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How do I practice contemplation prayer?

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  • Joe McCloskey

     
     

  • How do I practice contemplation prayer?

    In this video, Spiritual Director Joe McCloskey, S.J. answers questions about the techniques and the mechanics that can be part of a good prayer life. This video is designed for anyone of any faith who has question about ways to go in deepening a relationship to God by prayer. It would be useful to anyone who is checking up on how they pray and interested in seeing other ways to pray. It is directed at anyone who prays and is not afraid of trying out something different that might be a better fit to style of relating to God. The golden rule is that the form one uses is the best. But it is always possible to be better.

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    Prayer, Christian, Christianity, Jesuit, Catholic, Catholicism, Meditation, Religion, Pray, God, Jesus, Mary, Holy, Spirituality

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  • Transcripts

    Host: How do I practice contemplation prayer?

    Joseph McCloskey: A contemplation prayer is really your willingness to let your imagination run wild. So you put yourself into the scene Now I have to beyond and say that for years I have watched God with binoculars, I never really want Him to get that close to Christ. I have met so many generous souls that are willing to walk with Christ and I have had kids that have done an attempt with the prayer, and I remember the mom was checking up on this one kid, what happened in your prayer. And the kid said to the mom, I ran up to Jesus and I jumped up into His arms and He held me close to Him and I could feel His heart beating. And the mom zipped her, she not only doubted that their son hadn't had a good contemplated prayer. I was trying to teach contemplated prayer to the Montessori School and there were three classes and the kids were somewhere between three and five years of age and they were 45 and the teacher said, "You can't possibly keep these kids quite. You don't know what you are getting into," and I said, "You can come down and watch, but I don't want you to say anything that what is happening.

    " Those kids -- sometimes I am kind of just I am using my imagination that they were seeing with the eyes of their soul and what will happen with the kids will be when they got into the presence of Lord, when the Lord was there we are reaching out of Him. I don't know if you have ever seen a little kid sitting down when they can touch the ground with their head. This is so awesome to me because their eyes were closed and one after another their head will go down as if they were bowing to this Lord that had come to touch them. And there was something so special about their openness to be -- there was a silence for about 20 minutes, and all these kids and the teachers are, how can this possibly be. But I think what happened is that sometimes we complicate our prayer. So I have to say that the kid's theology is what you need. Keep it simple straight, and as soon as it becomes complicated, like you need a big explanation for it, what is meant to be or so I am getting too eluded in what I am saying. I know that I am not really sharing Christ because Christ comes in a gentle touch.

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