Is There a “Contemplative” Personality Type?

Introverts, Extroverts, and the Prayer of Silence

Silent prayer is for all personality types.

I once heard Richard Rohr tell a charming story of giving a retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived. Rohr was surprised to find that not all the monks particularly cared for Merton. When heasked about this, one of the brotherssaid, “Merton told us we weren’t contemplatives, we were just introverts!”

It’s a sweet story and the audiencechuckled when we heard it, but it does point...