Contemplative Resources

Through the use of our imagination and the five senses we participate personally in the many stories of Scripture, particularly the Gospels. \We enter the story personally, rather than read about the person(s) many years ago. Imaginative prayer stimulates our awareness, enlivening dialogue as we connect personally with the Living Lord in the Bible story. These personal, interactive encounters encourage intentional, deep responses to the initiatives of God.

To enter into a contemplative life, practice helps shape the opening for encounter. We need resources that provide a framework by which to attend to what is already there – a divine presence.

While not a magical formula nor a one-size fits all, spiritual practices are merely the containers that draws us closer and into a place of listening for God’s invitation in presence.

In a contemplative posture, listening and engaging with the whole self is the prayer. With an emphasis on pausing and silence, contemplative prayer intends to enter into listening over speaking, presence over petition, and experience of rather than talking about God. The encounter with God, others, and self becomes an embodied – whole person present of mind, body, soul, and spirit – prayer. Moving from a mind-filled prayer to a heart-expressed prayer, contemplative practices help nurture the journey of deepening the experience by building capacity and greater love.

These practices can be repeated again and again, providing a deepening journey with each encounter as the real drama of our life in God comes through our awareness, not through doing some novel every time. The values for the containers include: