Learning contemplative prayer topic for reflection day

You may have practiced contemplative prayer without even knowing it.

If you've ever looked at a sunset and simply allowed its image to put you in touch with God, you have had an experience of contemplative prayer.

Sister Francis Anne Gilchrist, CSJ, of The Priory retreat house in Chestertown, hopes to spur more such experiences through an upcoming day of reflection, titled "The Centered Heart."

Early form

Contemplative prayer, said Sister Fran, was once a common form of prayer, taught by early spiritual leaders when the purpose of prayer was seen as praising God. Those who practiced centering prayer (a form of contemplative prayer) used one-word mantras recited over and over to clear their minds of distractions and put themselves in the presence of God.

But with the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War, she explained, came the idea that prayer was a matter of pleading, "asking to be relived of these two scourges, asking for favors. The whole purpose of prayer was altered."

Through the centuries, many laypersons also came to inaccurately believe that contemplative prayer was intended only for clergy and religious. However, said Sister Fran, the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s revived the use of contemplative prayer among the laity, sparked by such spiritual writers as Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington. Dom Maim, abbot of the Benedictine Foundation in Montreal, lauded the form of prayer as "allowing Jesus to come and use us to praise the Father."

Passive time

Advocates of contemplative prayer say that it is more passive than active, making oneself "available to the grace of prayer" rather than reciting formal prayers.

"It helps us to deepen our relationship with God and make our relationship with other people more of a living out of our Christian call to live the Gospel," Sister Fran said.

She cautioned that contemplative prayer is not for everyone, citing three reasons people should try it: If they find that they can't pray the way they always have, if there is no explanation for their inability to pray and if, in their daily lives, "nothing else attracts them as much as God does. If those three things are happening at the same time, it can be an indication that you're being called toward a different kind of prayer."

Trying it out

During the day of reflection, Sister Fran will explain the history and value of contemplative prayer, then guide participants in an experience of it, beginning with asking for the grace of prayer. Participants will sit in silence for ten minutes, searching their hearts for a one-word mantra and repeating it.

Eventually, those praying will lose focus on their mantra and experience a sense of emptiness and being in the presence of God. Distracting thoughts that intrude can be countered by once again reciting a mantra, said Sister Fran.

"It's a peaceful kind of prayer, and it raises your energy level," she told The Evangelist. "Your whole nervous system is relaxed, and you feel energized." In fact, experts on contemplative prayer do not advise practicing it before going to bed because those who try it may find it hard to sleep afterward.

Sister Fran urges those who feel called to try contemplative prayer to attend her workshop. "People think contemplative prayer is reserved for just certain people, but it's a normal development of Christian prayer life," she said.

("The Centered Heart" will be held March 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Priory, Chestertown. Suggested donation is $22. Call 494-3733.)

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