The Transition from Meditation to Contemplation

What is really happening when it feels like God is distancing Himself from us in our prayer lives? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they speak with Connie Rossini about Fr. Jacques Philippe’s book Time for God and the transition from meditation to contemplation.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

How is prayer progressive in its nature?
Our goal with prayer is union with God.
Why do most people have trouble understanding the transition from meditation to contemplation?
When God offers us consolations, we can begin to attach feelings to prayer, which can be problematic.
In the Ignatian tradition, St. Ignatius says that when you are in consolation, the key to being appropriately oriented is humility, and when in desolation, it’s trust because we can falsely attribute the graces we receive to our good actions.
God is always working on our souls during our prayer time.
How does God work in our souls if we can’t feel it?
What does Fr. Philippe mean when he talks about having been “wounded by God” rather than necessarily being healed?
God always keeps us seeking. The closer we get to God, the more distant we feel.
What is the “passive night of the senses”?
Why shouldn’t we seek a “spiritual high” in prayer?

Resources:

Spiritualdirection.com – website
EWTN Global Catholic Radio
Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
EWTN Religious Catalogue – online
Time for God by Fr. Jacques Philippe
Authentic Contemplative Prayer – Connie Rossini’s Facebook Group
The Contemplative Rosary by Dan Burke and Connie Rossini
Is Centering Prayer Catholic? by Connie Rossini
“The Avila Summit” Information and Registration
Text “summit2018” to 38470 to save $50 on registration to The Avila Summit.
Contemplative Provocations by Fr. Donald Haggerty
1 Thessalonians 5:23 – USCCB Bible link
Questions? Send an e-mail to Questions@myavila.com or call 818-646-7729. Please leave your name, location, and question(s).

What is Divine Intimacy Radio?

The Divine Intimacy Radio Show is a haven of rest and wellspring of spiritual life for those people seeking intimacy with God and the enlightened path of Catholic mystical and ascetical wisdom. Every week our co-hosts Dan Burke and Melissa Elson explore topics related to the interior life and Catholic teaching, including prayer, spiritual direction, meditation, contemplation, and holiness.

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Dan Burke

Dan Burke is the past President and C.O.O. of EWTN's worldwide news network. He is presently the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 90 countries and prepares men for seminary in over 40 dioceses. Dan is the author and editor of numerous books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com. In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church. Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.