Egalitarianism in the Post-Christian World
Contemplation in a Chaotic World
When St. Dominic Guzman formed the Order of Preachers in 1216, he established four pillars to define the lives of Dominicans everywhere and always: prayer, study, community, and apostolic works.
This way of life was different from other religious orders in that it balanced the contemplative life with the active life.
This kind of balance is something absolutely necessary for us to be “in the world, but not of it.”
From the grip of decline, in tribalism, and absolute subhumanization, we need a place to grow silent, to reflect upon the will of God, and constantly discern our purpose.
We face the Enemy in today’s world, so much more complex as we have grown complex. So many more things and so many more challenges exist to distract us from our noble purpose. But the Enemy is the same and our armor is the same.
Contemplation allows us to drink of God’s goodness as we remember things said and done, which have taught us how to live and to lead us to salvation.
Still, our own contemplation is not the end result. St. Thomas Aquinas, probably the greatest, though humblest, Dominican to ever live and a true Doctor of the Church wrote: “Contemplare et contemplate aliis trader,” or, “to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of contemplation.”
When we look to contemplation – which is different from meditation – we seek to listen to God and rise to a higher plane of understanding of the economy of salvation.
To contemplate means to perceive spiritually and the classic progression was: reading, prayer, meditation, and contemplation.
The focus of Dominican contemplation is Truth, hence the motto of the order – Veritas.
Our contemplation places Divine Truth in front of all of our issues of the day, both simple ones and complex ones.
Answers we find become part of our apostolic works, for friars, it’s preaching, for sisters, it’s apostolic works in convents, schools, and such places as immigration centers where justice is sought. For the laity, it is everywhere else: the marketplace, the school, the stadium, or the statehouse.
The Pillar of Study nourishes our contemplation because the works of philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others provide more for the contemplation of Divine Truth, and more for us to apply in a chaotic world.
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About the Author
I received my BA in English in 1976, and my MFA in Creative Writing in 1996, from Arizona State University. I teach creative writing at Rio Salado College and I have taught at both the University of Phoenix and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. I am also the literary critic for the local Catholic newspaper. Currently, I am the author of 18 books covering an array of subjects from poetry, psychology, religion, fiction, and the process of writing. I co-authored three of these books, and have a new book out. I was the administrator of an international prize in poetry.
I am a life-professed Lay Dominican and two of my books were on the Order of Preachers.
I retired in 2006 from the telecommunications industry after 28 years with Qwest Communications and have extensive, award-winning experience in business and creative writing, and received a national award in journalism from the AFL-CIO.
I enjoy amateur astronomy, woodworking, contemplating quantum mechanics. I am an avid shooter, photographer, a concrete sculptor, and am a voracious reader. I recently bought a motorcycle and tried to learn how to surf.
My writing website is: http://bobcurtis.webs.com/
