Contemplation vs. Meditation
Understanding the Crucial Distinction in Christian Prayer
In traditional Christian usage, meditation is the active, discursive work of prayer—reflecting on Scripture, using imagination, engaging thoughts and affections. Contemplation is what happens when God takes over—a receptive, often wordless attention that transcends our efforts. Meditation is something we do; contemplation is something we receive. Understanding this distinction prevents frustration when our techniques seem to "stop working" and helps us recognize when God is drawing us deeper.
The Modern Confusion
Today, the words "meditation" and "contemplation" are often used interchangeably—or with meanings nearly opposite to their traditional Christian sense. This creates real problems:
Secular/Eastern Usage
In popular usage influenced by Eastern religions:
- Meditation = sitting in silence, emptying the mind, awareness practices
- Contemplation = thinking about something, pondering
This is essentially the reverse of traditional Christian terminology.
Traditional Christian Usage
In the classical Christian tradition:
- Meditation = active thinking about Scripture or spiritual truths
- Contemplation = receptive, often wordless presence to God beyond concepts
This confusion means that when someone says "I practice Christian meditation," we cannot know if they mean Ignatian imaginative prayer or Centering Prayer—two very different practices. Clarity about terminology helps us communicate and navigate our spiritual lives.
Meditation: The Active Work
Christian meditation engages our faculties—intellect, imagination, memory, will—in prayerful activity. It is something we do, using effort and technique.
Characteristics of Meditation
- Discursive: moves from thought to thought, insight to insight
- Active: requires effort and engagement
- Uses images and concepts: works with Scripture, doctrines, sacred scenes
- Engages the affections: moves the heart through reflection
- Methodical: follows a structure or technique
- Produces fruit we can perceive: insights, consolations, resolutions
Examples of Meditation
- Lectio Divina (in its first three movements)
- Ignatian Composition of Place
- Praying with the Senses
- Reflecting on Scripture and applying it to your life
- Teresa's Mental Prayer (early stages)
- Pondering a mystery of faith or theological truth
"Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ."— Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2708
Contemplation: The Receptive Gift
Contemplation is what happens when God takes over. It is not something we achieve through technique but something we receive—often when our usual methods seem to stop producing results.
Characteristics of Contemplation
- Non-discursive: rests in simple awareness rather than moving from thought to thought
- Receptive: requires openness rather than effort
- Beyond images and concepts: transcends what can be thought or imagined
- Simple: a single loving gaze or attention to God
- Gift: cannot be produced by technique, only disposed toward
- Often produces fruits later: may feel "empty" in the moment but bears fruit in life
Signs of Contemplation
John of the Cross describes three signs that indicate God is drawing a person from meditation to contemplation:
- Inability to meditate: The imagination and discursive thought no longer engage. Trying to meditate feels dry and frustrating.
- No desire to fix the imagination: There is no attraction to particular thoughts, images, or objects—yet also no diversion to worldly things.
- Preference for solitude and loving attention: A desire to simply be with God in quiet, general, loving awareness—without particulars.
When all three signs are present together, it indicates the transition from meditation to contemplation.
"Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus... The more we contemplate him the more we become like him."— Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2715
The Progression from Meditation to Contemplation
The traditional teaching describes a progression—though not always linear—from active to receptive prayer:
| Stage | Character | Our Role |
|---|---|---|
| Vocal Prayer | Saying prayers with attention | Active |
| Meditation | Discursive reflection on Scripture/truths | Active |
| Affective Prayer | Fewer thoughts, more acts of love | Active → Simplified |
| Prayer of Simplicity | Simple gaze, minimal thoughts | Simplified |
| Acquired Contemplation | Loving attention without concepts | Receptive (with effort) |
| Infused Contemplation | God's direct action in the soul | Purely receptive |
This is not a rigid ladder—people move back and forth according to God's action and their current state. A person may experience contemplative graces early in their prayer life, then spend years in active meditation before contemplation becomes habitual.
Acquired vs. Infused Contemplation
Theologians distinguish between:
- Acquired contemplation: A simplified loving gaze that we can dispose ourselves toward through practice—though still requiring grace to sustain.
- Infused contemplation: Entirely God's initiative, given when and how He wills. We cannot produce it; we can only open to receive it.
Some debate whether "acquired contemplation" is truly contemplation or a simplified form of meditation. The practical point: eventually we reach a threshold where our activity must yield to God's action.
The Danger of Forcing the Transition
Understanding the meditation-contemplation distinction prevents two opposite errors:
Error 1: Forcing Contemplation Prematurely
Some people, reading about contemplation, try to skip meditation entirely. They sit in silence, suppress all thoughts, and expect immediate union with God.
The problem: Without the foundation of meditation—prayerful engagement with Scripture, formation of affections, growth in virtue—this "contemplation" may become mere emptiness or, worse, an opening to unhealthy spiritual states. Meditation forms us; we should not abandon it until God clearly draws us beyond it.
Error 2: Refusing the Transition
Others, comfortable with meditation, resist when it stops "working." They work harder at imagination and reflection, or conclude they have failed and abandon prayer.
The problem: When God is calling someone to contemplation, insisting on meditation creates frustration and blocks grace. The transition feels like failure ("I can't pray anymore"), but it is actually growth. See our article on the Dark Night.
"When you cannot meditate, love."— Traditional saying
How Different Traditions Navigate This
Ignatian Spirituality
The Ignatian tradition emphasizes active, imaginative meditation in the Spiritual Exercises. But Ignatius also recognized "consolation without cause"—spontaneous contemplative graces that come without effort. The Exercises prepare for these moments while providing structure for active prayer.
Carmelite Mysticism
The Carmelite tradition maps the progression explicitly. Teresa's Interior Castle shows movement from active prayer (early mansions) to contemplative union (later mansions). John of the Cross provides detailed guidance on recognizing when meditation should give way to contemplation.
Hesychasm
The Hesychast tradition uses the Jesus Prayer as both meditation and gateway to contemplation. The prayer begins as active repetition but, over time, the prayer prays itself—becoming pure receptive attention to Christ's presence.
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer attempts to prepare directly for contemplation by releasing attachment to thoughts. Critics argue it skips necessary meditation; advocates see it as disposing one to receive God's gift. The debate highlights why understanding the meditation-contemplation distinction matters.
Practical Guidance
1. Start Where You Are
If you are new to prayer, begin with meditation—Lectio Divina, Ignatian methods, or reflective reading of Scripture. Do not force contemplation; let God lead you there in His time.
2. Recognize the Signs
If meditation becomes consistently dry—not from distraction or sin, but from a kind of deeper attraction to simple presence—pay attention. This may be John's three signs indicating a call to simpler prayer.
3. Seek Guidance
A spiritual director can help discern whether dryness is a call to contemplation, a test of perseverance, or a sign of some other issue. This transition is precisely where direction is most valuable.
4. Allow Flexibility
Even those called to contemplation may find themselves returning to meditation at times. Seasons of life, spiritual states, and God's particular purposes vary. Flexibility is wisdom; rigidity is not.
5. Trust the Fruit
Contemplation may feel "empty" in the moment but produces lasting fruit: peace, charity, freedom from attachments, deeper love of God. Judge your prayer life not by feelings during prayer but by transformation in life.
Common Questions
Is contemplation only for advanced people?
Contemplative graces can come early—even to beginners—as a foretaste of what God offers. But habitual contemplation typically develops after years of faithful prayer. The point is not achieving a "level" but following where God leads. Some great saints remained in meditation all their lives; some were quickly drawn to contemplation.
Can I practice both?
Yes. Many people use meditation at one time (morning Lectio Divina) and dispose themselves toward contemplation at another (quiet sitting in the evening). The key is following what bears fruit in your particular prayer life, guided by discernment.
What if I'm just distracted, not called to contemplation?
John of the Cross's three signs help distinguish: if you're distracted by worldly concerns, that's different from being unable to meditate because you're drawn to simple presence with God. Distraction seeks external objects; contemplation is attracted inward to God Himself.
How is Christian contemplation different from mindfulness meditation?
Mindfulness (in secular forms) cultivates present-moment awareness of internal states. Christian contemplation is theocentric—oriented toward God, not merely toward awareness. It is relational (I-Thou, not I-it) and Christological (through Christ, in the Spirit). The fruits differ too: Christian contemplation produces supernatural charity and theosis, not merely calm or insight.
Related Articles
- Lectio Divina — The ancient practice that bridges meditation and contemplation.
- John of the Cross — The master guide for the transition to contemplation.
- The Dark Night — When the transition feels like spiritual crisis.
- Beyond Techniques — When methods give way to receptivity.
- Foundations of Contemplative Prayer — Overview of core concepts.