How to Meditate: A Step-by-Step Guide

To help those who struggle with prayer, Debra Black summarizes the tips given by the esteemed 19^th-century Jesuit Father John Roothaan.

Prayer purifies us. Reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. Otherwise prayer is better than reading. (Saint Isidore of Seville, Doctor of the Church)

We once had a pastor at my church who regularly encouraged us to spend 20 minutes a day in personal prayer. It sounds so simple. But then try to sit still, in silence, for 20 minutes … it seems impossible! Occasionally people ask me, “What do I do in that silence?” or confide, “My mind wanders all over the place” or “I read some Scripture, but nothing ‘speaks’ to me.”

How often we commit to take on silent prayer, only to struggle with the how-to aspect of it. Fortunately, God has provided us nearly 2000 years of teachers in the saints and holy leaders of His Church. Our Holy Mother Church gives us one such teacher, the esteemed Father John Roothaan, who was the Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in the early 1800s. The following are instructions from his little book, How to Meditate. I’ve provided my paraphrase of it along with his statements in quotes.

Father Roothaan explains Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s teachings on how to use our intellect when meditating on the Scriptures. Upon reading a Scripture passage, he suggests developing the habit of asking a series of questions to gain an understanding of what God is teaching us at this moment:

What truth is to be considered here?

Pick out one definite truth from the passage. For example, if praying "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?" (Luke 9:25), the definite truths are that gaining the whole world is vain, and the most important concern is our salvation or the risk of the loss of our soul.

What practical conclusion should I draw?

Think about what this truth means in regulating your life, e.g. that I shouldn’t risk my salvation for "some fleeting pleasure." The conclusions must be specific not general, or you risk “shooting without aim; no damage is done to the enemy, no defenses are destroyed.” Make it mean something; be honest with yourself and God. Otherwise, “we may be said to be doing no more than beating the air.”

What motives are there for observing it?

What we learn through our meditation is our duty.

The will follows the intellect. Unless the intellect grasps the motives for action, very little influence will be exerted on the will.

In other words, we do as we think so we must seriously think through our motives for trying to live this Gospel truth. Ask yourself:

Is it becoming?

How does it aid me in becoming a follower of Christ, in becoming who God created me to be?

What virtue, what perfect and sanctity should ... he seek who is a follower of Jesus? What difficulty ... inconvenience ... affliction ... should be overcome?

Is it useful?

What are the spiritual advantages to enacting this particular change? “Any other motives would not be supernatural. Hence, they would be wholly futile.” Be honest about motives, for insincere motives may lead to defects rather than virtues and "make hypocrites [rather] than truly virtuous men."

Is it easy?

If we are sincerely and fully taking on the yoke of Christ, the burden will be easy because He gives all the grace we will need. Conflicted hearts, half-hearted or partial resolutions, will feel heavy because we are not fully cooperating with His grace.

“If anyone, therefore, feels that the burden of the Lord is heavy, the only reason is that he does not take the whole upon himself, and because his is not meek and humble of heart. ... [On the other hand,] when we reject [enacting evil habits], we weaken and slay the monsters living within us that are the causes of all our interior sadness and sufferings.”

Is it pleasing?

“What joy will be mine if I observe this doctrine? No life conformed to the will of God is sad.” Take time to think about what that really means.

Is it necessary?

Give serious reflection on the “grave reasons why I absolutely must carry out the practical teaching” of the Scripture. Give God time to fill you with the grace of knowing the joy and interior freedom found by amending your life for Him.

How have I observed this up to the present?

Examine your life for this one particular truth. Thank God for the times you followed it and be wholly sorrowful for the times you didn’t. Pick out specific experiences of your life to talk about with God.

What must I do in the future?

Whatever we plan (our intellect) the will must follow. From those past experiences, make resolutions for today to live this biblical truth.

What obstacles must I remove, and what means must I employ?

Again, be wholly honest when thinking through what has led you to fall into sin in the past.

Let him beware of attributing everything to the occasions. In sins where we are taken by surprise and in indeliberate sins, it is true, we are to note especially the occasions, and guard ourselves against them.

In other words, indeliberate and semi-deliberate sins are usually caused by the occasion. In contrast, we ourselves are the cause of sins from our own disordered passions, such as raging anger.

In this way, a simple Scripture meditation becomes a type of Examen, and its resolutions can be examined for the next day to be put into action (always asking God for His grace).

The art of meditation is a part of the Science of the Saints. It must be learned from the blessing of the Holy Spirit, by earnest desire and good will, rather than from the teaching of men. ... We are not dealing here with a human enterprise but with God’s work. ... let us at the same time frequently beg God, “Lord, teach me to pray; teach me to meditate; grant me the gift of prayer.” ... The aim of meditation is not to devote an hour to God in prayer, but by it to cleanse the soul from evil habits, to adorn it with virtues, to amend and perfect our whole life, to strengthen ourselves in the service of God.” (Father John Roothaan, SJ)

We wake up each morning planning every moment of the day to come. By the end of the day, the stress, busyness, and demands upon us render us wanting to escape! Mental prayer, our time with our Lord, is our escape. It is a retreat with God. He is the one true source of peace, comfort, joy, and solace. Don’t miss your retreat with your Lord; He is already waiting for you in the silence.

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Copyright 2026 Debra Black
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