Contemplation

[Benedict]

According to the Catechism

III. Contemplative Prayer

2709 What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."6
Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves."7 It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself.

2710 The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. the heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty ant in faith.

2711 Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up:" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.

2712 Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more.8 But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.

2713 Contemplative prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty. Contemplative prayer is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts.9 Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, "to his likeness."

2714 Contemplative prayer is also the pre-eminently intense time of prayer. In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit "that Christ may dwell in (our) hearts through faith" and we may be "grounded in love."10

2715 Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. "I look at him and he looks at me": this is what a certain peasant of Ars used to say to his holy cure about his prayer before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the "interior knowledge of our Lord," the more to love him and follow him.11

2716 Contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God. Far from being passive, such attentiveness is the obedience of faith, the unconditional acceptance of a servant, and the loving commitment of a child. It participates in the "Yes" of the Son become servant and the Fiat of God's lowly handmaid.

2717 Contemplative prayer is silence, the "symbol of the world to come"12 or "silent love."13 Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the "outer" man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.

2718 Contemplative prayer is a union with the prayer of Christ insofar as it makes us participate in his mystery. the mystery of Christ is celebrated by the Church in the Eucharist, and the Holy Spirit makes it come alive in contemplative prayer so that our charity will manifest it in our acts.

2719 Contemplative prayer is a communion of love bearing Life for the multitude, to the extent that it consents to abide in the night of faith. the Paschal night of the Resurrection passes through the night of the agony and the tomb - the three intense moments of the Hour of Jesus which his Spirit (and not "the flesh [which] is weak") brings to life in prayer. We must be willing to "keep watch with (him) one hour."14

References:
6 St. Teresa of Jesus, the Book of Her Life, 8, 5 in the Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1976), I, 67.

7 Song 1:7; cf. 3:14.

8 Cf. Lk 7:36-50; 19:1-10.

9 Cf. Jer 31:33.

10 Eph 3:16-17.

11 Cf. St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 104.

12 Cf. St. Isaac of Nineveh, Tract. myst. 66.

13 St. John of the Cross, Maxims and Counsels, 53 in the Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 678.

14 Cf. Mt 26:40.

[Benedict]

"The essential element in Christian faith, however, is God's descent towards his creatures, particularly towards the humblest, those who are weakest and least gifted according to the values of the "world".
There are spiritual techniques which it is useful to learn, but God is able to by-pass them or do without them.
A Christian's "method of getting closer to God is not based on any technique in the strict sense of the word.
That would contradict the spirit of childhood called for by the Gospel.
The heart of genuine Christian mysticism is not technique: it is always a gift of God; and the one who benefits from it knows himself to be unworthy".(Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Orationis Formas, 23. )

For Christians, conversion is turning back to the Father, through the Son, in docility to the power of the Holy Spirit.
The more people progress in their relationship with God - which is always and in every way a free gift -
the more acute is the need to be converted from sin, spiritual myopia and self-infatuation,
all of which obstruct a trusting self-abandonment to God and openness to other men and women.

All meditation techniques need to be purged of presumption and pretentiousness.
Christian prayer is not an exercise in self-contemplation, stillness and self-emptying,
but a dialogue of love, one which "implies an attitude of conversion,
 a flight from 'self' to the 'You' of God".(Ibid.,3. See the sections on meditation and contemplative prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§. 2705-2719. )
It leads to an increasingly complete surrender to God's will, whereby we are invited to a deep, genuine solidarity with our brothers and sisters.(Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Orationis Formas, 13. )"
Source:
Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the "New Age"
by Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue

[eschator83]

I am sad and dismayed that the Catholic concept of mystic contemplation has eluded me all these nearly forty years.  I remember a good deal of conversation among friends, although I don't think ever in our RCIA meetings, about a program at a nearby parish called Life in the Spirit.  I understood it had a good deal to do with Charismatics, and occasionally we attended Charismatic Masses.  I thought I generally understood the concepts of Contemplative Life vs Active Life, and we fairly frequently attended devotion at a nearby convents.
Yet obviously I missed most references in Lectio as well as Cloud, and am now trying to understand these concepts.  As I noted in another recent post the New Advent Encyclopedia entry linking meditation, mysticism, and contemplation was a substantial surprise.  The oft-repeated longing to see the Face of God in modern Liturgy has puzzled me in its seeming reversal of Old Testament fear of God.
I am very grateful for your patience and assistance and will most certainly keep reading and praying. 

[Benedict]

The oft-repeated longing to see the Face of God in modern Liturgy has puzzled me in its seeming reversal of Old Testament fear of God. 

The face of God can also be translated from the Hebrew as the bread of God and the presence of God. But I am going to focus on the most important New Testament concept regarding God's face: the face of Jesus is the face of God.
Spontaneous Prayer:
O tender Jesus, most beautiful among the sons of men, without fault, without flaw, without blemish. O Jesus, Thy serene countenance is my joy and my comfort. Thou looked upon me as Thy brother, yet Thou art my Savior! O Jesus, Thy eyes glow with life and Thy lips drop with grace as the dew of the morning. O Jesus, I look upon Thee in the Cross. I behold God, yet I see a figure of a man. I look upon Thee in the Sacred Eucharist, yet I see the figure of heavenly bread. O my sweetest Lord Jesus, Thou art all mystery! Reveal Thy gentle face O blessed Savior, O holy Lord Jesus Christ. Bring to my mind that sweet compunction which only Thy devout love brings forth. O Jesus, infinite in power, yet you became a man that I might love you as my brother and you became little that Mary might hold you in her arms. O sweetest Jesus, Thy face I seek, Thy name I love, Thy peace I desire. My Jesus, O lover of chastity and purity, Thy face is a mirror of excellent counsel and the image of the invisible God. Thou art true God being invisible and true man being visible. I know that Thou art present everywhere my Jesus, but O how my heart desires to look upon Thee, to think of Thee, to desire Thee and to know Thee and to love Thee more deeply and more splendidly. O Jesus, turn Thy brilliant face towards me, and humble my heart that I may behold Thee my Lord and my God. Amen

[CyrilSebastian]

Benedict, I like your statement of: The face of Jesus is the face of God.     
Jesus is true God and true Man.

[Benedict]

Next topic for contemplation is that Jesus is the Bread of God and that Jesus is the Presence of God or even the Bread of Presence signifying the reality and containing the substance of the reality.
Jesus, truly God, invisible, and truly man, visible.
Though art the Bread of Heaven, the Hidden Manna, the Word of Life yet Thy Incarnation Thou became man, yet without change in divinity this union of perfect humanity and perfect divinity contained all the sweetness of God and all the pleasant delights of Paradise and all the blessings of Wisdom and immortality of eternal incorruption. Bread when eaten is broken down into smaller parts and integrated into the body. But when the Bread of Heaven is eaten those who eat are integrated into what they eat.Therefore, it is with faith that we eat immortality and drink salvation which Jesus offers to us upon the altar under the forms of bread and wine. Yet these natural goods are consecrated by the Word of God and made perfect by the Holy Spirit and offered to the Father by the Son as the Perfect Sacrifice, even as He offered Himself upon the Cross in the Holy Spirit to the Father, so does Christ Jesus our Lord offer Himself in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! Even more, Jesus offers us the tree of life, its fruits and the waters of eternal life, all this, even under a host, which alone remains to veil the Sacred Mysteries.
Spontaneous Prayer:
O Jesus! Thou art truly present in the Holy Sacrament: Thy Immaculate body, Thy precious Life-giving blood, Thy undefiled soul and Thy immortal Godhead. I believe in this incomprehensible Mystery. I acknowledge Thy Spirit has worked this miracle at Thy hands and I praise and glorify God our Heavenly Father for the great good that Thy Sacred Flesh and Immortal Blood has done to hallow the human race. I greatly desire to receive Thy fullness, yet I am incapable of containing Thee O uncircumscribed incomprehensible God. Therefore sweetest Lord Jesus, I desire to believe with faith what I cannot understand and to receive with faith what I cannot comprehend for Thou art all good and the lover of mankind.
Reflection:
Why the Bread of God? The bread of presence or the showbread was a part of the Tabernacle of Meeting in the holy place before the veil separating the Holy of Holies.
Lesson from the Apostle: Hebrews 9:11-12,24-28
"But Christ, being come an high Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hand, that is, not of this creation:
Neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by his own blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption.
For Jesus is not entered into the Holies made with hands, the patterns of the true:
but into Heaven itself, that he may appear now in the presence of God for us.
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the Holies every year with the blood of others:
For then he ought to have suffered often from the beginning of the world.
But now once, at the end of ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment:So also Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many.
The second time he shall appear without sin to them that expect him unto salvation."

[Benedict]

"Meditation tends to contemplation, as a means to an end. So when the end is attained, the means are laid aside; men rest at the end of their journey; thus when the state of contemplation has been attained, meditation must cease."
Saint John of the Cross Spiritual Maxims 242

[eschator83]

I suppose I should start this comment by admitting I have always found St John of the Cross very difficult.  I try to imagine his dreadful imprisonment for such a long time, and I try to Keep reading.  It's hard to imagine in our lives attaining a state of Contemplation, and then ceasing meditation, and ceasing what else?  I'm reminded of the teaching of Pope St Gregory the Great: We ascend to the heights of Contemplation by the steps of action.  This seems a difficult paradox, but I understand that Jesus and St Paul often taught in terms of paradox, and this has a strong appeal to many people.

[Benedict]

"They who have entered the state of contemplation, must not for that reason suppose that they are never to make a meditation any more; for in the beginning the habit of it is not so established that they can have it whenever they will; neither are they so far removed from meditation as to be unable to meditate as they are accustomed to do."
Saint John of the Cross Spiritual Maxims 247

"Except in the act of contemplation, in all excercises and good works, the soul must make use of memory and good meditations in such a way as to increase devotion and profit, particularly dwelling on the life, passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that the soul's works, excercises, and life may be conformed to His."
Saint John of the Cross Spiritual Maxims 248

[Benedict]

"What is meditation?
Meditation, or mental prayer in its narrower meaning, is an interior occupation of the soul with God, and an application of its powers to Him. It may also be defined : An analytical and affectionate consideration of a subject of piety. In other words, it consists in occupying ourselves with holy thoughts in God's presence, in uniting ourselves to Him in affection and desire. These interior operations have their source in a hunger and a thirst after justice.

Of what utility is meditation?
Meditation is very useful to a Christian. For to live as a Christian he must not only have faith deeply rooted in his intellect, but also charity and the other virtues in his will. Now, it is by meditation that the intellect absorbs the truths of faith, and that the will multiplies acts of repentance and love, renews its good resolutions, strengthens it-self against vice, and is exercised in the practice of virtue.

What subjects of meditation should we choose by preference?
The mysteries of Our Lord's life and passion as they are presented to us in the Gospel. These subjects are the easiest and the most fruitful, the most replete with unction and efficacy.

What is contemplation ?
Contemplation is a a elevation of the soul to God by a simple intuition full of affection.

How does contemplation differ from meditation ?
In this, that contemplation does not have recourse to reasoning, as is the case with meditation."
Manual of Christian Doctrine by Brother Chrysostom

[Benedict]

Catechism
II. MEDITATION
2705 Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history the page on which the "today" of God is written.

2706 To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened: the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality. To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

2707 There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower.5 But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus.

2708 Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.

III. CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

2709 What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."6 Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves."7 It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself.

2710 The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith.

2711 Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.

2712 Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more.8 But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.

2713 Contemplative prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty. Contemplative prayer is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts.9 Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, "to his likeness."

2714 Contemplative prayer is also the pre-eminently intense time of prayer. In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit "that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts through faith" and we may be "grounded in love."10

2715 Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. "I look at him and he looks at me": this is what a certain peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the "interior knowledge of our Lord," the more to love him and follow him.11

2716 Contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God. Far from being passive, such attentiveness is the obedience of faith, the unconditional acceptance of a servant, and the loving commitment of a child. It participates in the "Yes" of the Son become servant and the Fiat of God's lowly handmaid.

2717 Contemplative prayer is silence, the "symbol of the world to come"12 or "silent love."13 Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the "outer" man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.

2718 Contemplative prayer is a union with the prayer of Christ insofar as it makes us participate in his mystery. The mystery of Christ is celebrated by the Church in the Eucharist, and the Holy Spirit makes it come alive in contemplative prayer so that our charity will manifest it in our acts.

2719 Contemplative prayer is a communion of love bearing Life for the multitude, to the extent that it consents to abide in the night of faith. The Paschal night of the Resurrection passes through the night of the agony and the tomb - the three intense moments of the Hour of Jesus which his Spirit (and not "the flesh [which] is weak") brings to life in prayer. We must be willing to "keep watch with [him] one hour."14

2723 Meditation is a prayerful quest engaging thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Its goal is to make our own in faith the subject considered, by confronting it with the reality of our own life.

2724 Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.

References
5 Cf. Mk 4:4-7, 15-19.
6 St. Teresa of Jesus, The Book of Her Life, 8,5 in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1976),I,67.
7 Song 1:7; cf. 3:14.
8 Cf. Lk 7:36-50; 19:1-10.
9 Cf. Jer 31:33.
10 Eph 3:16-17.
11 Cf. St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 104.
12 Cf. St. Isaac of Nineveh, Tract. myst. 66.
13 St. John of the Cross, Maxims and Counsels, 53 in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 678.
14 Cf. Mt 26:40

[Benedict]

To use a metaphor: meditation requires effort and determination, in meditation we are traveling up a steep hill on a winding path. Contemplation requires even greater effort than meditation and is many degrees more intense in focus, more like flying up the face of a mountain in order to arrive at the summit. In meditation upon the passion we walk with Christ to Mount Calvary and with Saint John, Saint Mary Magdalene and the Blessed Virgin Mary we behold the Lord upon the Cross, we consider the reasons and motives and benefits of His perfect sacrifice and the power of His mercy. In contemplation of the Ascension we ascend with Christ and we "give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world." In sacred silence of contemplation, God lifts us to Himself. This is effected by granting us by His grace and joining us more intimately with the Sacred humanity of Christ. At times, the joy is entirely spiritual and at times the body partakes in consolation. The greatest sweetness is the goodness of God given through wisdom, in particular the gift of the Holy Spirit which gives a taste of the goodness of God. Now God, who is infinite in every attribute and infinitely Beautiful is also Infinitely Good and thus Infinitely Sweet, beyond carnal sweetness but absolute Wisdom and infinitely delicious. In the Holy Eucharist, a foretaste of the great sweetness and sublime deliciousness is given to the faithful. Yet in Sacramental Communion, Spiritual Communion and in contemplative prayer, the soul tastes according to the degree of preparation, focus and thanksgiving given to God. For God repays the grateful heart with even greater graces to be grateful for. Through gratitude the soul ascends to God in loving bliss and leaves behind earthly things and sets itself before the throne of God, offering prayers of thanksgiving and praise and worship.
Thus we are challenged by the Apostle to seek the things that are above.
Colossians 3:1-4
If you have been raised to life with Christ, then set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. 2Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. 3If you have died with Christ, then your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4If your real life is Christ then when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!

[eschator83]

Wonderful comments, many thanks, I'll be working on this for quite a while, I hope.  But I must admit being a bit distracted by the reference to Brother Chrysostom: if you refer to St John C, I suspect there's an interesting story here, and I hope you will share it with us.  I've read a good deal about the accusation that Bp St John was mistreated and betrayed.
Also, I find myself wondering if your church is "Greek."  Again, your comments are greatly appreciated.   

[Benedict]

Brother John Chrysostom is not the famous doctor of the Church but a Catholic seminary professor who wrote the  "Manual of Christian doctrine, comprising dogma, moral and worship" published in 1919 A course of religious instruction for the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools

[Benedict]

"Contemplation can be defined as the true and sure intuition of the mind concerning something, or apprehension of truth without doubt.
Consideration,  on the other hand, can be defined as thought searching for trut, or the search of a mind to discover truth.
Nevertheles, both terms are customary used interchangeably."
Saint Bernard, Doctor of the Church

[eschator83]

From Shin's post 5/28/2010 Re Contemplation and Action #3 in this Saints and Spiritual Life General Discussion forum:

Do you ask what piety is? It is leaving time for consideration. You may perhaps tell me that herein I differ from him who defines piety as the worship of God; I do not really differ from him. If you well consider the point you will find that I have expressed his meaning in my own words, only partly, however, I admit. What is so essential to the worship of God as the practice to which He exhorts in the psalm, Be still and see that I am God? This certainly is the chief object of consideration. Is anything, in all respects, so influential as consideration? Does it not by a kindly anticipation create the divisions of the active life itself, in a manner rehearsing and arranging beforehand what has to be done? There must be consideration lest haply affairs which foreseen and premeditated might turn out well, may, if precipitated, be fraught with peril.'

St. Bernard of Clairvaux