Contemplative Prayer updated

Meditation is a prayer of the mind, whereas contemplation is a prayer of the heart. When we meditate we consider certain eternal truths and apply them to our daily lives. For example, a very popular meditation is the Passion of Our Lord. In the discursive/affective Ignatian method of meditation, the meditation can lead us to profound sentiments of love for God. Thus meditation can launch us into a prayer of the heart and even be a launching pad into contemplation. Excellent books for daily meditation are My Daily Bread and The Imitation of Christ. An excellent Internet source for daily meditation is Sacred Space. I do not recommend that you meditate in front of your computer. The website allows you to print out the meditation.

What is the difference between lectio divina and contemplative prayer?

Lectio divina is a very old form of mental prayer. It is similar to the Ignatian discursive/affective method. However, with lectio divina, the person always takes up a text such as a passage from the Bible. The text is read slowly and then the person thinks about it and the practical applications for daily living.

What exactly is contemplative prayer?

Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the heart. The Catechism calls it a gaze. It is the prayer of being in love. It does not use a text and may use a word or a phrase as a way of entering into the prayer of silence and faith. It is the prayer of the listening heart. The goal of contemplative prayer is to enter into the presence of God where there are no words, concepts or images.

What steps can I take so that contemplative prayer can be a part of my daily life?

A personal decision must be made to live out a serious spiritual life. A serious spiritual life is something personal which requires discipline, order and consistency. A daily prayer life can be as follows: Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours or from the Magnificat); Mental Prayer (Meditation, Lectio Divina or Contemplation); Mass; Rosary; Night Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours or from the Magnificat); monthly confession (or whenever necessary); annual retreat. The daily habit of Mental Prayer through meditation and/or lectio divina should provide the necessary interior discipline to enter into daily contemplative prayer. Discipline is needed for silence and solitude. The help of a good confessor and/or a qualified spiritual director is a great gift from God for anyone who is serious about personal holiness.

How long should I dedicate each day to contemplative prayer?

20 - 30 minutes every morning is good. Maybe you will be in a situation where this period of contemplative prayer could be repeated again in the afternoon or at night. Perhaps your schedule and duties will permit you to extend your contemplative prayer time to an hour on the weekends and vacation time.

What resources do you recommend so that I can gain a deeper understanding of contemplative prayer?

The works of Theresa of Avila and John of the Cross are the classic sources on prayer and the ascetical life. However, these works are not easy to understand. Sooner or later they should be read. I highly recommend the following works. I found these books to be extremely insightful and helpful.

The Spiritual Journey - Fr. Francis Kelly Nemeck

Contemplation - Fr. Francis Kelly Nemeck

Intimacy with God - Fr. Thomas Keating

Being in Love - Fr. William Johnston

Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious - Murchadh O' Madagáin

What are the fruits of daily contemplative prayer?

I have found the spiritual benefits of daily contemplative prayer to be detachment, trust in God, peace, compassion, fortitude and chastity. Daily contemplative prayer also reduces stress and has long-lasting benefits for our physical and emotional health.

What bodily postures should I use when I do contemplative prayer?

There are many postures for prayer. Some people like to kneel, others like to sit, still others like to lie prostrate on the ground or even sit in the lotus position. Posture is a personal decision. Use whatever posture helps you to pray. Personally, I find sitting in my easy chair a great way to pray each morning.

After everything is said and done, how should I actually do contemplative prayer?

This is a very good question. The bottom line is this: I have come to the conclusion that there is no set way to do contemplative prayer. Your contemplative prayer time is going to be a personal journey guided by the Holy Spirit. However, here are some suggestions that may help you before you read the books that I have mentioned.

Before the Blessed Sacrament - sit or kneel. Gaze into the Tabernacle or look into the Monstrance. Be still. Focus on your breathing. Ask Mary to help you to prayer. Pray to the Holy Spirit. Then peacefully repeat a word or a phrase: Jesus; Jesus I love you; Jesus I trust in You; Father; Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit, etc. Don't continue to repeat the word or the words over and over again. Only use the word or the phrase when your mind begins to wander. Focus your gaze on the Eucharist. Be open to whatever Jesus is asking of you.

At home - sit or kneel. Close your eyes. Again, be still and focus on your breathing. Ask Mary to help you to pray. Pray to the Holy Spirit. As before, repeat a word or a phrase. Do not repeat the word or words over and over again. Remember to use the word only when your mind begins to wander. Focus your gaze on the loving presence of God within you. If you begin to feel embraced by God, be still and be silent. Just allow the Holy Spirit to pray within you.

Aside from my daily experience of contemplative prayer, what should my spiritual life look like?

Level 1 - Morning Prayer (from the Magnificat magazine or from the Liturgy of the Hours); 20 - 30 minutes of meditation (use the Bible, My Daily Bread or the Imitation of Christ); Rosary; Night Prayer and Examination of Conscience; monthly confession or whenever necessary

Level 2 - Morning Prayer; 20 - 30 minutes of meditation or contemplative prayer; Mass; Rosary; Night Prayer and Examination of Conscience; monthly confession or whenever necessary

Level 3 - Morning Prayer; 30 - 60 minutes of meditation or contemplative prayer; Mass; Rosary; Night Prayer; monthly confession or whenever necessary

Getting back to contemplative prayer, what does the experience of contemplative prayer look like if we could put that experience into words? Here is an excellent description from Fr. Ignacio Larranaga:

Create interior emptiness, suspending the activity of the senses and emotions, putting out the memories of the past, untying yourself from worries about the future, isolating yourself or distancing yourself from the commotion outside of you and outside of this moment. Do not think of anything; better yet, think nothing.

Remove yourself more and more from the senses, beyond all movement, beyond action, without "looking" at anything outside or inside yourself, not holding on to anything, without letting anything hold you, without focusing on anything...

Nothing outside of you, nothing outside of this moment. Complete presence to yourself "to" yourself, a pure and naked attention.

Once you have gained this silence, placing yourself upon the platform of faith, open yourself to the Presence.

Simply remain open, attentive to the Other, like someone staring without thinking, like someone loving and feeling loved.

In this moment in which you have placed yourself in the orbit of faith, you should avoid forming an image of God. Every image, every representation of God must vanish. "Silence" God, stripping Him of everything that signifies location. He is not near or far, above or below, before or after. He is Being. He is Presence, Pure and Loving and Enveloping and Penetrating and Omnipresent. He is.

Forgot that you exist. Never look at yourself. Contemplation is fundamentally ex-stasis or going out. Do not worry about whether "this" is God. Do not disturb yourself with whether this is natural or comes from grace.

Do not try to understand or analyze what you are living. There only exists a Thou for who you are, in this moment, an open, loving and calm attention. Do not say anything with your lips. Do not say anything with your mind. Look, and you are "looked at". Love and you are loved. Pure Presence, in pure silence and pure faith, will fulfill the eternal covenant.

It is nothing. It is Everything.

You are the receptacle. God is the content. Let yourself be filled. You are the beach. He is the sea. Let yourself be flooded. You are the land. The Presence is the Sun. Let yourself come to life. Remain like this for a long time. Then "return" to life, full of God.

What would be a good final thought for this discussion on contemplative prayer?

"Properly understood, contemplation shakes the universe, toples the powers of evil, builds a great society, and opens the doors that lead to eternal life". - Fr. William Johnston, S.J.