Contemplative Prayer and Union with God
Friday of the First Week of Lent – February 27, 2015
EVAGRIUS PONTICUS wrote, “Focus your attention on your prayer. Do not allow any other thoughts to distract you. All they will do is interrupt your prayer. When the devils understand that you are serious about fervent prayer, they will suggest subtle things that seem important. Soon enough, you will be unable to continue praying. This will discourage you.”
[Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert, p. 173.]
Contemplation is a part of the vast landscape of prayer. It is the aspect of prayer that moves us beyond words, thoughts, and images into a receptive silence, to an awareness of the deeper connection we have with God, which is beyond words, thoughts, and images.
Contemplation is the expanding recognition of our union with God, the union for which we were created. We exist always in the heart of God, though in our regular lives, we seldom recognize it. In contemplation, we slow down, still our minds, and give attention to our connection with God.
But as soon as we slow down, we become restless with thoughts . . . projects to complete, tasks to attend to, people to be with, obligations we’re convinced cannot wait, compulsions that pull us in many directions at once. These are the distractions that make prayer difficult for many of us. These are the distractions Evagrius mentions in his teaching on prayer.
Try taking a prayer word . . . a work like God, love, or Jesus. Sit still and close your eyes. Don’t resist the thoughts that come, but every time you realize you are entertaining a thought or are distracted from your silence, quietly whisper your prayer word. Keep saying the prayer word until the thoughts diminish. When the thoughts return, keep repeating the prayer word again. Try praying this way for 5 minutes.
It may be that you need to say the prayer word continuously. That’s okay. It’s one way of allowing the thoughts to come, but not getting fixated on them.
EVAGRIUS PONTICUS wrote, “Focus your attention on your prayer. Do not allow any other thoughts to distract you. All they will do is interrupt your prayer. When the devils understand that you are serious about fervent prayer, they will suggest subtle things that seem important. Soon enough, you will be unable to continue praying. This will discourage you.”
[Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert, p. 173.]
Contemplation is a part of the vast landscape of prayer. It is the aspect of prayer that moves us beyond words, thoughts, and images into a receptive silence, to an awareness of the deeper connection we have with God, which is beyond words, thoughts, and images.
Contemplation is the expanding recognition of our union with God, the union for which we were created. We exist always in the heart of God, though in our regular lives, we seldom recognize it. In contemplation, we slow down, still our minds, and give attention to our connection with God.
But as soon as we slow down, we become restless with thoughts . . . projects to complete, tasks to attend to, people to be with, obligations we’re convinced cannot wait, compulsions that pull us in many directions at once. These are the distractions that make prayer difficult for many of us. These are the distractions Evagrius mentions in his teaching on prayer.
Try taking a prayer word . . . a work like God, love, or Jesus. Sit still and close your eyes. Don’t resist the thoughts that come, but every time you realize you are entertaining a thought or are distracted from your silence, quietly whisper your prayer word. Keep saying the prayer word until the thoughts diminish. When the thoughts return, keep repeating the prayer word again. Try praying this way for 5 minutes.
It may be that you need to say the prayer word continuously. That’s okay. It’s one way of allowing the thoughts to come, but not getting fixated on them.
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