Our faith tells us that God is present with us always and that God’s love for us is greater than we can imagine. Thus, we might engage in active contemplation by simply recognizing God’s presence and God’s love and resting quietly in that love, conveying to God at the beginning our own love for him and our desire to be with him, to be present to him as one lover to another.
Our effort to be present in quiet resting to God does not mean that we will not suffer distractions any more than simply being in the presence of a dear friend implies that we will not be distracted by concerns or thoughts of what we still have to get done that day. But we can hand our concerns and the various tasks that still await us to God, perhaps with a quick prayer that God help us in our troubles and bless the work that we do by allowing us to make it an offering of love to God and those we serve.
Once again we ought to be comfortable when engaging in this, or any other, form of active contemplation. It may help to have a special location, a “prayer space,” in which we conduct our prayer. A regular prayer space may, like a church, remind us of our intention to open ourselves to God; and our continuing use of that am space may enable us to become so familiar with it that its novelty will not be a distraction.
Breathing and prayer
Some suggest that the way we breath is an important factor in active contemplation. Slow breathing, for example, is considered by many as helpful to the Jesus Prayer. There is even such a thing as “breath prayer.” One form of this prayer involves slowly inhaling, asking God to let us receive the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, in this inhaling. As we slowly exhale, we ask God to take away from us all impure motives and thoughts that are obstacles to God’s transforming grace. We can vary our prayers as we inhale and exhale, for example, asking God to impart holy wisdom or courage to us as we inhale and release to God some fault of ours as we exhale.
The breath prayer can be very relaxing and serve as a helpful preparation for a session of active contemplation. If you do the breath prayer, do not do it for an extended period of time, or breath in and out deeply and quickly, since you may hyperventilate and risk fainting if you stand up suddenly.
Use of the breath prayer as a preparatory exercise for active contemplation raises the question whether there are other exercises that might also perform the same function. As mentioned above, a “sacred space,” including a comfortable chair as well as perhaps candles and religious art, well away from the noise and bustle of the home or workplace, can be a significant aid.
Having other persons present who are also engaging in prayer, as one might find at a retreat house, can often be of assistance because the presence of God frequently seems to be reinforced where “two of three are gathered” in the name of Jesus.
Fasting prior to a prayer session, or some special devotional might help. Reading,
looking at religious art, some form of prayer or meditation other than active contemplation may lead into active contemplation as we will see when we consider Lectio Divina.
All in all, the goal of any form of preparation for active contemplation is to quiet the mind and senses, provide an environment of comfort and freedom from external distractions, and to ask God’s help in opening oneself to God. You should always feel free to experiment with these goals in mind. How you choose to pray is literally your choice, but be open to how God may be calling you to pray. Ask God to direct and teach you. Do not think that you are a failure if you do not “feel” God there when you pray. Nor should you be discouraged if your friends are carried away in prayer and you seem left behind. God asks that we try, not that we succeed. God will give us those gifts we need to come to him in love.
We now consider one additional form of active contemplation.
No comments:
Post a Comment