The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
SIMPLICITY of contemplation
One of the characteristics I learned about contemplation as practiced by the Cistercian monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit (Trappist) is that of simplicity. Like so many of the attributes that have influenced me, simplicity is one of those hidden gems that are right in front of me but hidden, due to my lack of awareness. Other attributes about seeking God each day where I am, are: balance, silence, solitude, repetition, consistency, When sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I try to use all of these attributes along with the charisms of humility and obedience to Christ.
- Simplicity is seeking to love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength and your neighbor as yourself.
- Simplicity means not falling into the trap of thinking that all I have to do is pray, pray, pray, multiple times and those prayers will make me holy. This is keeping the letter of the law without the transformative power deep within each time we reach out to the Father with our minds and hearts. Simplicity is the awareness that I must pray as though everything depends upon God but work each day as though everything depends on me.
- Simplicity is the skill needed to sit on a park bench in the dead of Winter and long for Christ to sit next to you. You don’t presuppose that God will sit down with you just because you asked Him to do so. That is pride.
- Simplicity is being aware that life on earth must be converted to God time by the “conversio morae” of your life each day.
- Simplicity of life means each day is its own lifetime. You have control of the now by the choices you make.
- Simplicity is realizing that God is One, but that One contains all of reality in one moment, beyond space and time that we know.
- Simplicity is Faith that the words of Our Lord are true, Hope that there is a Resurrection, and Love as a result of our helping others through good works.
- Simplicity of lifestyle means THINGS are not important. Love is important.
- Simplicity means you seek to abandon all trappings that would distract you from focusing only on having in you the mind of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)
- Simplicity is continuously evaluating the meaning of the World against the love of Christ.
Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be given to you. I have found this sign of contradiction to be true.
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The Center for contemplative practice 