Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Contemplative Prayer

Do you wonder if there is more to prayer than merely petitioning and talking to God? We do not always relate to our spouse merely by having conversations, and certainly not by always asking for things. As love deepens, we enter into a quieter communion and intimacy, wishing to give ourselves more and more for the sake of our beloved. The same should be happening in our life of prayer. The path to this intimacy is contemplative, or noetic, prayer. Through an engagement of scriptural, patristic, and liturgical texts, participants gain a solid theological and historical foundation in Christian spirituality, put to work through a guided immersion in contemplative prayer. Learn the essentials of Christian prayer, and deepen your practice of it. Learn how to chant the daily prayer offices in morning, noon, and evening services, how the Christian sacramental and communal life supports and deepens contemplative practice, and how to maintain prayer in activity and to make your activity prayer. Participants have the opportunity to avail themselves of individual spiritual direction during this retreat.