Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 503 – Part I.

YOUCAT Question n. 503 - Part I. What is interior or “contemplative” prayer?

(Youcat answer) Contemplative prayer is love, silence, listening, and being in the presence of God.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 2709) 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" (St. Teresa of Jesus, The Book of Her Life, 8, 5 in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1976), I, 67). Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves" (Song 1:7; cf. 3:14). 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. 

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) For interior prayer one needs time, resolve, and above all a pure heart. It is the humble, poor devotion of a creature that drops all masks, believes in love, and seeks God from the heart. Interior prayer is often called the prayer of the heart and contemplation.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 2714) Contemplative prayer is also the pre-eminently intense time of prayer. In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit "that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts through faith" and we may be "grounded in love" (Eph 3:16-17).

(This question:  What is interior or “contemplative” prayer? is continued)