Finding True Happiness by Fr. Robert J. Spitzer

Author:Fr. Robert J. Spitzer [Spitzer, Fr. Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9781681496559
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2015-03-30T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Contemplation in Action

Introduction

In the previous chapter we saw how the Church community provides a dynamic encounter with God through the avenues of worship, learning, and service. Yet as powerful and sustaining as this encounter is, the Church does not exhaust the ways in which we can deepen our relationship with God. Building on worship, learning, and service in the Church, we can initiate a life of personal prayer, leading to personal intimacy as well as spiritual conviction and leadership.

There are three major ways in which personal prayer can help us to know God, follow His guidance, imitate Him, and deepen our relationship with Him: contemplation (discussed in this chapter), divine inspiration and guidance (discussed in Chapter 8), and interior transformation through the Examen Prayer (discussed in Chapter 9). Many readers may not have the time to utilize all three of these ways of praying, but I would suggest that readers try each of these prayer forms and make a decision about what makes most sense. Some readers may want to start with one prayer form and then add a second or third prayer form after they have become accustomed to the first. In my view, most readers will be able to benefit from the discussion on divine inspiration and guidance (Chapter 8) because the techniques explained truly can be transformative without requiring additional time commitments.

I. Simple Contemplation

Contemplative prayer is an intentional means of explicitizing and deepening our relationship with God. If Rahner’s fundamental thesis is correct, then this relationship is initiated at the very moment of our existence and constitutes a transcendent invitation within our consciousness. According to this view, prayer brings about the fulfillment not only of our interpersonal and transcendent nature, but everything about us. If we do not pray, we deny ourselves an important way of relating to our best friends.

Prayer should not be thought of as a particular method or technique (though one may have some favorite prayers or methods of prayer). It is most efficacious when it deepens our awareness of God’s presence and love and enables us to communicate and interrelate with the Being who has not only opened Himself to us, but has done so in unconditional love. There are two preliminary steps in beginning a life of simple contemplative prayer: our image of God and making common prayers contemplative.

II. Our Image of God

Our image of God lies at the foundation of contemplation, because the objective of contemplation is to strengthen and deepen a relationship with the loving God, and if our image of God is incommensurate with empathy, love, and relationship, then contemplation becomes useless or even counterproductive. We can invent many false notions of God that are inconsistent with Jesus’ revelation of His loving Father. Most of these images make contemplation into a source of fear rather than love, and into stoic discipline rather than empathy and joy—precisely the opposite of what Jesus intended when He encouraged His disciples to address His Father as “Abba” (“Daddy”—affectionate, gentle, loving Father). Some

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