An analysis of
the Contemplative Prayer in the Book of Life of St. Teresa of Avila
Preliminaries
It is no secret any longer that the
world is passing through a new paradigm of what in cultural anthropology people
popularly call “Neo Renaissance.” The resultant outcome of this new phase of
history is the revival of life whether in family, society, culture or religion.
People more than ever are focused to reinvent for themselves their true identity,
realizing finally that the externals alone can’t take them to any higher realm
of life and give them the satisfaction that their minds and hearts crave for. The
re-emergence of Personal Prayer in its contemplative dimension has to be seen
from this social cultural dimension of neo renaissance on one hand and the
desire and deeper aspiration of the human quest for the experience of the
divinity on the other. This new challenge finds in the expression in the
clarion call given by Pope John Paul II at the dawn of the new century and in
millennium year.
“The time has come to re-propose
wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living: the
whole life of the Christian community and of Christian families must lead in
this direction. It is also clear however that the paths to holiness are
personal and call for a genuine “training in holiness.” This training in
holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of
prayer … we well know that prayer cannot be taken for granted. We have to learn
to pray. In today’s world, despite widespread secularization, there is a
widespread demand for spirituality, a demand which expresses itself in large
part as a renewed need for prayer. How can we forget here … the teachings of
Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila?” [1]