Contemplative Prayer at St. Francis
| "Many ask me to come and
speak. No one has asked me to come and be silent."
-- author
and lecturer Henri Nouwen,
on
his retreat at a Trappist monastery
|
Come and be silent with us
Contemplative prayer is a term used to cover many different prayer practices, including lectio divina, Centering Prayer, Taizé chant, and others, including well-known traditions such as Stations of the Cross. These practices have in common a tendency toward silence, stillness, listening, the use of meditative techniques, and a focus on the Scriptures.Contemplative prayer usually involves less telling God what we want to happen, and more listening for God's call to us, in the Scriptures and in our hearts.
Contemplative prayer has been practiced for many centuries by monks and nuns. The rising interest in meditation in the West during the last 20 or 30 years has coincided with a turning outward by monastics who eagerly share their knowledge of contemplation. Monastic authors like Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington and Macrina Wiederkehr, and lay authors like Kathleen Norris, have all helped to popularize various aspects of this heritage.
Today there are many opportunities for laypeople and clergy alike to partake of the rich Christian heritage of contemplative prayer. Our initial goal is to establish a home for contemplative prayer in our neighborhood and for Lutherans in San Francisco. To that end, we are investigating as many aspects of contemplative prayer as we can.
Why are people learning about contemplative prayer?