Holiness for Everyone by Eric Sammons

Author:Eric Sammons [Sammons, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sunday Visitor
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

BUILDING A SAINTLY LIFE

Chapter 6

Be a Contemplative in the Midst of the World

When a young man or woman has discerned a call to the religious life, one of the first things to be considered is what type of religious life will be chosen: contemplative or active? Contemplative orders typically spend a great deal of time in prayer; often cloistered, their primary focus is praying for the needs of the world. Active orders, on the other hand, are more directly devoted to works of charity outside the monastery or convent. These orders, of course, dedicate much time to prayer, but their mission is to perform some service for the Church or the world. Both types of orders have benefited the Church immensely over the centuries, and both have led many people to live lives of holiness.

Lay people, naturally, are not divided into two different groups. With various responsibilities, such as work and family, they are not able to devote many hours each day to prayer like the contemplative orders do. So it might be surprising that St. Josemaría loved to say that lay people are called to be "contemplatives in the midst of the world." He wrote, "The street does not get in the way of our contemplative life; the hubbub of the world is, for us, a place for prayer." Even though most people cannot lead what would traditionally be called a "contemplative" life, St. Josemaría was convinced nonetheless that every Christian is called to be a contemplative. Conversation with God was not something to be restricted to certain times and places, but was instead something that could and should — be done anywhere and anytime.

Live a Life of Prayer

The fuel that powers a life of sanctity is the interior life — a life of prayer. It is simply not possible to work toward Christ's desire that we "be perfect" as our Father in heaven is perfect (see Mt 5:48) without a strong interior life. The Sermon on the Mount begins by describing what a life of holiness should look like, climaxing with the command to be perfect (see Mt 5). But immediately following this description of a holy life, Christ details what the proper interior life looks like (see Mt 6). He states, "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Mt 6:6) and "when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Mt 6:16-18). In other words, a relationship with God is primarily an interior one — it is not something we robe

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