In 1948, Thomas Merton wrote that contemplation is the highest expression of intellectual and spiritual life. Contemplation is life itself—fully awake, fully active, fully aware of being alive. Contemplation is spiritual wonder— spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. Contemplation is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent, and infinitely abundant Source. Contemplation is above all, awareness of the reality of that Source.

     Contemplation knows the Source—obscurely, inexplicably, and with a certitude that goes beyond reason and simple faith. It is a more profound depth of faith, a knowledge too deep to be grasped in images, words, or even clear concepts (Merton, What Is Contemplation?).