Revisiting Contemplative Renewal

I have long believed there is a kind of contemplative renewal occurring in the Church. From where I sit, I've seen an ever growing body of evidence that this is the case. An increase of Eucharistic adoration, a re-focus on the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, an emphasis on Divine Mercy, interests in contemplative prayer and monastic life and silent retreats. So many things make me think this has all been growing, hidden, in the darkness of a world increasingly confused about Truth.

This renewal has not arrived with the fire and exuberance of some other movements.  It is growing in a quiet, hidden way. 

One cannot make this sort of thing happen here or there or anywhere; one can only be a yes to God and make oneself available.  And one "yes" - one unconditional, unqualified yes to the will of God - can reverberate throughout the whole earth.  I believe we are seeing fruits of some of these yeses, this very day.

Tough times produce tough yeses. These yeses may not be spoken in the midst of great emotion.  They may be uttered in the pain of darkness, or with the sting of aridity, or with the apprehension of knowing that those who stand for the Truth of Christ are often scorned and looked down upon.  This in itself makes the yeses unconditional. I think the blooms of contemplative renewal are being spotted here, and there, across the earth.  They have been growing hidden, their roots spreading deep under the soil.

It is a struggle to get these words down, for I suspect they sound a bit dramatic.  But in 1995 I made an attempt to speak of this to a priest, a man (now deceased) who traveled the world teaching the Truth of Christ.  He responded:  "you write of a 'contemplative renewal.'  Yes.  We are shoots of a larger growth - of the Spirit - coming up everywhere.  There is hope.  It is He."  

Those looking for fanfare and accolades for their opinions don't pay much attention to little clumps of flowers here and there.  But little clumps of pray-ers, rooted securely in the Church, are the ones God has always used to hold the fertile soil of His world together.    

Yes, there is hope.  It is He.



This is a repost from our archives. It is linked to Reconciled To You and Theology Is A Verb for 'It's Worth Revisiting Wednesday.'  



Text not in quotes © N Shuman.
thecloisteredheart.org

Full Truth and Nothing But..

As we look at "contemplative renewal," we do well to remember that all authentic renewal will line up with Scripture and Church teaching.  Anything falling short of this is not truth.  Oh, it may have some elements of truth embedded in it, but anything falling short of full truth is not the God-given contemplative renewal to which we are referring.

I mention this because, as most of us know all too painfully, the world holds forth a lot of "artificial light" at present.  It can be tough, at times, to discern.  For anyone wondering what I mean, I will include a few links at the end of this post.  

And as for me, for years I've engaged in discussions of real vs. artificial "light." The following are excerpts from a few of my letters:

1993:  I think people get into pseudo mysticism because they are literally starved for genuine contact with God.  But there are "systems of mysticism" that do not require God to be God.  They allow us to feel "mystical" without having to be accountable to Another and to surrender to Him unconditionally.  They allow us to do things our way rather than His way, and that is why a key element in the cloistered heart way of life is the acceptance of God's right to be God.  The only door into enclosure of the heart is the doorway of surrender to God.  And this surrender must be to the Person of God, to the Real God Who is revealed to us in Scripture and Church teaching.

1994:  What falls under the heading "new age" promises much without asking much of us.  We are urged to look into self.  We are encouraged to improve self.  We are not asked to die to self.  There is no exhortation to take up one's cross daily and follow Jesus.  And so there is the promise of the supernatural realm without the cost Jesus asks of us:  that of our very lives.  It is why the convenience of artificial light, light which shows the ingenuity of man, can be more appealing than fire that invites one to sacrifice self in the flame.

1995:  The contemplative renewal is about souls that proclaim Jesus Christ as our only Lord.  We do this proclaiming in prayer, in word, in deeds of love and mercy.  We adore the Lord and we "stand in the gap" for those who do not adore Him.  We speak of Truth to those who may not hear it from anyone else.  We stand in the midst of artificial light, carrying our humble flames of God's love and truth and mercy, and we cannot exchange them for anything less no matter how much the less may glitter.  May the renewal of contemplative love and truth and fire springing up here and there throughout the world continue on; may it light a world that does not even know it's steeped in darkness.

May our zeal to carry this flame never be drowned in compromise in all the years to come.. this is our prayer.  To pray for this and to work for it with every fiber of our being - this is our call.

Links:  

Dangers of New Age Movement  

Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life

Text not in quotes © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org      

Contemplative Renewal

I have long believed there is a kind of contemplative renewal occurring in the Church.  From where I sit, I see an ever growing body of evidence that this is indeed the case.  An increase of Eucharistic adoration... a re-focus on the Hearts of Jesus and Mary... an emphasis on Divine Mercy... interests in contemplative prayer and silent retreats.  So many things make me think this all has been growing, hidden, right in the midst of a world that seems increasingly more confused about the Truth of God.

This has not arrived with the fire and exuberance of some other renewal movements.  It grew in a quieter, more hidden way.  Like contemplative prayer itself, this is "infused."

One cannot make this sort of thing happen here or there or anywhere; one can only be a yes to God and make oneself available.  And one "yes" - one unconditional, unqualified yes to the will of God - can reverberate throughout the whole earth.  I believe we are seeing fruits of some of these yeses, this very day.

Tough times produce tough yeses. These yeses may not be spoken in the midst of great emotion.  They may be uttered in the pain of darkness, or with the sting of aridity, or with the apprehension of knowing that those who stand for the Truth of Christ are often scorned and looked down upon.  This in itself makes the yeses unconditional.

I think the blooms of contemplative renewal are being spotted here, and there... across the earth.  They have been growing hidden, their roots spreading under the soil.  The gentle grace of contemplative renewal does not receive notice from many; only from those who have eyes to see and patience to wait upon God.

It is a struggle to get these words down, for I suspect they sound a bit dramatic.  But in 1995 I made an attempt to speak of this to a priest, a man (now deceased) who traveled the world teaching the Truth of Christ.  He responded:  "you write of a 'contemplative renewal.'  Yes.  We are shoots of a larger growth - of the Spirit - coming up everywhere.  There is hope.  It is He."  

Those looking for fanfare and accolades for their opinions don't pay much attention to little clumps of flowers here and there.  But little clumps of pray-ers, rooted securely in the Church, are the ones God has ALWAYS used to hold the fertile soil of His world together.    

There is indeed hope.  It is He.

Text not in quotes © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org      

Illustration: Dendrobium anosmum Blanco, in US public domain due to age