In the Christian tradition, as we have already observed, contemplation is simply the “experience” (or, better, the quasi-experiential knowledge) of God in a luminous darkness which is the perfection of faith illuminating our inmost self. It is the “meeting” of the spirit with God in a communion of love and understanding which is a gift of the Holy Spirit and a penetration into the Mystery of Christ. The word “contemplation” suggests lingering enjoyment, timelessness, and a kind of suave passivity. All these elements are there, but they smack rather of pagan theoria.
