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This is a wonderful and honest response, Francis. I, too, worry about those “dry” times in prayer, those times where I don’t feel fully connected to God and am basically reading more than praying the Office, for example. I used to think this was dishonorable, but today I believe that God recognizes it as a sacrifice – praying when I don’t necessarily feel like praying.
I may have stated this in another forum, but I have found Lectio Divina to be one of the most powerful tools God has used in my life to direct me towards Him and His will. I feel that God speaks to me through the Scriptures and points me directly towards both my questions of how to apply them to my life and His responses.
Joseph, like yourself, I wish I was better disciplined to engage in more thoughtful and deeply-involved prayer times throughout the day. I have been able to, generally, to pray a morning office routinely for the last couple of years or so, which I have found to be a wonderful means of grace by which God works spiritual growth in me. I also attempt to pray at least one more office during my day, generally noontime and/or compline. These don’t always happen, though. However, something else I have done is to intentionally stop at certain hours and, at the very least, say the Lord’s Prayer or some other short prayer. I find these help greatly to reorient me towards God as I go throughout my day.
Thanks, Abbot Dan, for your earlier and brief comment regarding the difference between eastern meditation and Christian contemplation. Undoubtedly, one thing that tends to frighten some people away from the contemplative path is the fear that they may be participating in some form of eastern or New Age religion. Education on these historical practices is key.
Brandon, I also had some trouble distinguishing between meditation and contemplation until I began practicing lectio divina about a year or so ago. Contemplation, to my simplistic understanding, is opening myself to the presence and work of God, while meditation tends to be an active practice – thinking deeply about and considering Scripture, for example.
I have read and studied on various practices of contemplative prayer for about two years. Despite this, I have found it incredibly difficult to regularly incorporate any form in my prayer life with any real consistency. It is my hope to gain a better understanding of the various practices and to be able to make them a consistent part of my communion with God.
