Contemplative Prayer

Prayer is the way in which we engage with God.  It takes many forms, just as our human relationships take many forms.  The variety is valuable and needed.  One of the key things in any relationship of depth is that sometimes it will be enough to be 'just with'.  Indeed, not only will it be enough - it will be essential.  In prayer terms we might describe this as contemplative prayer.  Henri Nouwen suggests: "Contemplative prayer is prayer in which we attentively look at God" (Clowning in Rome, p. 77).  He goes on to say: "Contemplative prayer can be described as an imagining of Christ, a letting him enter fully into our consciousness so that he becomes the icon always present in our inner room." 

One way in which we can do this is to focus on the Gospel stories (or, indeed, other Biblical passages.)  As we 'enter' the accounts of Jesus' earthly life, it will help us to reflect on how we should engage in all those things that face us in the way that God would have us to do so.