Daily Reading for June 17
Being attentive to God in prayer does not eliminate the distractions and conflicts of life, nor the hard work and responsibilities we share with so many others, but it does put these experiences solidly within the perspective of our relationship with God. We sort them out by looking at the reality of God and respond to them as we are able to discern God’s desires for the world. Our response becomes a compassionate and responsible activism wherein we are freed from self-interest through the clear, constant, and transforming experience of God. Contemplation and meditation make shared action with God possible. This was a constant desire in Jesus’ life. He called those who were willing to follow him to a mutual vocation of compassion. The fullness of who we are will unfold in our emptiness and become manifest in our work. Just as the dawn cannot be rushed, so is the dawn of our fullness in God.
The energy within personal prayer and action flows in two directions. Action, as well as contemplation, is a context in which we meet God and become aware of God’s desires for ourselves and for the world. Our active lives give a sense of integrity to our contemplative experience by preventing it from becoming self-centered and bringing it to life in our work and relationships. Contemplation in a world of action does not mean blending together two completely separate aspects of our lives. These two always work together even though we may emphasize one or the other at different times or even neglect one for the other. They are as inseparable as breathing in and breathing out in one harmonious rhythm that makes us fully alive.
From Come and See: The Transformation of Personal Prayer by David Keller. Copyright © 2009. Used by permission of Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. www.morehousepublishing.com