Whenever I go to a monastery, I attend mass with the monks at minimum. Their slow and steady chants often bring me some calm when I listen to them on CD or my ipod. But the monastery itself is another matter. If find myself unable to focus, to center, at least when the place is filled. Once alone in the place, time ceases and I am able to be alone with God. 
One of the volunteers put it best. He exited from the 2AM chanted night prayer service and said in perfect monkish chant:
“That was ve-ry in-ter-es-tinggggg.”
I about wet my pants laughing so hard.
But the truth is that I like the idea of contemplative practice but am not particularly called to it, at least not in community. I like my community prayer to be a bit less contemplative, more lively. I can be contemplative without being “A” contemplative.
But that doesn’t mean that I throw all contemplative practice away. Hardly. I seek contemplation and sacred space, but that need not be in a monastery. A mountain top may be just as good. My bedroom is often better. My living room couch with a warm sleepy dog on my lap while watching the sun set? The best of all.
We need both community and contemplation, of course. For me, strict silent contemplation is often better when I am alone. Communal prayer is better when it’s a bit more participative and silence is mixed with song, scripture and the spoken word.
After all, prayer is simply opening our hearts and minds to God. We need both of those things. For me, if my heart is not in it, there’s no way my mind will be. And if my mind is not in it my heart being moved could tend towards the superficial. Staying open requires me to find the space that is a good sacred place, but also requires me to keep trying other practices and being unafraid of going to new places in prayer. I’ve found taize prayer in small groups to really be a wonderful experience sometimes but praying the rosary on a bus trip often leaves me flat. They’re not bad practices in and of themselves, I just prefer other ones.
How are you contemplative? Do you think you are or you could be “A” contemplative? Let me know how you pray and what the experience is like for you.
And most of all, know of my prayers for you, dear readers, each day.
Love this post. I struggle with this dynamic myself. My affinity for the Jesuits may be in large measure their saying, “Contemplatives in Action”. Also, a good book about this topic is Ron Rohlheiser’s book “The Shattered Latern”. Challenges are notions of what the word “contemplative” means…
Thanks Mike as always!
I meant it challenges of OUR notions of what the word “contemplative” means… more coffee please!