“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
Psalm 37:7
Most Wednesdays, Pope Francis holds a General Audience at the Vatican. For several months, he has spoken on the catechesis of prayer. On Wednesday, April 28th, Pope Francis gave the 31st audience of this catechesis, and he focused on something near and dear to us at Hallow: meditation.
You can read the full audience transcript here, or watch the video recording here, but we are sharing three key takeaways from Pope Francis, applicable to your prayer life and time spent in meditation with the Hallow App.
“We all need to meditate, to reflect, to discover ourselves, it is a human dynamic.” – Pope Francis
1. Catholic meditation leads us outside of ourselves
It is so easy to rush through the day, hurrying from one place to another. Pope Francis asks us to slow down, take a breath, and be still. “We have an inner life that cannot always be trampled on.” In these moments, when we tend to our inner life, we are meditating on something greater than and outside of ourselves: our Creator. Pope Francis tells us, “For us Christians, meditating is a way to encounter Jesus. And in this way, only in this way, we rediscover ourselves.” Catholic meditation leads us not only into introspection but more so to the true knowledge of Christ.
2. Meditation is a dialogue
Meditation is a method of prayer which allows us to quiet our thoughts and connect with the Creator. It helps us realize that we are always in the presence of Christ, no matter where we are or what time it is. “Every moment of Jesus’ earthly life, through the grace of prayer, can become immediate to us, thanks to the Holy Spirit, the guide,” Pope Francis shares with us. As we enter this peaceful state, we also enter into dialogue with Christ. In further explanation, “The prayer of the Christian is first of all an encounter with the Other, with a capital “O”: the transcendent encounter with God.”
3. Meditation is a journey
Pope Francis explains, “the methods of meditation are paths to travel in order to arrive at the encounter with Jesus.” Different methods work better for different people. For example, you may best encounter Christ by meditating on sacred art or scripture through Lectio Divina, but others might prefer to pray with music or the Rosary with Our Lady. Thankfully, we don’t make this journey alone — the Holy Spirit is always with us!
When we meditate, we learn more about ourselves and our relationship with Christ. Christian meditation is a method to lead us outside of ourselves, on a journey to Christ through constant dialogue with him.
If meditation is a new part of your prayer routine, get started with Hallow’s Intro Challenge after downloading the app. We guide you through different kinds of Christian meditation, including Lectio Divina and the Examen, to sit in silence with God and grow closer to Him. We hope to pray with you soon!