There is vocal prayer and meditation, but what exactly is contemplative prayer? Ask a Carmelite Sister.…here. Sr. Laus Gloriae, O.C. D. explains what contemplation is and even gives the three signs of transition into contemplative prayer that St. John of Cross writes about in his work The Dark Night.
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O Lord Jesus Christ Who,
Before ascending into heaven
Promised to send the Holy Spirit
To finish Your work
In the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples.
Grant that same Holy Spirit to me,
That He may perfect in my soul
The work of Your grace and Your love
Grant me:
The Spirit of Wisdom
That I may despise
The perishable things of this world
And aspire only after
The things that are eternal.
The Spirit of Understanding
To enlighten my mind
With the light of Your divine truth,
The Spirit of Counsel
That I may ever choose
The surest way of pleasing God
And gaining heaven,
The Spirit of Fortitude
That I may bear my cross with You
And that I may overcome with courage
All the obstacles
That oppose my salvation,
The Spirit of Knowledge
That I may know God
And know myself and
Grow perfect in the science of the Saints,
The Spirit of Piety
That I may find
The service of God sweet and amiable,
The Spirit of Fear
That I may be filled
With a loving reverence towards God
And may dread in any way to displease Him.
Mark me, dear Lord,
With the sign of Your true disciples and
Animate me in all things with Your Spirit.
Amen.
Praying the rosary can be considered a daily “pause for prayer”. Yet, praying it is not always easy, and our praying the rosary is in constant need of renewal in order to keep it from becoming dry and performed out of routine and losing its spiritual fruitfulness.
Perhaps a look at Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter on the Rosary can help us to renew our efforts to pray this beautiful prayer better. Rosarium Virginis Marie was written in October 2002. In it the Holy Father added the new Luminous Mysteries to the rosary and presented a catechesis on this devotion.
a solitary bird 