What is the Catholic belief on meditation?

Meditation is an important form of prayer in the Catholic tradition. Catholic meditation differs from some other forms, in that Catholics don't "empty the mind" or "think of nothing"; instead, we meditate on something - usually one of the truths of our salvation while uniting ourselves with God. The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a favorite form of meditation. While repeating the Ave Maria prayer, the one praying focusses the mind and considers in turn one of each of twenty events in the lives of Jesus and of Mary. Using the beads allows one to concentrate on the event, while keeping count of the prayers said, and thus of the time that has passed, before moving on to the next subject in the Rosary.