Daily Meditation: Wednesday, April 7, 2004

Meditation - some advice for this exercise

04/07/2004

As soon as they embark on the spiritual life, most people are confronted with the problem of meditation: they do not know how to concentrate. Why? Because they have not learned how to choose subjects for meditation; they throw themselves into it blindly, with no method. You must be very clear about this. The first rule, of course, is to choose a subject of a spiritual nature, and the second is that this subject should be something heartfelt. The love you have for a person or an object is what attaches you to him or it. When you do not love, you are, if I dare say so, like a stamp without glue: you will not stick! Beginners make the mistake of wanting to concentrate at once on the most abstract, philosophical and mystical matters: truth, eternity, infinity, the Absolute, or the Supreme Being. This is a mistake. Begin by concentrating, for example, on a pure, beautiful image that you love, an image of nature or art. Your mind will get into the habit of concentrating in this way, and gradually you will be able to meditate on more abstract subjects. To get results in the spiritual life, you must know how to use the marvellous power of love.