Contemplative prayer

Overview

Contemplation is the end point of the “work” of centering, ritualising and meditation. The journey may be long – and take a lifetime even- but it is the culmination of what St Augustine captured in his famous saying “O Lord, our hearts are restless until they rest in you”. Having stilled the senses, quietened the body and entered the silence of the spheres, one can then rest quietly, at peace and undisturbed by the outside world, in the “still point of the universe”, the “centre of all being” by whatever name we know it to be: God, or the demiurge or the cloud of unknowing.

The “task” is resting in the power and the embrace of the “other”. It is no longer work, it is contentedness and stillness and awe. It is drawing from the wellsprings of creation to nurture, re-create, to heal and to grow. Christians say that in meditation the person does the work; in contemplation, God does the work.

In contemplation, there are no “aids” or symbols or “helps”. It is contented resting. One merely brings oneself. One knows when one has arrived.

Contemplative prayer is the simple awareness of the presence of God. It is prayer without words or images.

An Experience of Contemplative Prayer

Your contemplative prayer time is going to be a personal journey guided by the Holy Spirit.

Beth Nolen (1999) suggests that contemplative prayer has the following characteristics:

• Faith and trust in the presence of God
• An inner awareness of God
• An awareness of the Word of God
• A relationship with God in our hearts
• An act of commitment to God
• A response to the presence of God

It involves:

• Taking time to be alone with God
• Turning our eyes and heart towards Jesus
• Dwelling in God’s love and grace
• Silence

Resources

An article on The Gift of Contemplative Prayer