Why contemplation?Lutherans have more of a traditional of service -- action -- than of contemplation. But even before we know what service to take up, we have to have the interior space to sort out our thoughts and feelings, to reconnect to the deeply held values which must be the foundation for any action. And people don't have a chance to do that these days; modern society is too noisy for most people to hear themselves think. So people develop a habit of shutting out everything that is overstimulating, from stuff that comes in over radio and TV to other people on the street. This is the source of the "decreasing attention span" and the "compassion burnout" one hears about and experiences.There is a hunger in our modern society for peace, especially among people who have been led to believe that the answer to all their problems -- including the spiritual sickness caused by overconsumption -- is in buying yet another product or service. Whose lives, for instance, are so fractured and busy that the logical thing to do seems to be to purchase cellular phone service and an electronic organizer in hopes that these gadgets will resolve the conflicting demands for their time and energy. People who are starting to reject such solutions need real alternatives, and an enhanced prayer life which gives people a chance to quiet themselves and listen to God is such an alternative. It gives people the chance to replace an overstimulated, decreasing attention span with a singular focus on God's word; it allows them to shut off the clamoring voices of the media and listen to the one voice that can be trusted. The quiet is not for its own sake -- although in itself quiet is a real gift to people nowadays -- but to make a space for God to speak to them through the Word. Then we are called to action -- to greater compassion, service, humility, sacrificial love. |