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Introduction to the Meditations that Appear
On this Website
These meditations are not based on the literal and historical sense of Sacred Scriptures, but are based on their spiritual sense. The spiritual meaning is given in the context of one’s prayerful opening to the immediate presence of the Triune God and to the Holy Spirit Whose power within us conforms us to the image of Christ, the Son of God. Although, it is necessary to know the literal-historical meaning as a foundation of an informed faith, the Catholic mystical tradition has sought out primarily the spiritual meaning. The spiritual meaning is essential to the further development of our faith with the goal of entering the Mystery of Christ in which we are transformed into the Incarnate Word, and “born of God.”
“More specifically, it is through this spiritual understanding of the Scriptures that each Christian is guided and strengthened to live his or her personal vocation as a unique historical participation in the Mystery of Christ. …If the Mystery is not assimilated, but rather remains exteriorized, it results in mere formulas, empty abstractions, personal and doctrinal rigidity, and a lack of spiritual and apostolic fruit. This reception or appropriation of the Mystery is synonymous with mysticism—and is both the requirement and the means of growth, in the Christian life. … Thus, the events of salvation history—mediated to us through the Scriptures and understood spiritually, personally and existentially—disclose to us who we are in the daily context of our personal vocation as a member of Christ.” (W.F Murphy, Jr., “Henri de Lubac’s Mystical Tropology” in Communio: International Catholic Review. Spring 2000. Pages 182, 186, 189.)
These meditations were written over the course of three years for each of the Sunday Liturgical Cycles—A, B, and C. The occasion was a Web site—www.contemplative.com—which carries these weekly meditations. The site’s creation has been a part of an effort to form the Catholic Contemplative Affiliation. The goal of the Affiliation has been to afford seekers on the Internet an opportunity to see an exposition of the contemplative path that flowed from the Catholic contemplative tradition. Its purpose is to show that there is no conflict between being faithful to the Catholic Magisterium and being on the contemplative path. Indeed, I think there is a relationship between the deepest level of prayer and one’s immersion in the fullness of the Church.
These meditations presume that the readers have committed themselves to a practice of contemplative prayer. The grace of contemplative prayer cannot come automatically from a method, and most certainly, not from a technique. But a daily discipline of quiet, silent, wordless prayer—the prayer of the heart—flowing from the reading and meditating on Sacred Scripture, disposes the practitioner to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Through these Seven Gifts (wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord) the Holy Spirit initiates contemplative prayer.
These meditations are offered as the fruit of my own contemplative prayer practice. Without going in a detailed confessional treatment of my faith journey, I write from my own experience. I spent many years in a relativistic approach to Christ’s teachings and for several years I served as a minister in the Episcopal Church. The practice of this type of contemplative prayer served as one of the channels of grace to bring me back to full communion with Catholic Church, “the fullness of Him who fills all things” (Ephesians 1.23).
These meditations are offered in that spirit: fidelity to the practice of contemplative prayer within the fullness of the Church, drawing spiritual nourishment from the proclaimed Word of God within the Catholic Liturgy.
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Note on Contemplative Prayer Practice
These meditations are based on my understanding of orthodox Catholic teaching concerning contemplative prayer. The highest forms of contemplative prayer are a gift from God in the life of grace we share through Baptism, restored in the Penance-Reconciliation, nourished in the Eucharist, lived out in the communion of the Church, the fullness of which subsides in the Catholic Church.
The gift of contemplative prayer is a gift given by the Holy Spirit to all who seek God in Christ in faith, hope and love, the infused theological virtues. One passes into contemplative prayer when the Gifts of the Holy Spirit become more operative. The person gifted with contemplative prayer has become more receptive to the Spirit and has been in the process of purification through the dark night of the senses and of the spirit. The Gifts of Wisdom and Understanding, merited in the death and resurrection of Christ, infused into the soul, bring deep union with the Trinitarian Life of God. The validity of contemplative union is witnessed in living the life of the Gospel Beatitudes and the Fruit of the Holy Spirit as outlined in Galatians 6.
In these meditations we make reference to a contemplative prayer practice. We can do nothing of ourselves to receive the gift of contemplative union. But we can in actual graces follow the practices of prayer that facilitate the gift of contemplative prayer. And of course, we have opened ourselves to the process of repentance, purification, of the assimilation of the Gospel virtues and the cardinal moral virtues infused in our soul at Baptism: prudence, fortitude, justice and temperance. We are nourished with the Sacraments.
The contemplative prayer practice in addition to the asceticism of Gospel life includes the following elements:
• we practice daily periods of quiet prayer.
• the prayer we practice has been descriptively called the prayer of the heart, the prayer of quiet, the prayer of simplicity, acquired contemplation, and centering prayer.
• these periods are prolonged for a definite time frame beyond a few minutes, and maintained according to one’s state in life; in the morning and in the evening.
• in this prayer, we seek the Presence in a simple act of love in naked faith without the exercise of discursive meditation and affective prayers. It is a resting in God and in consenting to the Triune Presence and the work of the Holy Spirit.
• especially when we become aware of thoughts we should use simple prayerful methods to maintain the open, gentle receptivity to God’s Presence: for, example, holding on to a simple word of love that expresses the intention of the heart; or slowly reading Scripture until there is a point of resting without words in the Presence; or, the gentle invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus.
• the prayer practice is part of the whole life of the Church: the Sacraments, the openness to the Word of God in Sacred Scripture and to the Magisterium of the Church, a loving obedience to the Church.
• the practice is guided by the reality of God who in His mystery is always other than we who are creatures. Union and unity with God never translate into a metaphysical notion of absorption into God, losing our personal identity.
• Jesus in the mystery of His humanity, of His cross and resurrection, is always real as the absolute and unique way to union with the Triune God of Whom He is the Word and Revelation.
• the seat of divine Wisdom is the Mystery of the Church in which we have communion with God. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the exemplar of ecclesial discipleship and of perfect union with God.
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St. Benedict’s Rule on the Silent Prayer Practice
(Translation of the Text)
Finally, let us arise, with Scripture inspiring us and telling us: “This is the hour for us to rise from sleep” (Rom. 13:11). Having opened our eyes to the deifying light and having attuned our ears to the divine voice crying out to us daily, it admonishes us, saying: “Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Ps. 95.7-8) And again: “You who have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches”(Rev. 2.7). (Prologue, 8.)
The place of prayer should be what it is called; nothing else should be done there and kept there. When the Work of God is finished, all should leave with the greatest amount of silence and show reverence for God.. In this way, a brother who may be moved within himself to pray, may not be disturbed by another’s inappropriate conduct. But if some other brother is moved to enter to pray in a more hidden and silent way, let him enter in a simple way and pray not in a loud, clamorous voice, but in repentance and in the intention of the heart.. No one should remain in the place of prayer who is not intent on prayer so that there is no interference with quiet prayer. (Ch. 52). (Author’s translation)
St. John of Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church,
on the Contemplative Prayer Practice
The soul, then will frequently find itself in this loving or peaceful state of waiting upon God without in any way exercising its faculties—that is, with respect to particular acts—and without working actively at all, but only receiving. In order to reach this, it will frequently need to make use of meditation, quietly and in moderation; but, when once the soul is brought into this other state, it acts not at all with its faculties, as we have already said. It would be truer to say that understanding and sweetness work in it and are wrought within it, than that the soul itself works at all, save only by waiting upon God and by loving Him without desiring to feel or to see anything. Then God communicates Himself to it passively, even as to one who has his eyes open, so that light is communicated to him passively, without his doing more than keep them open. And this reception of light which is infused supernaturally is passive understanding. We say that the soul works not al all, not because it understands not, but because it understands things without taxing its own industry and receives only that which is given to it, as comes to pass in the illuminations and enlightenments or inspirations of God.
From St. John of the Cross
Although in this condition the will freely receives this general and confused knowledge of God, it is needful, in order that it may receive this Divine light more simply and abundantly, only that it should not try to interpose other lights which are more palpable, whether forms or ideas or figures having to do with any kind of meditation; for none of these things is similar to that pure and serene light. So that if at this time the will desires to understand and consider particular things, however spiritual they be, this would obstruct the pure and simple general light of the spirit, by setting those clouds in the way; even as a man might set something before his eyes which impeded his vision and kept from him both the light and the sight of things in front of him.
--The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book II, chapter XV, nos. 2-3, pp. 120-121
And if in aught, I stray, whether through my imperfect understanding of that which is said in it or of matters unconnected with it, it is not my intention to depart from the sound sense and doctrine of our Holy Mother the Catholic Church; for in such a case I submit and resign myself wholly, not only to her command, but to whatever better judgment she may pronounce concerning it.
--The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Prologue, no. 2, p. 11 in the E. Allison Peers translation, The Newman Press, Westminster, Maryland. (Underlining added by the author.)
--William Fredrickson, Obl.OSB, D.Min.
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