Peter Thomas Rohrbach In mental prayer the soul is purified from its sins nourished with charity confirmed in faith and strengthened in hope the mind expands the affections dilate the heart is purified truth becomes evident temptation is conquered sadness dispeeled the senses are renovated drooping powers revive tepidity ceases the rust of vices disappears Out of mental prayer issues forth like living sparks those desires of heaven which the soul conceives when inflamed with the fire of divine love Sublime is the excellence of mental prayer great are its privileges to mental prayer heaven is opened to mental prayer heavenly secrets are manifested and the ear of God is ever attentive St Peter of Alcantara Spiritual Director of St Teresa What St Teresa has done so brilliantly is to describe precisely how a person can indeed contact God through prayer Despite her reputation as a soaring Spanish mystic she was an eminently practical person and that pract