BEDE GRIFFITHS
Contemplation is to see and to hear from the heart. It takes us beyond sense perception. It is to relate to things as they are.
All so-called spiritual knowledge is useless if simply retained in the head. It is a waste of time and leads to self-delusion. It is to know about rather than to know.
The same is true of theological knowledge. This has to be diverted towards the contemplative experience through meditation, otherwise it remains apart from life and is of no ultimate value.
Contemplative seeing is not selective. It is not processed by the brain nor conditioned by previously held concepts and attitudes. It constitutes a whole way of life, a way to be followed by the true disciple of Jesus.
Traditionally, contemplation has been thought of as an Eastern approach to religion. Action in this world has been seen as its opposite and typical of the Western understanding. Today’s world requires a marriage of the two, that is, contemplation in action.