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THE ART OF
ACQUIRED CONTEMPLATION
FOR EVERYONE

(Into the Mystery of God)

Deacon Dr. Bob McDonald

ECCE HOMO
Behold the Man Behold the Man-God Behold His holy face Creased with sadness and pain.

His head shrouded and shredded with thorns The atrocious crown for the King of Kings Scourged and torn with forty lashes Humiliated and mockingly adored.

Pleading with love rejected Impaled by my crucifying sins Yet persisting in his love for me I see all this in his tortured eyes.

So, grant me the grace to love you As you have loved me That I may lay down my life in joy As you have joyfully laid down your life for me.

In the stillness I seek you In the silence I find you In the quiet I listen For the music of God.

THE ART OF ACQUIRED CONTEMPLATION

Chapter 1 What is Acquired Contemplation? Chapter 2 The Christian Tradition Chapter 3 The Scriptural Foundation Chapter 4 The Method Chapter 5 Expectations Chapter 6 The Last Word

CHAPTER 1
WHAT IS ACQUIRED CONTEMPLATION?

It will no doubt come as a surprise for the reader to be told that acquired contemplation is indeed something that can be “acquired” and that it is in fact available to all Christians in all walks of life. It is not, as is commonly held, an esoteric practice reserved for men and women of exceptional holiness. It is now known to possess a universal potential which all of us can enjoy and which has been largely untapped by lay Christians for nigh on 2000 years. It is however, not widely known that an anonymous monk in the 14th century dared to suggest that acquired contemplation was available to everyone, yet it still remained the prerogative of monastics and saints until the 20th century when adepts such as Dom John Main and Thomas Merton cleared the way and offered this prayer method for anyone who felt called to it. This booklet is designed to help all those Christians, who are attracted to contemplative prayer, to embark on this exciting journey and to provide clear and logical guidance based on experience. It is precisely this guidance which avoids all sorts of well-meaning but erroneous practices which a novice can so easily fall into. So, what is this prayer form all about?

Acquired contemplation is the art of approaching God in silence and stillness without words unlike other forms of prayer which involve the use of words such as the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and prayers in spiritual books. The Catholic Encyclopedia distinguishes between two forms of contemplation: acquired contemplation also called centering prayer and infused or passive contemplation. Acquired contemplation is a deliberate act of love of God by means of which man reaches out to God. Infused contemplation is the loving action of God reaching out to man. Centering prayer is available to all Christians in our day, unlike for past centuries where it was confined to the monasteries and was reserved only for monks and religious sisters. Infused contemplation, however, is in fact God’s decision and is outside of our human control. In other words, man acts and God reacts if he sees fit to do so. The latter is a special gift and is given by God only to a select few, but we, in silence can open our hearts and our whole being to God and we do that by constant attentiveness to a prayer word of our choice. We thereby acquire the early stages of contemplation in so far as it is humanly possible.

It is important to understand that acquired contemplation is NOT meditation. The Oxford dictionary states that meditation involves exercising the intellect and the mind with a specific topic of our choosing. In other words, we ponder upon something such as a passage of scripture and we draw uplifting conclusions from it. But it involves deliberate discursive thinking on our part. Acquired contemplation, however, is the very opposite of meditation. There is no intellectual pondering or activity of any kind. It is in fact the emptying of the mind of ALL thoughts or ideas or imaginings. The sad truth is that all of us have as it were, a radio commentator talking incessantly in our heads. Our consciousness is constantly bombarded by words which is why it is so often difficult to enter into a state of true mental rest. This profusion of words and ideas effectively prevents us from reaching out to the infinite and totally formless spirit who is our God. Any ideas or images we have formed about God must by definition be flawed and woefully short of the reality of our Creator. Many of us still hold onto the childish image of God as an old man with a long beard. This is clearly not the case, yet we are still trapped in such childlike errors.

God is not reachable by means of our imagination and it is only by emptying our mind of all preconceived notions of our Father God that we can ever hope to enter into his august presence. We do this by means of utter silence. This does not mean that we cannot encounter God in other forms of prayer such as the Rosary, but these are in fact meditations and not contemplation. With the Rosary we formally meditate on the whole life of Jesus. On the contrary, acquired contemplation abandons all discursive thought and enters into a state which St. John of the Cross described as NADA meaning nothingness. It is in the vast nothingness that we come to rest in the arms of God.

In pursuing nothingness it is important to understand that we are not implying that God is nothingness. Not at all. God is everything. But we deliberately embrace nothingness in order to encounter the God who resides in our soul and so we choose to abandon the day-to-day busyness of our mind. God is of course already in our soul, but we are prevented from accessing him fully by our intrusive thoughts, ideas and imaginations. In putting these aside for a time, we prepare ourselves for God’s loving condescension, whereby he allows himself to be “KNOWN”.

Many writers insist on borrowing instruction from Hindu or Buddhist forms of so-called meditation. But this is an oxymoron since these practices do not involve meditation at all. In effect we need no instruction from Eastern religions since we already have a 2000 yearlong rich Christian tradition of centering prayer. The eastern objective is to reach what they call nirvana which is nothing more than a humanly enlightened state of mind. Christian contemplation is not

  • union with a person
  • interested in nirvana because we are seeking a state of
  • , and that person is

the Creator of the Universe who is God. Also, there is no demand in the Christian tradition to adopt the lotus position or any other difficult posture. All that is required is to sit upright in a comfortable chair. Nor should we refer to our prayer word as a mantra. That too is borrowed from Hindu practice and is totally unnecessary and misleading. Not only that, but in Transcendental so-called meditation, the Maharishi allocates mantras according to the age groups of his clients. But what is not well known is the fact that these mantras are actually the names of Hindu gods. We Christians must shun these invocations of false gods. We need to focus our attention on our Father God and in resting in his presence with the holy view that we can have a deeper relationship with him who is our personal creator.

We do not need to be immersed in Hindu theological practice wince we have always had our own theology for 2,000 years, a theology which takes us into a deeper connection with our Triune God and him alone. There is no room for idolatry in acquired contemplation. As the decalogue instructs us, “Thou shalt not have false gods before me”. Acquired contemplation then needs to be pure in its objective which is to enter into the quiet and listen for the music of God.

An anonymous ascetic monk in the 14th century wrote an informative treatise which he called, “The Cloud of Unknowing.” He describes acquired contemplation as a process by which we enter into this cloud of unknowing and we do this by erasing all thought and entering blissful silence. In penetrating the cloud we place ourselves in the presence of God but as the monk points out, we cannot push through the cloud of our own volition. That is God’s prerogative and if he did allow us to penetrate the cloud that would be infused contemplation. All we can do is rest in the NADA, the nothingness and patiently wait on God.

As stated earlier, acquired contemplation is available to every Christian but sadly very few even know there is such a thing and of those who do know few are willing to spend the time and the effort to acquire it. Yet the truth is that acquired contemplation is a simple exercise. That is not to say that it is easy. It is not but it is quite simple to put into practice and by perseverance and generously giving of one’s time to encountering God, one can reach the experience of true NADA and ultimately enjoy the benefits which accompany it.

Having said that, there is always the problem that modern man is up to his eyeballs in busyness. One only has to think of the working mother who has a young family. For her, being able to spend 20 minutes twice a day in prayer is asking too much. She may have to wait till her family has reached their older years before embarking upon the exciting journey of centering prayer. Others could in fact make the time necessary if only they would give up many of their trivial and useless pursuits such as video games, internet addiction, texting and watching television for hours per day and maybe even face book involvement. But that is a personal decision which one would only carry out if one felt the call to holiness. We are in fact, all called to holiness and to become saints but sadly most of us prefer our busy lives to the devotion of a holy way of life. Once you begin acquired contemplation, the practice eventually becomes so enjoyable and profitable that you would never be likely to go back. In other words, acquired contemplation carries with it its own benefits which, once acquired, impel you to persevere.

In terms of our physiology, definite measurable changes occur when one contemplates. Most notably, changes take place in the brain. In the normal conscious state an encephalogram, which is an electrical tracing of brain activity, demonstrates so called beta waves which are busy crowded lines of low altitude. In the contemplative state however, the brain waves become slow and of much greater amplitude and these are called alpha waves. In other words, the contemplative has entered into an alpha state which is the deepest form of rest to which we can consciously aspire. This has been well researched by Dr. Herbert Benson who describes his findings in his book, “The Relaxation Response”. He also identifies other physiological changes in the alpha state such as lower blood pressure, lower pulse rate, slower and shallower breathing, and increased electrical resistance in the skin, all of which are characteristics of a deeply restful condition. This deep rest is a powerful antidote to anxiety and its effects last beyond the actual contemplative session and carry on for a few hours throughout the day. Contemplation would be a very worthwhile exercise for this reason alone. So many of our brothers and sisters could benefit from a reduction in anxiety levels.

Now, some misguided but well-meaning writers who do not understand the positive effects of regular contemplation suggest that in emptying the mind of all thought, one runs the risk of the devil, “entering into the vacuum.” This is simply not true for four reasons. Firstly, there has never ever been any record or evidence of demonic possession in anyone in an alpha state. On the contrary, one is enjoying a deep rest which counteracts any problems with anxiety. The contemplative is in control of his mind at all times and not vulnerable to the action of the devil. Secondly, while it is true that in acquired contemplation, the mind is devoid of thoughts, nevertheless one is well advised to constantly and unceasingly repeat the chosen prayer word throughout the session so that the mind is still occupied by the prayer word and therefore is definitely not in a vacuum. Thirdly, Dr. Benson in managing hundreds of cases to whom he has taught contemplation, has never come across any cases of adverse reactions. Fourthly, the Benedictine Monks in Montreal hold contemplation sessions four times a day for themselves and for scores of lay people. Again, no negative results have been observed. Therefore, the suggestion that contemplation exposes one to the intervention of the devil is a non-argument and has absolutely no foundation in practice.

The prayer word is the anchor which we adhere to throughout the contemplation session. By faithfulness to the word, one avoids the temptation to enter into the non-prayer of quietism which is nothing more than spiritual sloth. St. Theresa of Avila, a wonderful mystic, given to deep contemplation, described her own prayer as the prayer of quiet but by that it is clear she meant prayer of silence and not the heresy of quietism. As Richard Rolle once said, “Love is not lazy” and the prayer of quiet is far removed from the laziness of quietism. It is in fact an act of love of God and the practice of acquired contemplation promotes a refreshing new ability to love our God more deeply.

Many novices at centering prayer complain that nothing is happening. That is to say they have expectations of some sort or another, but these are pointless and a waste of energy. One is simply entering into the presence of God who is only to be encountered in the nothingness and in that state, one simply waits patiently for God. But there are benefits which one can hope for which may occur sooner or later by the condescension of God. We can ultimately enjoy a new vision of God and a whole new awareness of him. It may take months or even years of patient contemplation to experience the gift of renewed vision and clarity but nevertheless it awaits those who persevere and once experienced, one would never abandon it.

The lesson is never to give up contemplation because you are impatient or things are not developing in the way you had hoped. Just enjoy the silence and leave the rest up to God. Be faithful to your prayer word. Hold onto it and do not let it go throughout the entire session. By repeating it over and over again it becomes a quiet murmuring in the heart and not just a

  • IT BECOMES THE PRAYER.
  • mechanical so-called technique.

In the silence we move into God’s presence with no preconceived notions about God. We simply approach him and rest in his presence, glad to have the privilege of being there. We are utterly attentive, waiting eagerly like a little child on the Lord. “Here I am Lord” is what we are conveying to the Almighty and he hears our prayer. We are listening with our heart and not our ears. We see nothing with our eyes and we feel nothing with our emotions. This is precisely where we find God, this is where we want to be and in doing so we leave all outcomes to our Father in heaven.

Modern man is literally afraid of silence. He avoids it like the plague. Instead, he pursues noise 24 hours a day with his I-Phones, computers, texting, e-mails and music and all kinds of electronic devices. The actual noise is not the important thing to him as long as his mind is kept busy and distracted from reality. People are much less inclined to enjoy conversation and relationships and prefer to be occupied by sound bites. And if, God forbid, the phone should break down, they suffer withdrawal symptoms. Just try taking the phone away from a teenager and watch their panic response. So, mankind desperately needs to recover its inner craving for that silence which leads him to his creator God. Because man subjects himself to noise 24 hours a day he becomes dehumanized and depersonalized and so modern society is in grave danger. Cardinal Sarah has written beautifully on the loss of silence in today’s culture and we do well to reconnect with the God who is within and to lose our fear of the nothingness that kindly leads us to him. The choice is between noise and silence. It is between the suppression of our humanity and the sublime recovery of our status as children of God Our Father.

It is recommended by many writers on this subject that we practice acquired contemplation twice a day for twenty minutes each session. It is preferable to do the morning session before breakfast and the late afternoon session before supper. This is simply a way to avoid falling asleep during the session which would be more likely to happen after a heavy meal. However, this is not an absolute, nor is it written in stone. One can usefully contemplate at any time of one’s choosing and if one can only find room for one session per day, then that is fine too.

Posture is important, again to avoid the temptation to fall asleep. So, it is recommended that we sit in an upright chair with our spine straight. This tends to promote wakefulness in our silence. Slouching is not a good idea as it tends to promote sleep and the benefits of the session are lost. Check the time before you begin then close your eyes and after what you feel or sense is 20 minutes, open your eyes and recheck the time. If you have only been in the presence for say 10 minutes, then simply close your eyes and continue with your prayer word and do so for the remaining 10 minutes. Contemplation is a discipline and the time frame should be adhered to faithfully. As you practice, you will be surprised at just how accurate you become in estimating the 20-minute requirement.

A parishioner of the Cure d’Ars, once told him that in prayer, “I gaze at him and he gazes at me.” That is a short and lovely summing up of contemplative prayer. I gaze at God and he gazes at me and we both relish this intimate relationship without words. Surely, that is worth striving for by generously giving of our valuable time in prayerful silence and absence of preconceived thought. This type of prayer whereby we gaze at God, prefigures what we will one day experience for all eternity when we will see God as he is.

We must not get caught up on expecting things to happen which is what modern man looks for. He demands results for his efforts. Yet it is more correct to expect nothing. This flies in the teeth of today’s society which is frantically doing things and seems unable to enter into rest. But it is rest which is desperately needed by modern man, not more activity. Do not judge one session or compare it with another session. Each session stands in its own uniqueness. Any episode may be devoid of anything occurring at all except for the blessed silence. Then rejoice. You are on the right track no matter what takes place. Do not judge one session as “good” and another as “bad”. Each has its own song to sing and we should simply accept and trust in the Lord. Make no mistake, you will come to enjoy a deep and abiding peace in your soul and that is the peace of Christ. Surely, that alone makes the effort well worth the time spent.

In fact, many contemplatives are so enthusiastic about their prayer time, they can hardly wait for their next centering prayer session and wouldn’t dream of missing it except in an emergency. They put aside all other activities and rush to their quiet place. For them, contemplation is the most important event of their day.

Our ego is the barrier to contemplation and so to overcome that we must approach our

  • THE SIZE OF MY EGO IS THE EXACT MEASUREMENT OF THE
  • contemplation with humility.

  • DISTANCE BETWEEN ME AND GOD.
  • THE SIZE OF MY EGO IS THE EXACT

The bigger my selfish ego, that is to
That bears repeating:
MEASUREMENT OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ME AND GOD.

  • PRID
  • HUMILITY,
  • the closer I
  • say
  • E, the further I am from Jesus. The smaller my ego, that is to say

am to him. 1 Peter 5-5, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. In other words, I need to foster the virtue of humility in my heart and thereby give Jesus permission to act in all things in my life. “I surrender myself to you Jesus. Take care of everything.” To do that I need to stop fretting and worrying which are a disordered way of me taking back control of all my needs. Instead, I must close the eyes of my soul, surrender to the perfect will of Jesus for me, and embrace a state of rest in him. To have the peace that surpasses all understanding, which is the peace promised by the Lord, I must stop controlling my life and let Jesus be my God and my friend. I need to pray and leave the miracles to Jesus and stop telling him how to solve my problems. He knows best. In acquired contemplation we rest in God and allow him to control our lives. I step aside. Jesus fills the space.

St. John the Baptist understood this surrender very well. He said, “He must increase while I must decrease.” He knew he had to shrink his ego and to recognize he was not worthy to loosen the thong of Jesus’ sandal. He accepted the will of God without question.

So, in this simple way, you approach your God daily and God is joyfully waiting for you to do so. It is an exciting journey and one you will never regret. But remember the power of your other prayers and that they too should be part of your daily routine. The rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, Eucharistic adoration, formal prayers, Novenas, the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours are all vital components of your prayer life. They immerse you in an atmosphere of prayer but as previously stated, they are meditations and not contemplation. They prepare your heart for your two daily sessions of acquired contemplation. And remember, in contemplating you are simply “being” and not “doing” and being is the golden key to the sacrament of the present moment.

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    Santa Clara University Scholar Commons Jesuit School of Theology 10-14-1982 The omeW n Theologian and the Ideal of Christian Wisdom Sandra Marie Schneiders Jesuit School of Theology/Graduate Theological Union, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst Part of the Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Schneiders, Sandra Marie, "The omeW n Theologian and the Ideal of Christian Wisdom" (1982). Jesuit School of Theology. 148. https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst/148 This Unpublished Work is brought to you for free and open access by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Jesuit School of Theology by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. I THE WOMEN THEOLOGIAN AND THE IDEAL OF CHRISTIAN WISDOM Teresa of Jesus, better known as St. Teresa of Avila, was born on March 28, 1515 and died on October 15, 1582, four- hundred years ago tomorrow. By any human standards this six- teenth century Spaniard was an extraordinary woman. Despite the restrictions placed on the education and the lifestyle of women in her time Teresa, who entered the cloistered religious Order of Mount Carmel at the age of twenty-one, not only achiev­ ed superlatively the ideals of the life she had chosen but vir­ tually single-handedly reformed the feminine branch of the Carmelite Order and cooperated with St. John of the Cross in the reformation of the masculine branch. While carrying out the arduous work of reformation, including the founding of new houses, the governing of local communities, and the administer­ ing of the affairs of the Reform, Teresa managed to write more than most professionals of our day produce in a lifetime and to serve as spiritual director for some of the most religiously talented people of her time, including her young collaborator John of the Cross.
  • The Heights of Prayer: Contemplation My Soul Yearns for Thee in the Night, My Spirit Within Me Earnestly Seeks Thee

    The Heights of Prayer: Contemplation My Soul Yearns for Thee in the Night, My Spirit Within Me Earnestly Seeks Thee

    The Heights of Prayer: Contemplation My soul yearns for thee in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee. ~ Isaiah 26:9 ONTEMPLATION is the ultimate form of Chris- tor: “I look at him and he looks at me” (CCC 2715). tian prayer. The problem with describing Human words are useless in this total absorption in contemplation is that it is something beyond God; the soul listens to the Word of God. Cthe ability of words to convey. In a sense, it is In this highest form of prayer, God is the initia- a mystery or, perhaps, more accurately it can be de- tor. Contemplation is a gift from God that cannot scribed as mystical. The two be sought. This experience most notable writers of the is a grace, a gift that requires experience of contemplation deep humility and a willing are St. Teresa of Ávila and self-surrender to a covenant St. John of the Cross, con- relationship with God, a com- temporaries who knew each munion in which God takes other well and who worked the initiative to create his im- collaboratively to reform the age and likeness in the soul. Carmelite religious order in The contemplative yearns to Spain in the sixteenth centu- be obedient to his will, to be ry. Their works are a great a child of God, to imitate the treasure of the Church. St. humble obedience of Jesus Teresa, who was frequent- (see Phil 2:8) and the “let it ly favored with contempla- be to me according to your word” tive experience, explained it (Lk 1:38) of Mary at the An- as “nothing else than a close nunciation.
  • An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation Into the Monastic Tradition 3 Monastic Wisdom Series

    An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation Into the Monastic Tradition 3 Monastic Wisdom Series

    monastic wisdom series: number thirteen Thomas Merton An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 3 monastic wisdom series Patrick Hart, ocso, General Editor Advisory Board Michael Casey, ocso Terrence Kardong, osb Lawrence S. Cunningham Kathleen Norris Bonnie Thurston Miriam Pollard, ocso MW1 Cassian and the Fathers: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition Thomas Merton, OCSO MW2 Secret of the Heart: Spiritual Being Jean-Marie Howe, OCSO MW3 Inside the Psalms: Reflections for Novices Maureen F. McCabe, OCSO MW4 Thomas Merton: Prophet of Renewal John Eudes Bamberger, OCSO MW5 Centered on Christ: A Guide to Monastic Profession Augustine Roberts, OCSO MW6 Passing from Self to God: A Cistercian Retreat Robert Thomas, OCSO MW7 Dom Gabriel Sortais: An Amazing Abbot in Turbulent Times Guy Oury, OSB MW8 A Monastic Vision for the 21st Century: Where Do We Go from Here? Patrick Hart, OCSO, editor MW9 Pre-Benedictine Monasticism: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 2 Thomas Merton, OCSO MW10 Charles Dumont Monk-Poet: A Spiritual Biography Elizabeth Connor, OCSO MW11 The Way of Humility André Louf, OCSO MW12 Four Ways of Holiness for the Universal Church: Drawn from the Monastic Tradition Francis Kline, OCSO MW13 An Introduction to Christian Mysticism: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 3 Thomas Merton, OCSO monastic wisdom series: number thirteen An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 3 by Thomas Merton Edited with an Introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell Preface by Lawrence S. Cunningham CISTERCIAN PUblications Kalamazoo, Michigan © The Merton Legacy Trust, 2008 All rights reserved Cistercian Publications Editorial Offices The Institute of Cistercian Studies Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5415 [email protected] The work of Cistercian Publications is made possible in part by support from Western Michigan University to The Institute of Cistercian Studies.
  • Christian Prayer, Meditation and Contemplation

    Christian Prayer, Meditation and Contemplation

    虚 鈴 the empty bell Christian Prayer, Meditation and Contemplation © Robert A. Jonas, 2006 (reprint by written permission only) Robert A. Jonas, Director www.emptybell.org 虚 鈴 the empty bell ll four Gospels tell us that Jesus prayed. He prayed alone on mountains and in the wilderness. He Aprayed on roads, in people’s homes and in temples. He prayed alone with God and he prayed with and for others. He prayed out loud and he prayed silently, in his own heart. Those prayers that we hear in the words of the Gospel often reflect or even repeat the prayers we find in Jewish scriptures. Jesus prayed as a Jew and his prayers taste like the Psalms. We can guess from his ministry that Jesus placed a higher priority on prayer than on religious duties and laws. Unfortunately, Jesus did not provide us with a detailed developmental program of prayer. In fact, the only explicit direction he gave is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew where he emphasizes solitude and a specific focus on God as Creator and Father. The prayer that begins, “Our Father in heaven” is prob- ably the one prayer that Christians of all denominations have in common. By tradition it is called The Lord’s Prayer: Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.
  • A Thesis for the Decree of Ph.D., in the University of Edinburgh By

    A Thesis for the Decree of Ph.D., in the University of Edinburgh By

    "MQLINOS AM) THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE SPIRIT OF QUIETISM. n A Thesis for the Decree of Ph.D., in the University of Edinburgh by. H. A. A^new, M.A. , BJL., Research Student in the Dejrt., of Ecclesiastical History (Faculty of Divinity) in the University. OCTOBER CONTENTS. CHAPTER. PAGE Int r o due t i on. 1 1. Hoots of Quietism: Neoplatonism, Dionysius. 3 2. Islamic Mysticism & Passivism in (a) the East; (b) Spain. Jewish influences. 21 3. Golden age of Mysticism (a) Spain; (b) The Netherlands. 43 4. The Alumbrados of Spain. 6? 5. The Illuminati of Italy. 88 6. Miguel Molinos: Valencia, Rome. 118 7. His Works. 137 8. The Growing Opposition. 163 9. The Trial. 179 10. Quietism in France. 200 11. Permanent worth of Quietism. 214 BIBLIOGRAPHY. INTRODUCTION: Beneath the anti-Reformation rigourism of the 17th century Spain and Italy, a school or thought was developing - and teaching men a doctrine of stillness and non-resistance. This is the school whose history and aims we now propose to investigate. The principal idea of this research is not only to judge the immediate influences which caused Molinos to expound his doctrine of Quietism, but to trace the close cultural contacts between the old and the new, and to draw attention to that particular mystical and semi-mystical atmosphere to which Spain was exposed by reason of its geographical and political position. As this thesis is only a chapter in the history of movements I have not attempted to do more than briefly outline the antique elements which might help to further our under­ standing of this growth of Quietism and the quietistic spirit in the 17th Century.