"The name 'Jesus' contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray 'Jesus' is to invoke him and to call him within us. "His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies." Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him.(2666-Catechism of the Catholic Church)

"Now the consciousness of this friendship of Jesus Christ is the very secret of the Saints. Ordinary men can live ordinary lives, with little or no open defiance of God, from a hundred second-rate motives. We keep the commandments that we may enter into life; we avoid sin that we may escape hell; we fight against worldliness that we may keep the respect of the world. But no man can advance three paces on the road of perfection unless Jesus Christ walks beside him. It is this, then, that gives distinction to the way of the Saint--and that gives him his apparent groetesqueness, too--(for what is more grotesque in the eyes of the unimaginative world than the ecstasy of the lover?) Common-sense never yet drove a man mad; it is common-sense that is thought to characterize sanity; and common-sense, therefore, has never scaled mountains, much less has it cast them into the sea. But it is the maddening joy of the conscious companionship of Jesus Christ that has produced the lovers, and therefore the giants, of history. It is the developing friendship of Jesus Christ and the passion that has inspired those lives, which the world in its duller moods calls unnatural, and the Church, in all her moods, supernatural. "This priest," cried St. Teresa, in one of more confidential moments with her Lord, "this priest is a very proper person to be made a friend of ours." (The Friendship of Christ, Bishop Robert Hugh Benson)

The contemplative, like Mother Teresa or Saint Francis, lives his life in the "Sacred Presence" of Jesus. In the beginning this requires constant effort on his part, repeating His Holy Name, silently, throughout the day, and keeping His Sacred Visage ever present to consciousness:

This union with the person of Christ is only possible if we set up before us,if we carry within ourselves, an intensely real image of Jesus. An image does not always mean imagination nor a mental picture(although at the beginning that can be useful), but a definite interior vision, with hazy definition, which cannot be described outwardly. Such a vision can be naturally attained, or, when God so desires, it can become a God infused, ongoing supernatural, vision, through the actuation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The recollection of inner-silence is the dimension in which God dwells, and from which He may, if we honestly seek Him, and if He so chooses, Reveal Himself. Silence means no noise or the absence of sound. Sound keeps us in the natural dimension of the senses. When our consciousness is attending to sensory data because of activities such as seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, and hearing it is occupied with things other than God. On the other hand, when we pray, we are practicing silence of the senses, and asking God to Reveal Himself out of the silence, and in our lives. And through repetition of the Jesus Prayer, and dwelling on His Image, we can practice inner-silence at all times, and keep ours consciousness available to His Presence, in the midst of the noise of the city, and in the execution of our varied activities connected with the natural dimension of the senses.

The linkage between our consciousness and objects of sense, namely, images, sounds, odors, touches, and tastes becomes hardened into "attachments" as we exercise desire for objects of sense over the years. Our physical life and senses suffer deprivation or "withdrawals" if these things are denied to us. Our physical organic life is used to having them, and has developed an artificial "need" for them. These things become our life-style and part of the makeup of our "false-selves." They keep our consciousness at the finite level and uninterested in the Infinite. These attachments and this linkage, which keep our consciousness from God, are the "stuff,"which become the target of the spiritual life and the "night of the senses." At a later date, our attachments to pleasures connected with pride and ego-illusions will be the target of the night of the spirit.

So when we enter the spiritual path in a radical way, such as withdrawal connected with the recollection of the Jesus Prayer, we are exposed to profound silence of all the senses. We are deprived of the variety of sensory images which kept us company, while keeping us in bondage. And now we embrace the silence telling God that we searching for Him in preference to the objects of sense. And we turn the attention of our conscious mind to God, and to His Incarnational Image. And He responds to our request and we discover a Divine Presence filling the inner-silence as our consciousness becomes gradually freed from the total bondage of sensory data.

And if we continue this inward recollection for a long time, our sensory deprivation may make itself felt in a somewhat painful way. And the pain of sensory withdrawals may compete with, and sometimes block out, the sensory pleasure connected with the feeling of Divine Presence. This is the time when we must continue with our inward recollection until we break free of our false-self attachments, and gain a certain amount of freedom from the bondage of sensory delight. This new freedom is an intensification of our power "to love." So the more we practice the inward recollection connected with this prayer, the stronger we grow in our loving relationship with the Infinite Charity of God.

With the Son of God ever present with him, the advanced contemplative is constantly aware of the Divine Glory showing forth through the Sacred Wounds, Which, even now, fill his spirit with Eternal Life. So when the contemplative prays, his prayer goes to the Father imbued with the Passion, the Sacrifice, and the Spirit of the Son, Whose Sacred Heart stopped beating in a Passion of Love that sprinkled the Earth with Eternal Life. And so the contemplative reveres the Sacred Wounds as he reveres the Earth, the original source which gave life to the sinless Virgin Maid Who gave life to Jesus Christ. And the Earth participates through her, and Him, in the miracle of the Blood, Salvation through Incarnation, the hypostatic union of man and God.

So the contemplative is one who loves to feel the beads of the Rosary between his flesh and blood fingers as he reflects on the mystery of his earthly Transformation and the Divine Life coming to him through the Wounds of his Flesh and Blood Companion, formed from the union between the Divine Love of a Father, and the flesh and blood love of mother, mutually giving birth to the Sacrifice of a Son. And, therefore, the contemplative is one who is not surprised to find the fruit of the Earth, bread and wine, those which gives life to flesh and blood, as visible signs of the Invisible Sacrifice of the Lamb. And wherever he goes, whenever he finds the wounded and the suffering on the face of the earth, whether it be through the images in the Stations of the Cross, or in the faces of the wounded and suffering in the world around him, the contemplative, through his Divine Companion, Jesus, sees the Glory of God streaming forth into the Earth, ever present in the Face of his Companion, and in the wounded flesh and blood creatures He continually raises to Eternal Life.

"Speaking of the "Jesus Prayer," St. John Chrysostom advised: "I implore you, brethren, never to break or despise the rule of this prayer... When he eats, drinks, sits, officiates, travels or does any other thing must continually cry: 'Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy upon me!' so that the name of the Lord Jesus, descending into the depths of the heart, should subdue the serpent ruling over the inner pastures and bring life and salvation to the soul. He should always live with the name of the Lord Jesus, so that the heart absorbs the Lord and the Lord the heart, and the two become one...

"By this remembrance (the Jesus Prayer) a soul forcing itself to this practice can discover everything which is within, both good and bad. First it will see within, in the heart, what is bad --- and later --- what is good. This remembrance is for rousing the serpent, and this remembrance is for subduing it. This remembrance can reveal the sin living is us, and this remembrance can destroy it. This remembrance can arouse all the enemy hosts in the heart, and little by little this remembrance can conquer and uproot them. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ, descending into the depths of the heart, will subdue the serpent holding sway over the pastures of the heart, and will save our soul and bring it to life. Thus abide constantly with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that the heart swallows the Lord and the Lord the heart, and the two become one."

"But this work is not done in one or two days; it needs many years and a long time. For great and prolonged labor is needed to cast out the foe so that Christ dwells in us... It is necessary to lock oneself up within oneself, to curb and control one's mind and to chastise every thought or action of the evil one by calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... Mental contemplation of God is by itself sufficient to destroy the spirits of evil..."

John Paul II:

"Our response must be: Our spirit is set in one direction, the only direction for our intellect, will and heart is-towards Christ our Redeemer, towards Christ, the Redeemer of man. We wish to look towards him-because there is salvation in no one else but him, the Son of God- repeating what Peter said: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life"(24). (John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis")

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Transforming Union means that we become one with the Person of Jesus, perfect sons and daughters, adopted into the Deity of the Godhead, and participating fully through Him in the Love of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His Truth is the Way and the Path to God for all believers for all time. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son! And whosoever should believe in Him...will imitate His Self-Giving Love...and will take up their Cross and follow Him...and will receive Everlasting Life!

For Jesus, Our Companion "is the image of the invisible God..." [Col. 1:15] "Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being..." [Heb. 1:3] (CCC. # 241) "For this reason the apostles confess Jesus to be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; as "the image of the invisible God"; as the "radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature".[Jn 1:1; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3]" (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 241)

For in Jesus, all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell bodily, and by keeping Him as our Divine Companion, we find He brings the fullness of God with Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore, those who keep companionship with Jesus, are also constant companions of the Father and the Holy Spirit. For as He told us, "He who sees Me has seen the Father."

So the goal of our spiritual life is really the constant companionship with God in Jesus Christ. And Eternal Life in Him begins in this world, or it doesn't begin at all. And we can assist in the development of this Supernatural Friendship by using our human faculties to "keep us in the Divine Presence of Jesus," although, being human, there will be times when we fail, by keeping our mind occupied with the sense of His Presence, and conversely, not-occupied with other unnecessary things, thoughts and images. For contemplatives, particularly in advanced stages, may find that God keeps them in Jesus' presence by His power, and their job is to cooperate with this grace. And others will make an ongoing act of love by maintaining a "sense of the presence of Jesus" all during the day.

In words of transforming spiritual power flowing from "The Imitation of Christ:"

"Blessed is the soul who hears the Lord Jesus Christ speaking within her, who receives the word of consolation from His lips. Blessed are the ears that catch the accents of divine whispering, and pay no heed to the murmurings of this world. Blessed indeed are the ears that listen, not to the voice which sounds without, but to the truth which teaches within. Blessed are the eyes which are closed to exterior things and are fixed upon those which are interior. Blessed are they who penetrate inwardly, who try daily to prepare themselves more and more to understand mysteries. Blessed are they who long to give their time to God, and who cut themselves off from the hindrances of the world.

"Consider these things, my soul, and close the door of your senses, so that you can hear what Jesus speaks within you. "I am your salvation," says your Beloved. "I am your peace and your life. Remain with Me and you will find peace. Dismiss all passing things and seek the eternal. What are all temporal things but snares? And what help will all creatures be able to give you if you are deserted by Me?" Leave all these things, therefore, and make yourself pleasing and faithful to Jesus so that you may attain to true happiness.

"Blessed is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things.

"Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened.

"Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail.

"Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another -- He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you.

"You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for "all flesh is grass" and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away.

"You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself -- to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do."

"When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation.

"Did not Mary Magdalen rise at once from her weeping when Martha said to her: 'The Master is come, and calleth for thee"?[13] Happy is the hour when Jesus calls one from tears to joy of spirit.

"How dry and hard you are without Jesus! How foolish and vain if you desire anything but Him! Is it not a greater loss than losing the whole world? For what, without Jesus, can the world give you? Life without Him is a relentless hell, but living with Him is a sweet paradise. If Jesus be with you, no enemy can harm you.

"He who finds Jesus finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above every good, whereas he who loses Him loses more than the whole world. The man who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor, whereas no one is so rich as the man who lives in His grace.

"It is a great art to know how to converse with Jesus, and great wisdom to know how to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you. You may quickly drive Him away and lose His grace, if you turn back to the outside world. And, if you drive Him away and lose Him, to whom will you go and whom will you then seek as a friend? You cannot live well without a friend, and if Jesus be not your friend above all else, you will be very sad and desolate. Thus, you are acting foolishly if you trust or rejoice in any other. Choose the opposition of the whole world rather than offend Jesus. Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love. Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake.

"Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love for He alone, of all friends, is good and faithful. For Him and in Him you must love friends and foes alike, and pray to Him that all may know and love Him.

"Never desire special praise or love, for that belongs to God alone Who has no equal. Never wish that anyone's affection be centered in you, nor let yourself be taken up with the love of anyone, but let Jesus be in you and in every good man. Be pure and free within, unentangled with any creature.

"You must bring to God a clean and open heart if you wish to attend and see how sweet the Lord is. Truly you will never attain this happiness unless His grace prepares you and draws you on so that you may forsake all things to be united with Him alone.

"When the grace of God comes to a man he can do all things, but when it leaves him he becomes poor and weak, abandoned, as it were, to affliction. Yet, in this condition he should not become dejected or despair. On the contrary, he should calmly await the will of God and bear whatever befalls him in praise of Jesus Christ, for after winter comes summer, after night, the day, and after the storm, a great calm."(Thomas a Kempis, "Imitation of Christ," Ch.8)