Contemplative prayer. How does one actually pray this way?

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Alright friends, I keep hearing about “contemplative” prayer and how good it is supposed to do for one’s relationship with the Lord. My question is, how does one actually carry out this kind of prayer? Is it using your imagination? What exactly is it and how can one begin to pray this way?
 
Many people are misinformed concerning contemplation.
I will try to keep it simple.
There are 4 kinds of prayer: vocal prayer (Our Father, Divine Office), meditation or mental prayer, aquired contemplation (prayer of simplicity) and infused contemplation (which is a mystical prayer).
Every Catholic can learn to pray vocally and to meditate. For spiritual growth, meditation is very important and spiritual writers recommend it to be practiced daily for at least 15-30 minutes (if one can manage to meditate more, that’s great). Meditation actually consists in reflecting on a truth of faith (one can read slowly a Bible chapter or some spiritual book) and then making some spiritual acts - act of faith, love, humility etc. For example, you read about Jesus’ passion and then say: Jesus, thank You for saving me, I love You, I repent for having caused You so much pain by my sins.
When one practices meditation faithfully for a long time (maybe for a few years), one’s meditation becomes simple - this is aquired contemplation. It does not involve much reflection as before, and sometimes only one thought can elicit spiritual acts. Also, acts become less numerous; one act, for example an act of love, can last much longer than before. For example, a person can remember Jesus’ passion and then make acts of love for a longer time (repeat Jesus, I love you, and feel as if no other words are necessary, this act alone makes soul content in prayer). This doesn’t mean that this person doesn’t ever meditate or pray vocally. Rather, it continues meditating when it cannot pray in this way. This degree of prayer is still not mystical, but can actually be achieved by one’s “efforts”, of course not without the grace of God (but only if a person has been faithful in meditation for a while or if it can pray easily this way…anyway, a good spiritual direction would help).
Infused contemplation is a mystical prayer which cannot be learnt or achieved by our human efforts. We can only be faithful to God, desire holliness and persevere in meditation and battle against sin. When God wills and if a soul is prepared, He can give Himself to her in this mystical way, and that’s real contemplation. Soul is here passive, which means that it cannot start to pray this way by her own effort. Beginnings of infused contemplation happen in the dark night of senses.

I hope I clarified this well. I am not a theologian, but I read a lot on this topic. Maybe my explanation of aquired contemplation was too simplified, so I recommend you reading more on internet, but find good and checked resources (there’s an article on New Advent on contemplation, try to Google it).
 
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I have found the book The Cloud of Unknowing a very practical guide to contemplation. One moves from meditation to a type of adoration that is above the rational, “pushing down” rational thoughts into a kind of “cloud.” It really does work, for me at least, and like meditation one gets better the more you do it. It is a very restful and beautiful thing, like two lovers communicating without words and only a gaze of love.
 
I wonder to what degreee we can resist infused contemplation. Not just be unprepared but unavailable to it. If we dont take the time to settle down, reflect and meditate it would take a powerful intervention from above. There are some Biblical accounts, Moses and the burning bush, Saul on the road to Damascus, even Pentecost. We dont know about their personal prayer lives and God certainly had a special plan for them. But for the rest of us moments of silence are indispensable. How about gazing out the window with a cup of coffee? Setting into the reality of “what is, right now”? I think sometimes we meditate naturally. Right now I am sitting on the couch typing with my dog, Ruby next to me. I hear the heater running. Otherwise it is quiet. God is here present in this moment. I stop to appreciate it all. It is so good.
 
I am by no means an expert on contemplative prayer, but I have been able to spend a good deal of time devoted to studying and (more importantly) experiencing contemplative prayer these past six months as my situation had me somewhat confined me to my seminary convent. I can only share my reflection upon contemplation and hope it helps.
  1. From an intellectual and scholastic perspective, contemplation is infinitely complex. You could read every book ever written about contemplation and still not have any inkling as to what it truly is. Any true insight gained into contemplation can only be obtained through an attempt to practice it. As one begins to practice contemplation, you begin to understand it. In practice, contemplation always progresses to a more simple understanding of the act. In the end, the the act of contemplation changes you. You no longer pray contemplative prayers. Instead you become a contemplative. It is a state of being: an orientation of God in the entirety of one’s life to a dialogue with Him who created everything. This doesn’t mean that a contemplative just sits around praying all day. No. Some of the most active people I know of are contemplative monks. It means that whatever you do during the day, it is done as an ongoing conversation with God. You actively invite him into the little things in life and actively seek and await his response whenever or wherever that may be. Heck, I’ve had contemplative experiences while I’ve been at the supermarket.
  2. Ultimately, it is God who draws you into contemplation. He is the one which draws you into understanding and simplicity. We can study all we want. If we are not meant for a life of contemplation (not everyone is, but this is not negative, simply how they are made) He will not send the Holy Spirit to inspire clarity of insight. We always fumble around in the dark when beginning our journey into contemplation. Don’t be discouraged if this happens. He reveals the next step to us when we are ready and sometimes that is a step backwards to revise or improve the basics while we wish to progress. This being said, God can and does work through written works which approach contemplation from a spiritual perspective. I would suggest authors from the Trappist, Cistercian or Benedictine Orders. Specifically, I would suggest Fr. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O. He is a good starting point. Fr. Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. can also be good, but, and this is a big BUT, I do not think it would be good for beginners. His “Contemplative Prayer” is very good, but it must not be taken as an intellectual treatise, but rather the reflections of a master of contemplative prayer speaking to other masters of contemplative prayer. There are things in this book which the beginner would not understand and which could actually lead the beginner astray due to misunderstandings.
 
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  1. Never have any preconceived opinions about how contemplation will proceed. How many times have we started conversations with something in mind, have gotten completely off track and ended up with a more fulfilling conversation than we had expected to going in? The same is with God. He knows everything. He knows best. In contemplation, we must put aside what we want or think and simply let Him lead. This can lead into what Limoncello4021 said up above with regards to “The Cloud of Unknowing”, but the contemplation of the Cloud is somewhat imparted and mystical and not everyone will be led into it. Do not be discouraged if you don’t. Your contemplation would not be any less meaningful.
  2. Finally, there is one thing which I have found which is indispensable to the beginnings of contemplation: silence, both external and internal. Find time to set aside and simply tune out the noise of the world. This can be done in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament (very helpful) or at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in the mornings (also helpful as relaxing activities help clear our minds of outside worries). Just make sure not to rush yourself. Let the past and the future go and simply enjoy the moment with God. If you have trouble clearing your mind of your worries, you can just tell God about the inconsequential things about your day. You can even do it aloud (if you aren’t in adoration and it would disturb someone else). Personally, I like to just stand on our balcony in the mornings and look out at the garden. This silence leads naturally towards meditation, whether it be about the things around us (like looking out at a garden) or about God. This practice in meditation makes it easier for us to do structured meditation and, in turn, acquired contemplation.
I hope this helped. Again, it is just my thoughts. Take what you want from it and let God lead you forward.

God Bless,
Br. Ben, CRM
 
Be careful with the “mechanics” of any type of prayer. When you try to neatly fit prayer into a mold, you are at risk of focusing on the form over function.

Prayer, regardless of type, should subscribe to Paul’s words in his letter to the Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord Always. I will say it again, Rejoice!
 
You may want to read St. Teresa of Avila’s ‘Companion of the Beloved’. It is about contemplative prayer.

St. Teresa was a member of the Carmalite order. Her contemplative prayer perhaps is one of the most well known in the Catholic world today.

God bless.
 
I trying something new just to settle my mind befor actually trying to dwell in God’s presence. I simply count to 100 and then back down to 0. Very effective. Somewhere in the process I notice myself drifting in to dream land but am much more aware of it and can review the process as witness. Experiencing the mind in this way is amazing and beyond description. Not necessarily enjoyable but interesting. But it really sorts things out so that I can clearly focus on God.
 
Go here

The website offers talks on MP3 on aspects of contemplative prayer and how to do it.

FYI, this is my last post until Good Friday Evening

God Bless
Jim
 
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The type of prayer i use is what saint paul recomended. Eph. 1:17-25. May the eyes of your understanding be enlightened.
Or 1cor.14:25-26- .bring a prophetic revelnation. To your meeting.
 
The word contemplation is used to speak of two things. First, it is used simply to speak of meditation. This is simply thinking with devotion about a religious topic. For example, when we consider a passage in the Bible with devotion.

The word contemplation is also used for what has also been called supernatural contemplation This is a prayer God gives. It is an act of God. We cannot acquire it by our own efforts. God decides if and when He will give this prayer. It means an experience of God.

However, God ordinarily gives this prayer to those whose soul advances to Him. Many Christians even however aren’t willing to advance towards God, clinging to things that are not God.

This is all the teaching of the Catholic Church, very well epitomized by Saint John of the Cross.
 
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