Andrew Donnelly, O.Carm.

1. In the temple built by Solomon there were two altars: one inside the Holy of Holies, on which the incense from sweet-smelling spices were burnt, and another, on which were slain the sacrificial animals. In the same way we must have two altars within us. One must be our heart, in which we burn the incense of prayer; we have already shown the comparison between prayer and incense, that prayer is for God like the offering of sweet-smelling incense. The second altar will be our body, which must be offered to God by means of mortification. Prayer and mortification go together and must be joined together to complement one another. Mortification is the necessary preparation for prayer, and prayer is the means to attain perfect mortification.

2. Prayer is good with fasting (Tob. 12, 8), said the angel to Tobias. The holy Fathers usually understood fasting to indicate all forms of penance and mortification of the body. Either of them practised separately will produce little, if any, result. He who exercises penance and neglects prayer will become a proud man, while he who devotes himself to prayer without mortification will hear Our Lord's reproach: Why do you call me, Lord, Lord; and do not practise the things that I say (Luke, 6, 46)? Elsewhere Our Lord tells us what those things are: If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me (Luke 9, 23).

3. From the first day .that thou didst set thy heart to understand, to afflict thyself in the sight of thy God, thy words have been heard (Dan. 10, 12), said the angel to Daniel. The prophet had added fasting and mortifications to his prayers, and in return God had liberated his people and revealed sublime secrets to him. The holy Church has always used and continues to use, this means to obtain God's help. If we ask God for any virtue, or for victory over temptation, and if we do this only by prayer, we will not obtain our request until God has put us to a long test. If, however, we add mortification of the flesh to our prayer, our desires will be granted much more quickly. Consequently we observe that the saints who loved prayer were equally devoted to mortification and penance. St. Teresa, a master in prayer, often flagellated her body until she drew blood. She wore iron girdles and hair shirts, partook of frugal meals and rested on a hard mattress of straw. Her clothes were of the roughest material and all penance and mortification was a joy to her.

But we must note here that there are two kinds of mortification. There is corporal, external penance, such as flagellations, fasting, and other mortifications which help to restrain the flesh and castigate the body. Then there is spiritual austerity, which is much more excellent and sublime. Included in this latter category are mortifications of the passions and self love, which consist in ordering our inner life and its emotions, in combating our vices, in fighting off the old Adam, putting off self-will and overcoming our impatience and anger. In brief, it means restraining and watching over all our interior emotions and senses.

If we wish to profit by our prayer, we must mortify ourselves in both these ways. But especially let us devote ourselves to the interior mortifications.