Why Contemplative Prayer Is Work and Toil
Then why is this work so toilsome? The labor, of course, is in the unrelenting struggle to banish the countless distracting thoughts that plague our minds
Contemplative Prayer and the Counterfeits
And now we come to the difference between the contemplative work and its counterfeits such as daydreaming, fantasizing, or subtle reasoning. These originate in a conceited, curious, or romantic mind whereas the blind stirring of love springs from a sincere and humble heart. mythoughts, thoughts of God, thoughtsofgod, David Reese Cloud of Unknowing, Unknown Author
Desire Him for His Sake and Not Good Gifts
LIFT up your heart to God with a gentle stirring of love, desire Him for His sake and not for any good gifts He can supply. Avoid thinking on anything but God. Think not on any of His Creation or their functions but only on God Himself, so that you desire nothing but Him. Cloud […]
Cultivate Study, Reflection, and Prayer
Anyone who aspires to contemplation ought to cultivate Study, Reflection, and Prayer, or to put it differently, reading, thinking, and praying.
Without Reading or Hearing God’s Word
Without reading or hearing God’s word, a man who is spiritually blind on account of habitual sin is simply unable to see the foul stain on his conscience.
The Power of a Word
The goal is to move past the point when you do anything, to the point where God is the only one acting. Anytime you are active (thinking), it is from your seat of power, the heart or the will. So when the mind wanders