September
2001
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Contemplation
in a World of Action
DAVID KELLER
PRAYER IS OUR limitless experience of God’s presence in life and the ways in which
we respond to that presence. This means that our life is our prayer, not simply our
words or our participation in corporate worship.
God’s presence in every dimension of life continues to bring life into being and
sustains everything in creation. This is the most fundamental and meaningful aspect
of reality. Contemplation, in its variety of forms, is an act of being present to
what is most fundamental in life. Although contemplative experience brings many benefits,
it is primarily a discipline of presence with the Holy One, who loves us and the
world unconditionally. To be in the presence of such love is the womb of our own
compassionate engagement with society.
Contemplation is not a competitor of action. It is not avoidance of life nor a passive
form of self-centeredness. Contemplation and action are two dimensions of fullness
of human life. Contemplation enables and ennobles the mind and heart to be joined
in that inner place where God is present to every human being. In that “inner closet,”
as Jesus of Nazareth reminded us, we experience unconditional love and listen to
God’s desires for ourselves and for the world. This experience of love is the source
of true intimacy and genuine caring.
The discipline of contemplation is the primary opportunity for the transformation
of the world through the transformation of each person who is present and vulnerable
to the Holy One. Contemplation is not only an act of presence, it is a sacrament
of awareness and vision. By emptying ourselves we take the risk of seeing ourselves,
the world and the Holy One through God’s eyes. This vision awakens us to the unity
of all being and the false distinctions that separate us from other people and the
natural world. As we see ourselves and other people through God’s eyes we are reminded,
each time we meditate, of authentic human life. Contemplation mentors us in the vocation
of being human.
If we lose sight of God in all our busyness or self-centeredness, we lose sight
of what it means to be human. As we are able to see the world through God’s eyes
we will learn to value its sacredness and our bond with every aspect of the natural
world. As we learn, through meditation, to see the world as God sees the world, we
will truly become our authentic selves and express passion for the life of the world
as God created it to be. This vision is the voice of God’s Spirit calling us to love
one another as God loves us.
I am convinced that two primary needs in the Western world today are (1) to regain
our awareness of the sacredness of life and (2) to balance our reliance on technology
and material resources with attention to the wisdom present in a variety of world
religious traditions. Awareness of God within and around us is our source of compassion,
responsible living, and justice. We must integrate our desire for progress and solution
to problems with receptiveness and response to the wisdom of God.
The dysfunctions, injustices, and stresses of modern society are all related to
a lack of vision that drives us to be satisfied with superficiality. We have developed
an insatiable appetite to live on the surface of life. As we become more and more
starved for what is fundamental and meaningful in life, we join the frenzy of activity
and desire for material satisfaction that can only dance around what lies at the
center of our being.
The stress of the modern age, its conflicts, its pain, and injustices will not be
overcome by the design of new institutions, the application of greater financial
resources to more innovative programs or more creative strategies for the deployment
of human resources. What is needed is a change in human consciousness–a renewal of
the way we see each other and the world.
This renewed vision, this re-sacralization of life is the heart of contemplation.
In this context, contemplation is crucial to the modern age. It is a giving up of
self to gain one’s self. It is letting go of control in order to become an agent
of transformation. It is totally counter-cultural and at the same time the most practical
need of the modern age.
This is the mission and passion of all who meditate today in a variety of religious
traditions. There is risk in letting go of control and being open to change. Yet
the life of the world depends on the binding of our minds and hearts in the Holy
One, however we perceive what is most fundamental in life. Silence is simultaneously
the greatest need in our world today and the most ecumenical reality we share as
human beings.
David Keller is a Steward of the Episcopal House of Prayer at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota.
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2001 Twin Cities WELLNESS newspaper.
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