Contemplative prayer- what we might also call deeper or mature prayer- is not a gift reserved for a select few. It is not given only to those with a particular vocation, such as monks or nuns who live far removed from the noise, struggle, and busyness of the world. Even in seemingly idyllic settings- immersed in an atmosphere oriented toward deepening one’s relationship with God, including their own prayer- a monk or nun cannot escape their own humanity. Like us living in the world, they too must constantly struggle against the temptations towards selfishness, laziness, and stubbornness.
What, then, is truly necessary to grow in the life of prayer and to experience those depths the Church calls contemplative prayer? Growth in our relationship with God is the natural fruit of generous prayer and committed discipleship- in other words, of living the Gospel wholeheartedly. This is why growth in prayer cannot be reduced merely to questions of how much we pray or even how we pray. It must also include honest questions regarding our relationships, our interior attitudes, and our participation in the communal and sacramental life of the Church. How we live shapes how we pray, and how we pray inevitably shapes how we live. The two are so intimately united that to separate them is to risk harm to the spiritual life itself.
As we can see, the deepening of our relationship with God is never a matter of quantity, but of quality. Consequently, one does not need hours of solitude, removed from all earthly responsibilities, to grow in prayer and encounter God in contemplation. Such a life simply does not exist for the overwhelming majority of people, including the overwhelming majority of Christians. What is required, however, is a genuine desire for God in every aspect of one’s life. If a person regularly indulges in sensual pleasures, lives a life of willful distractions, or neglects the duties of their vocation, their experience of God in prayer will necessarily be limited- not because God is unwilling to draw the soul deeper, but because the soul itself is not yet ready for the depths God desires to reveal. If we wish to mature in our prayer, we must also mature in the entirety of our Christian life.
A contemplative soul, then, is a mature soul- one who both seeks God intensely in the silence of prayer and carries that same intensity into every place and circumstance of life once prayer has finished.
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