The choice of the time and duration of the prayer [practice] arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. -CCC 2710
Contemplation itself is a pure grace, a gift of God freely and generously given. It may seem counterintuitive then, to find the Catechism of the Catholic Church suggesting that our practice “arises from a determined will.” While we don’t control contemplation, nor anticipate or expect anything from it, we do have a part to play: keep showing up! God can give the gift of contemplation when, where, and as God chooses, but the gift is far more readily received, assimilated, and enjoyed by once consciously carving out the time and space for it in the heart. Contemplation is the ultimate surrender the God’s will; the prayer practice is the intentional yielding of our own will to invite God into that space. It is important for that invitation to be regularly renewed. As we grow spiritually, we will find our commitment to contemplative practice tested, not only by the external demands and distractions of life, but by the internal surprise and awe of God continually outgrowing and shedding our preconceived ideas of the Divine. The temptation to cling to old habits and ways of thinking will present, and it is then that we must be most determined “not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter.”