We are living contemplatively when:

 

We purposefully engage in activities intended to deepen our relationship with ourselves, God, others and nature.

We are conscious of how our decisions, actions and use of time affect each of our relationships.

We see how our relationships are all interrelated and integrated and see God in each of them.

We take personal responsibility for each of our relationships.

Our relationships determine our life's goals and become the measure of our success.

We are not distracted by meaningless activity and our active life does not suffocate our contemplative nature.

We see through "the illusion of separateness;" acknowledge and amend whatever we do that alienates us from our true self, each other, nature and God; and recognize that "we are already one."

Our spiritual/contemplative life becomes one with our active daily life.

We regularly spend time in silent reflection, solitude, contemplative dialogue or other contemplative practices.

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.


© 2009 The Merton Institute for Contemplative Living

Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identify, our own destiny. We are free beings and sons of God. This means to say that we should not passively exist, but actively participate in His creative freedom, in our own lives, and in the lives of others, by choosing the truth. To put it better, we are even called to share with God the work of creating the truth of our identity.

Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
 

 

Frank Peabody, artist
The Merton Institute Board