CONTEMPLATIVE

PRAYER
 WHAT IS CONTEMPLATIVE
PRAYER?
St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close
sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."
Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves." It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him,
because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us
to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed
on the Lord himself.
Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. "I look at him and he looks at me": this is what a certain
peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on
Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines
the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all
men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the "interior
knowledge of our Lord," the more to love him and follow him.
EXAMEN
The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his
direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole
experience.The method presented here is adapted from a technique described by Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises. St.
Ignatius thought that the Examen was a gift that came directly from God, and that God wanted it to be shared as widely as possible.
One of the few rules of prayer that Ignatius made for the Jesuit order was the requirement that Jesuits practice the Examen twice
daily—at noon and at the end of the day. It’s a habit that Jesuits, and many other Christians, practice to this day.

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.

2. Review the day with gratitude.

3. Pay attention to your emotions.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.

5. Look toward tomorrow.

LECTIO DIVINA
What it is, is a meditation upon the word of God, where we read the word of God slowly. We have in our hearts the words ‘speak
Lord, your servant is listening’. You know very frequently in our prayers we say ‘listen Lord, your servant is speaking’ but it’s got to
be ‘speak Lord, your servant is listening’. So we read the word of God, and then we have a little quiet time to reflect upon it and say
Lord what are you saying to me in this passage? What are you saying to my head, my heart and my hands, about how I might know
you, might love you, might serve you? And so we meditate upon [that], think about it. And then we resolve as we do that, what am I
going to do to bring my own heart in line with the heart of Christ, through these words of sacred scripture which I’m hearing. So,
Lectio Divina is very slow, and meditative. It’s not speed reading the word of God. It’s not studying the word of God. It’s praying
and that’s why we begin with the great prayer of the Church (with Vespers). That’s one form of prayer. This is a form of prayer as
well. And so we will be doing that… We take a small passage – maybe 10-15 verses, maybe 20 at the most, and I start off with the
Sign of the Cross because this is a prayer. And then we just let go of all those things that clutter up our minds. Somebody once said
that when I’m praying, my mind feels like a tree full of monkeys chattering away. So we got to say Lord take away those things and
take away from me all those barriers which prevent the Lord from entering my heart. The great teacher of the early Church, Origen,
said ‘O Lord give a pathway to my heart’. And those sins – pride, anger, envy, greed, laziness, lust, gluttony - they block my heart to
God and to other people. When I’m all absorbed in myself – somebody once said ‘when you’re all wrapped up in yourself, you
make a very small package – and that’s true. So we need to say let go of all those things.
TAIZÉ
The form of prayer known as Taizé, began with the Taizé Community in France. It is an
ecumenical Christian community of more than 100 brothers, living in community. A Taizé
worship service involves sung and chanted prayers, meditation, a period of silence,
liturgical readings, and icons. There is no preaching. The prayers consist of “short chants,
repeated again and again,” according to an introduction in a Taizé songbook. “The words
are sung over many times.”

Taize, France
VISIO DIVINA
This is a process of reflecting on a piece of art (usually sacred art).
1. Open with a prayer. Ask God to open your heart and mind.
2. Pick out an image from a photograph, painting, or icon.
3. Look at the image and let your eyes stay with the very first thing that you see. Keep your attention on that one
part of the image that first catches your eye. Try to keep your eyes from wandering to other parts of the picture.
Breathe deeply and let yourself gaze at that part of the image for a minute or so.
4. Now, let your eyes gaze at the whole image. Take your time and look at every part of the photograph. See it
all. Reflect on the image for a minute or so.
5. Consider the following questions:
 o What emotions does this image evoke in you?
 o What does the image stir up in you, bring forth in you?
 o Does this image lead you into an attitude of prayer? If so, let these prayers take form in you. Write them
down if you desire.
6. Now, offer your prayers to God in a final time of silence.