I was thinking about Catherine of Sienna yesterday, specifically her comments on doing all things prayerfully. It all seems so unattainable -- and even unrealistic -- to me. For instance, how do you drive prayerfully? I guess the question of the last few days has been:
"Is it possible for a guy living in the 21st century, with a family, job, mortgage, and car payments to reach any sort of level of contemplation?"
But I remind myself that true contemplation isn't an escape from the world. Just like with Abraham, Moses, the Desert Fathers (and Mothers) a person that makes contact with God becomes more engaged in "real life."
Sigh. I know all about real life. I find myself very distracted by my work right now. There never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything I would like, and I find myself continually wrestling with distracting thoughts even in the evening and on weekends.
It has occurred to me in writing this that I am very contemplative: I contemplate problems, the things that stress me, people that piss me off, my failures, and all sorts of crises real and imagined. If only God could be as present to me as my current distractions and trials... I'd be the new Thomas Merton, I guess...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment