Contemplative Living: We Are Already One
We
are living in a time of brokenness and everyone is affected. We see brokenness
in the guiding institutions of society upon which we have always depended to
provide for the common good. We see brokenness in individuals, in our
families, and in our environment. During these distressing times, those whose
lives have been affected by war or by a troubled economy that has created
greater homelessness, unemployment, and poverty, will often seek the inner
strength they need to cope and survive from their spiritual life.
But
the times are also distressing for those who want to do something about these
conditions or who are trying to assist those in need. They, too, seek
inner strength and direction from their spiritual life.
Thomas
Merton saw the "illusion of separateness" in our relationships
as the root cause of the perennial issues confronting humanity. There is
conclusive evidence in our culture, our society and our personal lives to
support his view. In our relationships with people and organizations we
encounter behaviours that create greater separateness: dishonesty,
unfaithfulness, greed, addictions, self-centeredness, violence, and abuse of
power. These behaviours erode the fundamentals that relationships require for
personal and social harmony.
Lasting
solutions will not come from fixing the economy or the healthcare system, nor
from peace treaties or more legislation. Certainly these efforts may help to
alleviate the pain and suffering, but they do not address the root cause. To
address all the manifestations of brokenness and destructive behaviours is
impossible. They are just symptoms of something deeper, something that
can be addressed and needs to be addressed by every person.
We
do not need to invent a new solution. It already exists. It is within each of
us. It entails living contemplatively, that is, in relationships with self,
others, nature and God free of the illusion of separateness. It begins with
oneself, recognizing and amending whatever we do that alienates us from our
true self, each other, nature and God. We are living contemplatively
when:
- We purposefully engage in activities intended to deepen our
relationships.
- We are not distracted by meaningless activity and our active life
does not suffocate our contemplative nature.
- We take personal responsibility for each of our relationships and
are conscious of how our decisions, actions and use of time affect them.
- Our relationships determine our life's goals and become the measure
of our success.
- We find ourselves more concerned with the issues confronting
humanity and less with the mundane concerns of daily life.
- We experience the freedom, joy and love that can only come from
grounding ourselves in our relationships.
"We are already one. But we imagine that we
are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be
is what we are." Thomas Merton
Contemplative living can be taken to an even higher
level of spiritual consciousness. If the soul has encountered previous negative
religious experiences then it becomes locked to the window of opportunity that
God has for that soul. Down through the centuries many individuals who were
introduced to God by their family, have either directly or indirectly
experienced the ‘wrath of clerical religious abuse.’ We only have to look at
our TV screens to see how members of the Abrahamic Community in Jerusalem
Today, there is a real spiritual hunger in all its forms at some stage in our quest for clarity and meaning to ‘who am I;’ ‘where I am going,’ etc in this faith experience.
Why not come and join
me on Livestream where we embrace the healing energies of the Risen Cosmic
Christ and Magdalene to reactivate the soul’s DNA to self heal.
Led by Brother Sean from
12 midnight (GMT );
07.00pm (EST) 4 personal and global
Peace and Insterspiritual Unity.
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