In Treatise on Prayer and Meditation, Saint Peter of Alcántara outlines six key acts to structure daily prayer: preparation, reading, meditation, thanksgiving, offering, and petition. These steps provide beginners with guidance and abundant material for reflection, helping them to maintain focus and devotion. Over time, personal experience and the guidance of the Holy Spirit allow the practitioner to deepen and adapt their prayer beyond the initial framework.
Such then, Christian Reader, are the meditations in which you may exercise yourself during each day of the week, and thus there should be no lack of matter for reflection. It should be borne in mind, however, that the meditation may be preceded and followed by certain other kindred and appropriate exercises.
Preparing the Heart
In the first place, before beginning the meditation, it is necessary to prepare the heart for this holy exercise, as one might tune up a guitar before playing on it.
Reading the Subject of Meditation
After the preparation comes the reading over of the subject of the meditation for that day, according to the order we have indicated for the days of the week. This is certainly necessary for beginners and until one is familiar with subjects of meditation.
Thanksgiving and Offering
The meditation may be followed by a devout act of thanksgiving for benefits received and by an offering of our whole life and of that of Christ our Saviour in return for them.
Advantages of the Six Acts
Finally comes the petition—prayer, strictly so called—in which we ask for what we need and for our salvation, together with that of our neighbor and of the whole Church.
Advantages of the Six Acts
These six acts may well find a place in prayer. Among other advantages they serve to furnish a man with abundant matter for carrying the exercise forward and to offer him various kinds of nourishment, so that if he cannot partake of one, he may partake of another, and if he lose the thread of the meditation at any point, another is at hand on which to continue.
I know quite well that all these acts, and in the order given, are not always necessary, but still they serve as a start for beginners by giving them a definite order to follow and a scheme by which they may direct themselves. Again, in all I have said so far, I would not be considered as laying down a permanent rule or general law, for my intention is not to legislate, but to introduce newcomers into this path. Once they have entered upon it, use and experience—and most of all the Holy Spirit—will teach them the rest.
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This article is taken from a chapter in Treatise on Prayer and Meditation by Saint Peter of Alcantara which is available from TAN Books.
