As you have already heard, the Lord Jesus, having constrained His disciples to enter into the ship, Himself went up into a mountain.1 Let us finish the account, then, of what our Lord did after the miracle of the loaves, because the history is continuous, and the events which are contained in this meditation occurred at the same time. I have, however, divided them, that they may be the better understood, and that their moral teaching may be the more clearly explained. After, then, the disciples had entered into the ship, Christ Himself went up into the mountain, and there He continued in prayer till the fourth watch of the night ; that is, until three-quarters of the night had passed, and the fourth only remained. Whence you see how long our Lord continued in prayer through the night, and it is often recorded that He thus gave Himself to prayer. Behold Him, then, how He prays and humbles Himself before the Father. He searches out solitary places, and goes alone to them ; He afflicts Himself, and keeps long watches. The faithful Shepherd intercedes for His sheep ; for He prays not for Himself, but for us, as our Advocate and Mediator with the Father. He prays, also, to give us an example of prayer. He frequently admonished His disciples about this, and in deeds confirmed His teaching. For He said to them, “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”2 And how importunity in prayer obtains what is asked, He illustrates by the example of the judge and widow, as you find in S. Luke. He exhorted them, when they prayed, to have confidence that they would obtain what they asked, saying, “Ask, and it shall be given to you,” proposing to them another example in the friend who sent the loaves to his friend, on account of the importunity with which he begged, for them, as you will also find in S. Luke.3 And this He said, to commend to us the virtue of prayer. It is, indeed, an inestimable virtue, and has power to obtain all that is good for us, and to remove all that is hurtful If you would patiently bear adversity, be a man of prayer. If you would overcome temptations and trials, be a man of prayer. If you would tread underfoot corrupt affections, be a man of prayer. If you would detect the snares of Satan and avoid them, be a man of prayer. If you would live cheerfully in the work of God, and tread onward in the path of labour and affliction, be a man of prayer. If you would give yourself to a spiritual life, and not be occupied with the desires of the flesh, be a man of prayer. If you would put to flight the swarms of vain thoughts, be a man of prayer. If you would enrich your soul with holy and good thoughts, with desires, fervent aspirations, and devotions, be a man of prayer. If you would stablish your heart with a courageous spirit and with a firm resolve to please God, be a man of prayer. In short, would you root out vices, and be filled with virtues, be a man of prayer. For therein is received the unction of the Holy Spirit, which teaches the soul all things. Would you mount even to contemplation, and enjoy the embraces of the Spouse, be a man of prayer. For to that degree of contemplation and taste of heavenly things prayer alone can conduct us. You see, then, how great is the power and virtue of prayer. In confirmation of what I have said, without adducing the many testimonies of Scripture, it will serve for a convincing proof, the fact that we daily hear and see persons illiterate and simple who have obtained those blessings of which we have spoken, and many more, by the virtue of prayer. Those all ought to lead lives of prayer who desire to imitate Christ, and particularly religious persons, who should have more leisure for this purpose. Wherefore I exhort you, and, had I the power, would mostly enjoin upon you, that you should make prayer the principal business of your life, of course after the proper duties of your state have been discharged. Let prayer be your chief delight ; for nothing else ought to delight you so much as to dwell with your Lord, which you do through prayer. But that you may enjoy the benefit of a better counsellor, hear the honeyed words which flow from S. Bernard on that subject. For he says, “Those who are in the habit of frequent prayer, know experimentally what I say. Oftentimes we approach the altar with lukewarm and dry hearts ; we apply ourselves to prayer, and persevering therein, presently grace is infused, our affections are nourished with richness, a very inundation of devotion pervades our whole being, as if the breasts were distended with such a sweetness, that it could not but overflow to- all around .”4 Again, at the beginning of Lent, S. Bernard says, “As often as I treat of prayer, certain words of human thoughts I seem to hear in my heart For how is it that, though we never cease from prayer, we seem hardly ever, any of us, to experience the fruits of prayer ? As we go to prayer, so we seem to return from it ; and no one answers us a word, no one grants us anything. But follow the judgment of faith, and not of feeling. Faith is true : but feeling, fallacious. What, then, is the truth of faith, but what the Son of God promised, saying, ‘ What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them ’?5 Let none of you, brethren, think lightly of prayer ; for I say unto you, that He to whom we pray does not so regard it. Before it has gone forth from our mouth, He orders it to be inscribed above. And one of two things we can unhesitatingly hope for, that either He will grant what we ask, or what He knows will be more useful to us. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought ; but He has pity on our ignorance, and graciously receiving our prayer, does not grant that which would by no means be profitable for us, or at least would not be so at present. However, our prayer can never be fruitless, if we only do what the Psalmist bids us : ‘ Delight thou in the Lord, and He shall give thee thy heart’s desire.’”6 And a little afterwards, “But consider, that He calls that ‘ the desires of the heart’ which the judgment of reason approves. Nor have you cause to complain, but rather every reason to give thanks with your whole heart, that so great is the care of your God for you, that so often as you ask what is unprofitable to you, He does not grant it, but puts in its stead some better gift. As an earthly father readily gives a child bread when he asks for it ; but if he asks for a knife which the father thinks he had better not have, he does not give it him, but breaks the bread himself. Admit, then, that the desires of the heart may be summed up in these three kinds, nor can I see what else there is which the child of God ought to seek. Two, indeed, concern this present life, namely, the goods of the body, and the goods of the soul ; the third, is the blessedness of eternal life. Do not marvel that I affirm that the goods of the body are to be sought from God ; since bodily goods are as much His as goods of the soul. And, therefore, we should seek and expect to obtain from Him whatever is needful to sustain us in His service. Nevertheless, the necessities of the soul must be more frequently and more fervently prayed for ; that is, for obtaining the grace of God and the virtues of the soul. Thus, too, we must pray most earnestly and with all our hearts for eternal life, when our blessedness will be full and perfect, both of body and soul.” And again, “Let the prayer which is offered for temporal things be confined to what is necessary only. Let the prayer which is for the virtues of the soul be free from all impurity of aim, and intent upon the will of God alone. Let that which is for eternal life be offered with all humility, leaning only on the mercy of God.” 1 Again, “He who would pray aright, must observe not only the place but the time. Holy seasons are certainly the most fitting ; and especially when the profound stillness of night reigns around, then plainly prayer can be breathed forth most free and pure. ‘ Arise/ says Jeremiah, ‘cry out in the night; in the beginning of the watches ; pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord.’ a How securely in the night prayer ascends, God alone beholding, and the Holy Angel who waits to present it at the heavenly altar ! How grateful it is and bright — tinted, as it were, with the hue of bashful modesty ! How quiet and calm is it, disturbed by no noise or sound ! In short, how pure and untainted, sullied by no dust of worldly anxiety, tried by no glance of praise or breath of flattery ! Therefore was it that the spouse withdrew to her secret chamber, and at night, bashfully and prudently, to pray; that is, to seek the Word, for it is one and the same thing. Otherwise, you would not pray aright, if in prayer you sought anything besides the Word, or if you sought it not on His account ; for all things are in Him. In Him are the remedies of our wounds ; in Him, supplies for our necessities ; in Him, the repairs of our defects ; in Him, abundance for our progress ; in Him, in a word, all find whatever is needful for them to have, whatever is becoming or fit It is needless, then, to seek for anything apart from the Word, since He is all. For even these temporal things which at times we seem so familiarly to ask when there is necessity, if we ask them, as indeed is right, for the sake of the Word, we seek not so much them as the Word, on account of Whom we ask them.”7 Thus far S. Bernard. Now you have heard the most beautiful words of S. Bernard, in his highest flights of contemplation, tasting, according to his gift, the sweetness of prayer. Reflect on what he says, that you, too, may taste something of that sweetness; for it is for this purpose I gladly in this little Work insert his words from time to time, because they are not only spiritual and affective, but also full of beauty, and excite us powerfully to the service of God. For he was, indeed, most eloquent, and full of the spirit of wisdom, and eminent in sanctity. May you be drawn to imitate him, and put into practice his advice and sayings, for this is my reason for so often setting him before you.