Contemplative prayer has been described as waiting upon God; listening for God; opening ourselves to God; responding to the invitation to meet God in silent awareness.  Perhaps the best description is prayer of the heart.

All prayer is our response to God’s initiative. We may think the initiative is ours, but it is God who makes the first move; an invitation to which we respond. There is no one right way to pray - we need to discover what is appropriate for us, at this stage in our spiritual journey. Regular practice will help our way of praying to become totally natural: we should be patient, but persevere.

Our early prayers were often because we wanted something. "Please can I have a bike for Christmas?" "Please make Mummy better." "Let me pass my exams." "Help!" "Thy will be done." Sometimes we remember to say "Thank you" - for a wonderful holiday, for enough to eat, for good health, for friendship, for work to do, for the sacraments. We learn to say "I’m sorry. I’ve failed you again. I’ve fallen short of the glory you intend for me. I’ve sinned; forgive me again."

As we grow in our Christian life we reflect on God and on Jesus Christ and his life on earth. We read again the familiar words of the Bible and think "What is being said to me, today, in this reading?" We meditate and find new meaning and richness in the Bible. Perhaps for the first time we find a faith of our own, rather than the one we received from parents, teachers or books. God becomes a living reality to us. As we become more aware of the glory and splendour of God we are drawn to adore him. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory."

Petition, intercession, penitence, thanksgiving, mindful meditation, adoration - all these are good and valid ways to pray. But some of us find they are not enough. A dimension is lacking - silence.

We are often so busy, so wordy and, if we are honest, so self-centred in our praying that God can’t get a word in edgeways. When we realise this we start to incorporate silence into our prayers, until it under girds our whole prayer life - which is life itself. Life and prayer were inseparable to Jesus. They can be so for us.

So we come to contemplative, wordless prayer: prayer of the heart. Why? Because God is God. We need no other reason. We do not embark on contemplative prayer to experience God; to have holy feelings; to advance in prayer; or to lead a better life. Some or all of these things may happen. But when we come to God in silence and stillness we lay aside all else. We are available, open and receptive, for God to do as he wills. We just are with God in silence and stillness, because God is.

First we need to find a place and a time that suit us. The place should bequiet and comfortable. Freedom from the sudden distractions of phone, doorbell,conversation, etc. is very desirable. Ideally we should choose a time when weare reasonably alert and able to relax.

When we pray we bring our whole selves to God - body, mind and spirit. If ourbody is uncomfortable it will distract us from prayer. As we are all different,it is worth experimenting to find a posture which really suits us and helps usrelax. Generally people find it best either to sit upright on a straight-backedchair, or to kneel with a prayer-stool to sit back on. Some find the cross-legged half-lotus position is right; others lie flat on the floor.......

Our concentrated times of silent prayer can and should spill over into the rest of the day. However busy we are there are always spaces. We knock on a door and wait for it to open; we dial a phone number and wait for a reply; we wait for the kettle to boil; we wait for the bus to come; we walk along a corridor. We can use all these times to remember that we are always in the presence of God, and simply be in that presence.

In other words we are learning to see God in every thing, every event, every person. This very process will stir us to take action in the face of need, injustice or oppression - just as Christ was stirred to action. Contemplative prayer helps us to engage with the world, not to escape it.

Belonging to a group of people who meet regularly to pray in silent contemplation can be a great help and encouragement. We do not feel isolated. Prayerful silence is greatly helped when two or three gather together, and this complements our daily personal prayer. If we are having problems with our praying, sharing them can help us grow through them. The Julian Meetings provide these opportunities, and exist to foster the practice and teaching of contemplative prayer.