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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 ofJesus 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
follow him.” 2716
Contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God. Far
from being passive, such attentiveness
is the obedience of faith, the
of a child. It participates in the
‘Yes’ of the Son become servant and the Fiat
of God’s lowly handmaid.
come”2 or ‘silent
love’.’3 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
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
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
2720 The Church invites the faithful to regular prayer: daily prayers, the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the feasts of the liturgical year. |
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