These monks dreamed of taking the church’s rich, centuries-old tradition of contemplative prayer and distilling it into a simple, easily learned prayer that ordinary people could practice. They ...

The life of prayer is a process that has great advances and setbacks. There is no monotony when it comes to spending time with God. For those who commit themselves to pray, there is a daily adventure ...

There is in every man, woman, and child an infinite abyss that can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God himself. Out of this built-in need or desire as well ...

First, I fidget. I cross and uncross my legs, fold and unfold my hands, bow and raise my head. I discover muscles I didn’t know I had, muscles that twitch, quiver, itch, and ache. So I waste several ...

When the Church approaches contemplative prayer, she is led to give multiple and different definitions in her attempt to explain what it is. The multiple definitions are needed since no one definition ...

James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and writer who serves as editor-at-large of America. Father Martin’s writing has appeared in Commonweal, U.S. Catholic, The Tablet, The New York Times, The Wall ...