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Ignatius of Loyola referred to contemplation as "seeing God in all things." Brother Lawrence called it "the pure loving gaze that finds God everywhere." jean Pierre de Causade defined contemplation as "the sacrament of the present moment." Teresa of Avila referred to this experience as "Awareness absorbed and amazed."

My favorite description comes from Walter Burghardt, who said contemplation is "a long loving look at the real." pp24

Even though it often goes unnoticed or unnamed, 1 believe contemplation is a common experience in the lives of Christians. It's the experience of being vulnerable to God in the present moment. It's an openness to reality, a gratitude for what is, a receptiveness to the Source of life. Thomas Merton refers to contemplation as "spiritual wonder," and suggests that it is, in some sense, the "experience" of Christian belief." One thing is certain: contemplation is a grace. It's not an experience we can force or achieve. It's a gift when we discover we've been open and present to our lives and the life of God. Although we can't "make" ourselves contemplative, there are ways in which we can become more available to contemplation in our lives and in our relationships with youth.
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For what moment am 1 most grateful ?

For what moment am 1 least grateful?

These two questions, prayerfully invited, help us to identify moments of consolation and desolation. Consolation is a classical term used over the centuries by praying Christians to identify moments when we are more open to God, ourselves, and others. These are moments of connection, moments when we feel more alive, more transparent to God, and more loving toward other people. Desolation refers to the opposite experience - disconnection, depletion, alienation, a sense of being blocked to the presence of God, others, or ourselves. By paying attention to these two moments in our lives, we become more aware of the revelatory nature of our experience. Sometimes we notice patterns or occasions when we are in the flow of God's love; other times we see moments when we seem to be caught up in our own wounds and blindness.

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Liturgy for Discernment

Ritual
(Silence, a song, lighting of a candle ... some ritual that helps us recognize the presence of God.)

Relating
(Checking-in. Attending to one another. "How are you?")

Receiving
(Attending to God through prayer, either Lectio Divina or the Awareness Examen.)

Ruminating
(Sharing with one another what we've noticed during the prayer.)

Reflecting
(Touching on our call or mission. The group answers the following question: "Given what we've heard and shared, what is God's call to us?")

Responding
(Out of listening, we do our work. We look at our business items.)

Returning
(Closing prayer. Offering ourselves/efforts to God.)