Ejaculations are short and direct prayers. The Latin origin of the word, as explained by the Royal Spanish Academyes shooter, “relating to launching.” Its Latin root, a javelinmeans dart.
In its Treatise on prayer and meditationthe Franciscan saint Pedro de Alcántara writes: “The continuous memory of God helps, and the always walking in his presence, and the use of those brief prayers that Saint Augustine calls ejaculations, because these guard the house of the heart and preserve the warmth of devotion, as discussed above.”
In point 92 of his book CaminoSaint Josemaría Escrivá points out: «And in my meditation a fire burns»—And, in my meditation, the fire is lit.—That’s why you go to prayer: to make yourself a bonfire, a living light, that gives heat and light. That’s why when you don’t know how to move forward, when you feel like you’re going out, if you can’t throw fragrant logs into the fire, throw in the branches and the leaves of small vocal prayers, ejaculations, that continue feeding the bonfire.—And you will have taken advantage of the time.”