Praying in the Midst of Life
Pope John Paul suggested in his 2001 document for Oceania (EO#37) that missionaries ponder the contemplative way of Jesus presented in the opening chapter of Mark’s Gospel. We are told that after a busy round of activities, Jesus went out early in the morning to a quiet place for contemplative prayer.
When his friends went looking for him, Jesus agreed to keep moving. He reminded them that their task was to proclaim a message of good news. As the journey goes on, we are told there were frequent occasions when Jesus found time for contemplative moments. He established a deliberate pattern of prayer in the midst of a busy life on the road.
A contemplative person takes seriously the prayer relationship with God. Contemplation is a reflective exercise, delving into personal experiences related to the idea of God. A first essential step is to profess that God reaches personally in our human lives. Human experience is at the heart of every encounter with God. Contemplative moments are essential in the ongoing quest to acknowledge God in all things.
In the manner of Jesus, Columbans are encouraged to nurture such a contemplative attitude. Our mission spirituality relates to daily experience in the midst of life. Our encounters with the mystery of God happen in the precarious business of promoting life to the full
Rather than try to balance contemplation and action, it is more accurate to pursue contemplation in action. By its very nature contemplation is profoundly ethical. It has never meant flight or evasion from any kind of social, political, or historical responsibility.
Contemplation is not one of the many things we fit into our busy schedules. Prayer is the basic receptive attitude around which we build meaning and vitality for mission. It calls for awareness of self, place, blessings, health, age, reality and concerns in the midst of life.
Fr Michael Gormly is presently at St Columban’s, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
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