THE SECOND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION
Meditation reflects in detail and, as it were, piece by piece on the objects which are suitable to move us. Contemplation makes a simple and concentrated gaze[1] on the object it loves. Reflection thus unified also makes a movement more active and strong. We can look at the beauty of a precious crown in two ways: either we can see all the Jewels and all the precious stones of which it is composed one by one, or after thus considering all the particular details, gaze at the whole work with a simple and single view. The first is like meditation in which we reflect, for example, on the effects of divine mercy to urge us to love it. The second is similar to contemplation in which we gaze with a single steady act of our spirit all the variety of the same effects as a single beauty. This beauty is composed of all these pieces which form a single brilliant splendour. In meditation we count as it were the divine perfections we see in a mystery. In contemplating, we make of them a total sum.
The companions of the sacred spouse had asked her what kind of a person was her Beloved. She answers them by describing wonderfully all the aspects of his perfect beauty: his colour is radiant and ruddy, his head is of gold. His locks are like a bunch of flowers of the palm tree not yet fully blossomed. His eyes are of the dove, his cheeks are like the small patterns or squares and beds in a garden. His lips are like lilies sprinkled with all scents. His hands are ringed with jacinthes. His legs are like columns of marbles. Thus she meditates on his supreme beauty in detail till she concludes in the manner of a contemplation: His speech is, she says, very sweet, and he is altogether desirable. Such is my Beloved, and he is my friend (Song 5:9-16).
Meditation is like one who smells a pink, then a rose, then a rosemary, thyme, jasmine, orange-flower one after another each separately. Contemplation is similar to one who smells the liquid perfume distilled from all these flowers. For the second person receives in one single fragrance all the scents combined which the first had smelt separately and distinctly. There is no doubt that the single scent coming from the combination of all these fragrances is sweeter and more precious than the scents of which it is made up and smelt separately one after another. So the divine Bridegroom appreciates very much that his beloved spouse looks at him with the single glance of an eye. He desires that her hair be so dressed that it appears to be only one hair (Song 4:9). What is it to look at the Bridegroom with a single glance of an eye? It is to see him with a simple, attentive gaze, without multiplying looks. What is it to have the hairs so plaited together? It is not to scatter her thoughts on a variety of reflections.
Oh, how happy are those who reflect on the numerous motives they have to love God. Then they reduce all their glances into a single gaze and all their thoughts into a conclusion, still their spirit in the unity of contemplation. In this they follow the example of St. Augustine or St. Bruno, pronouncing secretly in their spirit by a lasting admiration these loving words: O goodness, goodness! O goodness ever ancient and ever new! We have the example of St. Francis of Assisi. He knelt down in prayer and passed the whole night with these words: O God, you are “my God and my all" repeating insistently and continuously, as narrated by blessed Brother Bernard de Quinteval who had heard them with his own ears.
Look at St. Bernard, Theotimus. He had meditated on the passion [of Christ] point by point. Then he put together all the main points and made a bouquet of loving sorrow. He placed it on his heart to change his meditation into contemplation. He exclaimed: My Beloved is a bouquet of myrrh to me (Song 1:13). See still more devoutly the Creator of the world. First of all, he went about meditating on the goodness of his works, piece by piece, separately as he saw them created. He saw, says scripture, that the light was good, that the sky and the earth were good. Then he saw the grass, the plants, the sun, the moon and the stars, the animals, in short, all the creatures as he created them one after another, till finally the whole universe was completed (Gn 1). Then divine meditation, so to say, changed into contemplation. Looking at the whole goodness that was in his work with a single glance of his eye, he saw, says Moses, everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good (Gn 1:31). The pieces considered separately as in meditation were good. But seen all together in one gaze, they were found very good. Many streams joined together form a river. It carries heavier cargoes than the numerous streams could ever do.
We are moved by a number of different pious emotions through the variety of reflections that make up meditation. After these, in the end we gather together the strength of all these emotions. The mixing up and combination of their energies produce a certain quintessence of affection. This affection is more active and more powerful than all the affections from which it proceeds. In so far as it is only one, it combines the virtue and qualities of all the rest and is called contemplative affection.
So, theologians are of opinion that angels raised higher in glory have a much more simple knowledge of God than those of a lower rank. The concepts or ideas through which they see are more universal. What the less perfect angels see through many concepts and different sights, the more perfect see through less concepts and less ideas. The great St. Augustine, followed by St. Thomas, says that in heaven we would not have these great successions, varieties, changes and recurrences of thoughts and reflections. “These come and come again from object to object and from one thing to another. Hence with a single thought we could be attentive to the variety of things" and receive knowledge of them. Certainly, in proportion as the water flows away from its source, it divides and scatters itself into streams, if we do not keep them together with great care. The perfections separate themselves and divide themselves in the measure they are far from God who is their source. When they approach the source they unite themselves till they are lost in this supremely unique perfection. This is the unity necessary and the better part chosen by Mary which will not be taken away from her (Lk10:42).
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[1] The French Text: Une vue simple et ramassee. The French word vue means sight, eyesight, eyes view, survey, insight, penetration; ramassee means thick set, compact. Its verbal form ramasser means to collect, to gather; ramasser toutes ses forces means to muster all ones strength. We have translated the text as “a simple concentrated gaze.” This is to be understood in its deeper sense as a simple loving gaze in which there is penetration, insight. In contemplation the experience of the loving presence of God makes the soul muster all its strength and turn to God in a simple concentrated gaze. Gaze is more lasting than look. Gaze does not mean looking at God as outside of us but gazing at God deep within us.