Becoming contemplatives in action

BECOMING CONTEMPLATIVES IN ACTION

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            After a long day’s work, the need for a time of relaxation becomes a great need. What is striking about this phenomenon is that in order for this to happen, one must make it possible by deliberately setting aside some time for unwinding. Contemplation is something like that. We can get lost in the midst of our work and at the end of the day, all our energy is gone.

            It is said that in science there is a law that states, “Anything left to its self will tend towards equilibrium.” Metal is supposed to possess a certain quality of elasticity. A given amount of stress or tension can be applied to a piece of metal and unless the metal is over-stressed  it will again assume its original shape. The breaking point or the rupture stage is reached when the limit of elasticity is surpassed. To refrain from stretching a metal beyond the limits of its endurance requires a certain discipline. Achieving a balance between apostolic endeavours and the desire for prayer requires discipline as well.

            If I allow my profession to take precedence, a breaking point will be reached – the result being a distorted Christian existence. It takes some slowing down and much reflectiveness to remind one’s self that Christ is calling me to build my house not on the shifting sands of success but on the rock of recollection. This, in other words, means that prayer must be the mainstay of my professional and apostolic life. The many seemingly wasted moments that arise in an activity – filled day can be times to regain a sense of primary commitment. These in - between moments may be a bridge to inwardness. Once my presence becomes centered in the Divine Presence, moments of contemplative communion become the entertaining ground of service, just as good soil causes a garden to flourish.

            Generally, when the topic of “Contemplatives in action” comes up, we tend to associate it with religious life but it is not so. Contemplation is universal. It is not just mere meditation or excluding one’s self from reality or becoming a hermit. Each of us, in as much as we are called to carry out our various responsibilities in the world, we are called to look at ourselves inwardly for this is what will help us cultivate the sense of balance spiritually which will also make us human as persons.


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