CP1 - Deeper Prayer - Reflections from Contemplative Provocations by Fr. Donald Haggerty

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Reflection 1 – Deeper Prayer – Reflections from Contemplative Provocations by Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

What does it mean to speak of a soul becoming contemplative?

This question is not answered simply by reference to the external setting of a life. An environment of solitude and silence may enhance the life of prayer. But it does not determine whether by God’s grace a soul becomes contemplative. Contemplative life is not bound, as it were, by geographical restrictions or the external conditions of a life. What, then, is necessary for a contemplative life?

If we seek the essential truth of a contemplative life, it is an interior quality of soul that makes a life contemplative. In its simplest meaning, this word contemplative is a descriptive term for a life given fully to God. It involves of course a committed exercise of daily interior prayer. But a soul becomes contemplative most of all by giving to God a complete gift of itself. This inevitably entails a response to quite exacting demands of divine love and, equally, a growing experience of poverty in self.

There is another startling truth that is constant in contemplative lives. This is the provocation of God’s concealment to the soul. The contemplative life draws its passion and drive in large part from the pursuit of a loving God who hides and is always beyond grasp. This hiddenness of God, even in his immediacy and near presence to the soul, provokes the searching quest of a contemplative soul for God. The concealment of God is, as well, a source of trial and suffering in contemplative lives.

The premise in all these reflections is that God is inviting us to a deeper interior life. It is possible that many souls miss the beauty of this divine summons to deepen their love. Sometimes we are simply too active and do not value sufficiently the importance of time for prayer. A perennial need within the Church is that more souls become contemplative, not just those in monasteries or cloisters, but hidden souls of prayer living in the world, mixing with the world, a leaven sanctifying it. This need to seek God with passion marks every period of the Church’s history, even as it draws little notice. It intensifies with the passage of time.

Haggerty, Donald. Contemplative Provocations: Brief, Concentrated Observations on Aspects of a Life with God (pp. 16-19). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

Discerning Hearts Daily Contemplative Prompts

Commit to a Daily Moment of Silence

A simple yet profound action a Catholic can take during Lent, inspired by the reflection on divine concealment and the earnest search for God, is to commit to a daily moment of silence. This can be a dedicated time—perhaps five to ten minutes—each day where you sit quietly in a space free from distractions, focusing solely on being present with God.

Obtain a copy of the book here

A great many religious people undertake a serious dedication to prayer. They are moved by a longing for a deeper encounter with God that beckons them as a distant light at night on the sea. Yet far fewer become true contemplative souls, for it is difficult to continue the quest for God in the face of many obstacles.

For those who are spiritually courageous and full of desire for God, this book will provoke them to persevere in this ultimate adventure in life-the more complete discovery of the living God. Thematically unified by the notion of God’s ultimate transcendence to our limited human knowledge, this work offers a rich profusion of insights on the life of prayer and the pursuit of God.

A key to spiritual growth is the understanding that the hiddenness of God becomes a paradox in the experience of a soul seeking him wholeheartedly. Rather than enjoying a more intimate familiarity with God, the soul advancing in prayer is likely to experience more intensely the concealment of God. This surprising truth undergirds true contemplative prayer. It is a reason why every contemplative soul, and every saint, is inflamed with a never satisfied thirst for God.