Contemplation is one of the greatest deeds performed by the heart; it is the key that opens the door which allows the light of guidance to enter; it is the initial step in the direction of correct ...

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 ...

Thomas Merton, the great twentieth-century American writer on spirituality, began his book New Seeds of Contemplation (1961, New Directions) with the suggestion that contemplation is, "The highest ...