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About BEGINNING CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER:

Best-selling author Kathryn J. Hermes, F.S.P., demonstrates how to begin a life of contemplative prayer in this practical guide. You don't have to be a mystic to learn this type of prayer, just a person who is seeking a deeper communion with God. Sr. Kathryn Hermes has helped thousands of people through difficult times--now let her guide you in this timeless form of meditative prayer. This newly revised and expanded edition of Beginning Contemplative Prayer offers more insight into this way of prayer.

Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from Beginning Contemplative Prayer: Out of Chaos Into Quiet by Kathryn J. Hermes, F.S.P., copyright 2009 by The Daughters of St. Paul. Used with permission of Pauline Books and Media, 50 Saint Paul Avenue, Boston, MA. www.pauline.org


She couldn't slow down enough to think. Even when she visited the eucharistic adoration chapel at the church, her PDA was in her hands, ensuring she was making the best use of her time. She had come for an hour, but after thirty-five minutes she couldn't keep herself there. She knew God would understand.

And I'm sure he did. But she was shortchanging herself.

There was a time not too long ago when people lived by the rhythms of nature. These seemingly endless, fairly predictable cosmic rhythms corresponded integrally to our own rhythms of birth and death, of joy and sorrow, of healing and pain. Our forefathers were up at dawn and finished work by dusk. The long hours of the evening were spent narrating stories and recounting family histories. The ancient rhythms of nature determined the rhythm of life.

Today we have become people who respond instead to the rhythms created by electronic technology. The daily commute for some starts well before dawn and finishes long after dusk. Electricity means we can keep working until--well, until we drop into bed or nod off to sleep, whichever comes first. We listen to music and podcasts on MP3 players, and our minds rarely have the luxury of white space. We post on virtual walls, share pictures, update blogs, and engage in any number of other social networking activities that let others know our thoughts of feelings or the events in our lives. ...

Some never experience the peace of contemplation because they try to pray in just this type of situation. Perhaps not literally--most people realize that it is difficult to hear God's whisper over a blaring television program. Our noise is often, instead, on the inside. Our minds grind in an endless conversation--commenting, regretting, expecting, planning, worrying, resenting. Because of these distractions, our encounters with God remain shallow and tentative. Some of the early Desert Fathers called this the ceaseless murmuring of our minds. An early abba, or desert father, likened the mind to a tree full of chattering monkeys.

Through a rhythm of quieting and stilling, of systematic preparation for prayer, we can attune ourselves to the mystery within us. Contemplation begins precisely with the quieting of one's whole lifestyle and being... It may be difficult for you to imagine spending more than a few moments of silence in your busy day. (It can be a struggle even for a nun in a monastery!) The human spirit, however, hungers for the kind of peace found along the ancient way of contemplation. Without this deep connection with reality we die.

Some people rise just a bit earlier in the morning to stake their claim for peace while the world is still asleep. I know one woman who keeps her rosary and prayer books next to her favorite easy chair, her sanctuary in which she finds the Lord each day. ...

Giving ourselves these silent moments is crucial to the well being of our souls. These daily mini-retreats free us from the false illusion that we have made ourselves, that we can accomplish anything alone. They daily remind us that we are loved and are utterly dependent on our Creator.