, since the Jesus Prayer is universal and shows no partiality.
How are you organized?
In working teams according to the functions to be carried out, horizontally and seeking consensus. If the Fraternity were to grow in number, some kind of annual gathering could presumably be held at which various matters would also be decided by consensus. Consensus-building goes on until an agreement emerges that represents all the opinions expressed. The Fraternity tries to avoid forms of leadership that could slide into personalism and the dependence that tends to follow from it. We aim for the leading role to fall on the group as a whole, encouraging the widest possible participation in functions and tasks.
How do you handle money? How are you funded?
All the Fraternity’s activities, courses, retreats and various exercises are open and free of charge. We consider this essential. Donation seems to us the right method, because it allows anyone who wishes and is able to contribute, without receiving any service, benefit or right different from someone who does not contribute.
What reading do you recommend to begin with?
There are short texts that can introduce you to our spirituality, such as The Jesus Prayer: An Introduction to the Practice, The Practice of the Presence of God, The Way of a Pilgrim, Abandonment to Divine Providence, The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counselling, which are true pillars pointing out a very clear path. Also the books based on the texts of Brother Esteban de Emaús. They speak in different registers and meet the reader at different stages of the spiritual path, but all of them are a good guide toward perceiving the presence of God in daily life.
If I want to join, what path should I follow?
You can begin by attending a time of prayer; just before or after it, you can get in touch with the participants. Another option is to contact the welcome team, who can guide you along your path of participation: write to Candelas at +34 620 60 88 59 or at elsantonombreblog@gmail.com
