"About This Life" (Acts 5:20) # 5
"Contemplative prayer is a communion of love"
(CCC 2719), and it is key for a renewed humanity. As I am renewed through
contemplation I am filled with more of the fullness of the divinity, the life
of Jesus. Thus, I become a converted human being. I become fully human. In
order to become fully human I must be recreated by the Spirit's transforming
love and drawn into the Trinitarian life. I can only be fully human in as much
as I am transformed into the image of Jesus' humanity. I become a new person,
one who is in communion both with God and others through Jesus.
As I gaze upon Jesus, the "Jewel of
Renewal", in contemplative prayer I change and become more like him. Only a
renewed humanity, which entails a gradual growth into the true humanity of
Jesus, will enable me to see the world as God sees it. Only through a renewed
humanity will the vision and prayer of Jesus come alive within me. Only
contemplative prayer can lead me on this journey of maturity in Jesus. Within
the true humanity of Jesus is found the perfect "eternal relationship of the
Son to the eternal Father" ("Address to the Synod of Bishops in Rome";
Archbishop Rowan Williams, Oct. 10, 2012; p.2, #5).
The gauge of whether my contemplative
experience is true and healthy is based neither upon the words or images that I
may receive while in prayer, nor upon the consoling feelings I may experience
while in contemplation. Rather, the true 'barometer' of healthy contemplative
prayer is found in its fruit: The fruit of compassionate love. This is a
compassion that is reflective of God's Heart of tender love for the world--a
compassionate gaze upon the world. The good fruit of contemplation should also
include a growing self surrender and self forgetfulness resulting in a true freedom reflective
of Jesus in the presence of the Father. This freedom also includes a desire
only for the will of the Father to be done, and for the Father to be made known
above all else.
Scriptures: John 14:23; 2Cr. 5:14-15
Questions:
Am I growing in
compassionate love for others? Am I growing in surrender to God's word, His
will and His way?
