A Way of Noticing
What Does "Contemplative" Mean?
Rooted in the Latin, contemplar, "contemplative" means:
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To carefully observe or notice something
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To attentively gaze in admiration
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To thoughtfully regard or consider the external
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To become aware of the internal heart and mind
A contemplative intentionally engages in a way of noticing God's presence in everything. Scripture points to a way of noticing that God is in our stories, in our everyday, in each other. It is both a way of living and a way of becoming more attuned to God's action in our everyday. The goal is not to perfect a practice, but to be so formed by it, that it transforms even the small, subtle, easily overlooked areas of our ordinary life.
Practices | Postures
Practices offer us clear ways of engaging in our faith: we might light candles, walk labyrinths, keep silence, sing psalms, or study Scripture. In a sense, they are like following a map. But simply following a map does not guarantee we are growing in our relationship with God and others. This map is not simply about "turning left" or "turning right" but noticing that in the turns, God is with us, inviting us to think different, love different, grow different.
How we practice is just as important as what we practice. We practice with with an awareness of God centered in all things, with community, and with curiosity. This way of practicing begins with our interior attitudes and emotions that, over time, shifts how we live into every moment of day. It is the difference between praying and being prayerful, between a performative devotion and a devotion that is transformative.
Practice is what we do. Posture is who we are becoming before God.
A practice can be bounded by time and place. A posture is birthed in our very being.
As our practices lead to changed postures, our questions change:
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What should I do becomes how am I living into this experience?
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Why should I be responsible becomes how am I seeing all of creation through God-eyes?
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What is the right answer becomes how do I sit in God's presence with questions, the unknown, and uncertainty?
Our invitation is to notice how practices soften us, widen us, make us more present and more responsible to love. Posture is how we live when no practice is being performed. Practice is how we learn to live that way. Both are needed.
What are some of the practices?
Much has been written on each of the practices below throughout time. I list only a few to increase awareness of the variety of practices that have been a part of our faith history. Practices such as these have shaped the faith of many, from early monastics to contemporary followers of Christ.
Centering prayer
Breath prayers
Fixed-hour prayer
Prayer of Examen
Intercessory
Lament
Imaginative prayer
Gratitude
Praying with Scripture
Lectio Divina
Welcoming Prayer
Embodied Prayer
Manuscript Bible Study Meditative reading Communal Reading Paraphrasing Scripture Memorization
Midrash reflection
Word study
Letter Writing
Silence
Stillness
Praying with poetry
Journaling
