The word devotion is often misunderstood. We may associate it with particular prayers, religious practices, or moments of spiritual consolation. We speak of devotion to the Sacred Heart, devotion to Our Lady, or devotion to a favourite saint. These are genuine forms of devotion, but St Peter of Alcántara invites us to understand the word more deeply. For him, devotion is not simply something we feel or a religious exercise we perform. It is a spiritual readiness: a heart made prompt and willing to do whatever God asks.
St Thomas Aquinas describes devotion as “a power which makes one prompt and ready for any virtue and stirs and helps him to do well.” St Francis de Sales develops the same idea. Devotion, he says, is a spiritual alertness and vitality that enables us to cooperate with charity “promptly and wholeheartedly.” Charity moves us to keep God’s commandments; devotion enables us to do so readily, diligently and joyfully.
Devotion, therefore, is love in a state of readiness. The devout person does not merely know what is good or admire what is holy. He or she is disposed to act: to pray, forgive, serve, persevere, accept sacrifice and respond generously to grace.
The remedy for our reluctance
Why do we need devotion? St Peter begins with a realistic understanding of the human condition. Because human nature has been wounded by sin, we experience an inclination towards what is selfish and an unwillingness towards what is good. We may sincerely desire holiness and yet find prayer difficult, service burdensome, forgiveness painful and self-denial unattractive. As St Paul confessed: “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it” (Romans 7:18).
Devotion is one of God’s remedies for this spiritual heaviness. St Peter compares it to the north wind dispersing the clouds. As the wind clears the sky, devotion clears away the reluctance and resistance that gather within us, leaving the soul freer and better disposed towards what is good.
We might also think of Samson. When he lost his hair—the outward sign associated with his consecration—he lost his strength. When it grew again, his strength returned. In a similar way, a Christian without devotion may retain faith and good intentions, yet lack the spiritual energy to put them into practice. Devotion restores strength to the will.
This is why St Peter praises devotion so highly. Although it is one virtue, it encourages all the others. It makes us more ready to be patient, courageous, chaste, humble, merciful and generous. Devotion does not replace the virtues; it animates them.
Devotion is more than consolation
St Peter carefully distinguishes devotion from tenderness of heart or spiritual consolation. We may sometimes feel peace, warmth or delight in prayer. Such experiences are gifts to be received gratefully, but they are not the essence of devotion.
A person may enjoy spiritual feelings while remaining unwilling to forgive, serve or sacrifice. Another may experience dryness and yet remain faithful, prayerful and generous. The second person may possess deeper devotion than the first.
God sometimes allows consolation to be withdrawn precisely so that the truth of our devotion may be revealed. Will we continue to pray when prayer brings little pleasure? Will we remain faithful when goodness becomes costly? Will we serve God for God’s sake rather than for the comfort we receive?
Consolation and devotion can certainly strengthen each other. Readiness in God’s service often brings spiritual joy, while spiritual joy can increase our readiness. Nevertheless, devotion is fundamentally a disposition of the will: “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”
The two feet of the Christian life
For St Peter, the Christian life may be summarised in two words: prayer and labour. These are the two feet by which we walk towards God.
Prayer without action can become self-absorption. Action without prayer can become anxious self-reliance. We must trust in God while continuing to labour for love of him. Confidence in grace must not become an excuse for laziness, and confidence in our own efforts must not cause us to forget our dependence upon grace.
The devout Christian, therefore, seeks God both in prayer and in daily responsibility. Devotion carries the presence of God from the chapel into the home, the workplace, the parish and the service of those in need.
Nourishing devotion
St Peter proposes a number of practical means by which devotion may be cultivated.
The first is earnestness. We must desire devotion as a “pearl of great price,” approaching the spiritual life with a heart genuinely offered to God. Casual desire will rarely produce wholehearted discipleship.
We must also guard the heart from vain thoughts, disordered attachments and violent emotions. This includes custody of the senses. What we continually watch, hear and discuss enters the imagination and influences the heart. In our own age, this counsel applies particularly to the constant flow of news, entertainment, social media and unnecessary conversation. Interior recollection requires that we sometimes close the door upon noise.
Periods of solitude are also important. Solitude is not rejection of other people but the creation of space in which we can enter within ourselves and converse honestly with God.
Spiritual reading gives the mind good material for prayer. Scripture, the lives of the saints and sound spiritual books fill the memory with truths to which the heart can return throughout the day.
St Peter especially recommends the remembrance of God’s presence and the use of short prayers, sometimes called “ejaculations”: “Jesus, I trust in you”; “Lord, have mercy”; “Come, Holy Spirit”; “My God, I love you.” Such prayers are particularly helpful to people who cannot spend long periods in formal prayer. They keep the lamp of devotion burning amid daily duties.
Regularity is essential. Morning and evening prayer, faithfully maintained, nourish devotion as ordinary food sustains the body. When prayer is repeatedly neglected without good reason, devotion gradually withers.
St Peter also recommends bodily discipline. Some of the austerities customary in his time may not be suitable for everyone today, but the principle remains valuable. Simplicity in food, sleep, entertainment and personal comfort can free the heart for God. Such practices should be prudent, adapted to one’s health and responsibilities, and never undertaken merely to prove one’s strength.
Finally, works of mercy deepen devotion. Prayer arising from a merciful heart is not barren. Service of the poor, the lonely, the sick and the forgotten gives substance to our desire for God. Love of God and love of neighbour nourish each other.
Protecting the flame
Just as devotion must be nourished, it must also be protected. Sin diminishes its fervour, even when the sin appears small. Excessive guilt, scrupulosity, bitterness, despondency and uncontrolled sadness can leave the soul too agitated or discouraged to pray. The remedy is not denial of sin but humble repentance and confidence in God’s mercy.
Anxiety and excessive occupation also weaken devotion. St Peter compares distracting cares to the gnats of Egypt: individually small, but together capable of making peace impossible. Sensual excess, overindulgence, idle curiosity and the craving to know everything likewise scatter the heart. His warning seems remarkably appropriate to a culture of endless information and constant interruption.
Devotion is delicate. When neglected, it can be difficult to recover. Yet it is never beyond recovery, because God continually calls us back. We begin again through a sincere prayer, a small sacrifice, a work of mercy or a renewed period of silence.
True devotion is not religious excitement. It is the quiet strength of a heart ready for God. It says yes when prayer is consoling and when it is dry, when service is rewarding and when it is costly. It gives vitality to every virtue and unity to the whole Christian life.
To ask for devotion is to ask for the grace not merely to love God in intention, but to become prompt, generous and wholehearted in doing his will.
By Bishop David Walker