Contemplative prayer is prayer aiming at simply being in the presence of God with wholehearted awareness. It stems from our longing for God and the experience of his presence.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it this way:
What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: ‘Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.’ Contemplative prayer seeks him ‘whom my soul loves’. It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself. (from Wikipedia)
Praying with a rosary is one way to enter into that kind of contemplative space as it helps to keep our “monkey mind” focused, but it does so in a way that leaves our awareness open to experiencing the presence of God as we pray the comforting, memorized prayers.
This kind of practice can also be used in times when we don’t have words of our own to express our prayers and need to simply be in God’s presence.
The following prayers for use with an Anglican rosary are all from Psalms focused on our longing for God to further help us keep our focus and attention there as we pray. I’ve also chosen short, easy to remember verses that can settle into your mind without a great deal of attention on the words to allow your focus to remain on being in the presence of God. Any of the breath prayers would work equally well with this practice, so please feel free to make substitutions that would better meet your needs.
| Cross: | O God, you are my God; I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1) |
| Invitatory bead: | I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land. (Psalm 143:6) |
| Cruciform beads: | Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) |
| Week beads 1-7: | As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1) |
| Invitatory bead: | I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land. (Psalm 143:6) |
| Cross: | O God, you are my God; I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1) Amen. |
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to learn about new blog posts and the latest Deal of the Month.