Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer

by Richard Rohr

To discover the answer, we have to wait and observe. That’s what happens in the early stages of contemplation. We wait in silence. In silence all our usual patterns assault us. Our patterns of control, addiction, negativity, tension, anger, and fear assert themselves. That’s why most people give up rather quickly. When Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness, the first things that show up are wild beasts (Mark 1:13). Contemplation is not first of all consoling. It’s only real. But go into the closet, as Jesus says, and shut the door (Matt. 6:6). Only then, when you stop the parade of new voices and ideas, will you see the underlying and ever-recurring patterns. It is a humiliating experience. The first voices we hear are normally negative. They are paranoid and obsessive voices. They are agenda-driven and insecure voices. They are lustful and lazy voices. You will want to run, I assure you.