It is a collection of daily psalms, hymns, prayers and Scripture readings which we read, pray and meditate on at different times of the day. The Office is the public prayer of the Church as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it is “the prayer of the whole People of God” (CCC, 1175). Dedicated members of the laity are also welcome to pray along with us, if they choose, and this can be a helpful tool to them in growing in contemplative prayer. Ordained members of the clergy and religious are required to pray the Divine Office. When I became a deacon, I assumed the obligation of daily praying the Divine Office, or the Liturgy of the Hours or Breviary. I think you’ll find it most profitable to your spiritual wellbeing. Seek out the advice and support of a good priest to help you advance. Increase your time of contemplation as you are able. When you finish your time, try to make a resolution to apply something you’ve read to improve your life: perhaps to be more patient with others, to stop speaking uncharitably about others, to avoid bad language, to be more generous, more truthful, etc. Speak to the Lord about it with words, or without words, in the silence of your heart. Take a section from one of the four Gospels, particularly one which contains the words of Christ Himself, read it slowly, reflect on it and think how it might apply to you. Ask the assistance of the Blessed Mother and your guardian angel. Invite the Holy Spirit to come into your heart. If you’re new to contemplative prayer, begin by carving out a consistent time of the day where you may be alone and in silence for even a short a time. It is during this time that we need to let God love us, minister to us and encourage us. That is contemplative prayer: God speaks to us in a whisper. The Lord did not speak in the strong and violent wind, earthquake or fire but in a silent whisper. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD-but the LORD was not in the wind after the wind, an earthquake-but the LORD was not in the earthquake after the earthquake, fire-but the LORD was not in the fire after the fire, a light silent sound. Remember when the prophet Elijah spoke to the Lord:ġ Kings 19:11-12 Then the LORD said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD the LORD will pass by. A big part of it is listening and being silent before the Lord. Teresa of Avila and other spiritual writers.įor me, contemplative prayer is allowing God to intervene in our minds and hearts in a way in which we focus on Him, pray to Him, praise Him and allow Him to speak to us. One of the fundamental ways we can do this is through contemplative prayer, strongly recommended by St. In this time of pandemic, when many of us find ourselves limited in our ability to go out and interact with others, I encourage you to use the time to grow closer to God in prayer.
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