This week, I turn to the Contemplative Stream, the prayer-filled life. This life of prayer can and does take many forms, though some may have some thoughts already on what this might look like. We may think of monastic communities dedicated to lives of prayer and service. And while that is certainly one example of a way of living a life full of the contemplation of God, it is not the only way to be contemplative.
Thankfully Psalm 63, which is appointed for today, gives us a very good summary of what it means to live a life full of prayer. [Please note the quotations below are from the Common English Bible.]
“My God...I search for you! My whole being thirsts for you!”
The contemplative life begins first and foremost with a longing for God. It is a deep yearning for the presence of God, a thirst that can only be quenched in God’s presence. John of the Cross has described it as “a living thirst…[an] urgent longing of love.”
In the midst of this longing we turn the gaze of our souls toward God.
“Yes, I’ve seen you in the sanctuary; I’ve seen your power and your glory.”
As we turn our gaze to God, as we spend time in prayer and meditation on the Divine mystery, we develop wisdom and discernment. We come to know the will of the Divine not in an intellectual way, but in a deep sense of understanding. Through the contemplative life, we move beyond our intellect alone. We begin to become comfortable with the idea that the relationship with God cannot be defined only in logical and rational ways.
This is not to say that the intellect is problematic. It is easy to fall into a sort of anti-intellectualism when it comes to our experience of God. But in doing so we forget that our ability to learn and to grow and to reason are also gifts from God.
“My lips praise you because your faithful love is better than life itself!”
As we fall deeper into the Divine embrace, we develop a sense of peace. This is not the peace we sometimes seek in our world, peace that is the absence of distress or conflict. Instead this is the peace of the presence of God. Our experience of God’s love is far greater than any conflict that may arise, and we learn to trust in that love we are gifted from God that is a constant presence for us whether we are aware of it or not.
“So I will bless you as long as I’m alive; I will lift up my hands in your name.”
Here in the center of today’s text from Psalm 63, we are reminded that Divine Love rests at the center of the contemplative life. This is both God’s love that is gifted to us all as well as the love we feel and return to God. This love deepens over the course of our lives. At first, the longing and love we feel for God may ebb and flow, but it grows stronger the more we practice this life of prayer.
As we bring ourselves around to prayer again and again, we are reminded of all that God has done for us, and in doing so we find ourselves falling in love with Jesus over and over again.
“I’m fully satisfied - as with a rich dinner.”
This love is not a simplistic love, but an intense, burning, passionate love. This is a love that provides us with all we can ever need, a love that meets all of our needs, a love that burns away all distractions. Once we become aware of the love of God, the imperfect offerings of this world no longer satisfy.
Even so, we must be aware that our desire for God does not become another commodity to be consumed and forgotten. While we may practice the contemplative life as we would exercise our bodies, the goal is to hear God’s love offered for us that we might love others. The exercise itself is not the goal; it has a purpose.
We must also be aware that our attention to God does not become an obsession that completely draws us away from the rest of the world. Just as Jesus frequently took time away for prayer, we also see that these times were used to prepare him for the continuation of his ministry. As we come to know God’s love and relationship more fully we also learn that the love God offers to us is meant to be shared with others.
“My mouth speaks praise with joy on my lips...because you’ve been a help to me and I shout for joy in the protection of your wings.”
God delights in our love and expects the same sort of response from us. As we respond to God’s presence we experience delight, pleasure, friendship, joy, and even playfulness. Teresa of Avila refers to this relationship with God as “an intimate sharing between friends.” Think of how you delight in your friendships with others, how you experience everything from hardship to joy, from sorrow to playfulness. This is the same type of relationship that God seeks with us.
“Whenever I ponder you in my bed, whenever I meditate on you in the middle of the night”
Prayer is about more than just words. Not only does the psalmist speak out in praise, the psalmist lifts up their hands in God’s name. The psalmist ponders God as they lie in bed. The psalmist meditates on God in the middle of the night. The contemplative life is about our attentiveness to God - about turning our attention towards God no matter what we are doing. Whether we are sitting apart in a time of intentional prayer or running errands around town, the contemplative life keeps our focus on God in the midst of everything.
This points to the need to avoid the temptation to permanently remove ourselves from ordinary life. While it is important to take time away from time to time to focus ourselves on prayer, it is just as important to look for God in the midst of our everyday comings and goings. As we learn to seek God everyday, to immerse ourselves in that relationship, we are better able to respond in Christ-like ways regardless of the challenges we encounter.
“My whole being clings to you; your strong hand upholds me.”
This brings us finally to the same goal we have discussed in the midst of the other spiritual streams - the goal of this stream is that we will be transformed in the presence of God. As our focus remains on God we are over time transformed to be more like Jesus. This also leads to Holiness as we discussed a couple of weeks ago.
And, as we are transformed, we also recognize that this is again about God’s action in our lives. There is nothing we can do without God’s grace to make ourselves more holy, there are no gifts or abilities we have that were not given by God, and the love we have for God and one another is a reflection of that love which God has for us.
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