How do I pray contemplatively?

Now, I will talk about something that I am not yet good at; call me a novice in contemplative prayer. I first met it during my novitiate, a stage focused in preparing and discerning to enter consecrated life. I opened a book about prayer called Opening to God by Thomas Green, SJ. It introduced me to the contemplatives and Doctors of the Church such as Saint John of the Cross and Saint Theresa of Avila. Later, I learned about books on contemplation such as Silence on Fire by William Shannon, which is heavily influenced by the great Trappist monk, Thomas Merton. Now, I’m reading a very good book by an unknown writer, The Cloud of Unknowing. It’s written in a didactic way that I really find easy to relate because of the skillful translation of Carmen Acevedo Butcher from Middle English to modern English.

What is contemplative prayer about? To put it simply, it is a prayer of being and not doing. It will make to reflect more in silence. Like what the psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.”

I believe it is enriching my spiritual life now. Try it.