WE ARE CALLED TO BE CONTEMPLATIVES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD.
As Christians, we have a call from God to follow a definite road, that of being on all of the world’s crossroads while being immersed in God. Our Lord told us to be the leaven, salt and light of the world, so as to give light, flavour, volume and growth.
As St. Josemaria preached:
our vocation as sons and daughters of God in his Work leads us to have a contemplative life amidst all human activities.
We have to be light, salt and leaven, through our prayer, mortification and our religious and professional training. We feel a desire that has to become a reality: the more we are in the middle of the world, the more we desire to belong to God. How many souls we must bring him!
Since it is supernatural, this apostolic work cannot be carried out unless we use the supernatural means: prayer, work, mortification, cheerfulness and other virtues that lead us to the fullness of Christian life in the world. They lead us always to act in an understanding way, so that we never feel indifferent towards anybody; to keep silent when necessary, sowing joy and peace, avoiding the passion and violence of fanatics, and striving to create a calm, charitable atmosphere around us. Omnia vestra in caritate fiant. May you do everything charitably.
Charity, love: this is the key to becoming contemplatives in the middle of our work in the world. If we are motivated by the love of God and we work with a right intention, then we are seeking whatever is good and clean, whatever brings peace to our conscience and happiness to our soul. Yes, you might say, but don’t we still have our faults? Indeed, but it is precisely by acknowledging our faults that we are able to see, more clearly than ever, just what our goal has to be. What we are looking for is happiness; not a momentary happiness, but one that is deep and lasting and both human and supernatural.
There is one creature who achieved such happiness here on earth because she is God’s masterpiece: our most holy Mother Mary. She lives now and is protecting us. She is there, body and soul, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Mother Mary, help us to be most supernatural when we are most engrossed in earthly affairs; to be in God’s presence while we are travelling, at work, and interacting with others, since the purpose of our life is to place the world at the feet of your Son, Jesus Christ.
With God’s grace and your intercession and example, may we strive to be immersed in God while we carry out our daily tasks, done for love of God and the people you have placed by our side. This is what to be a contemplative in the middle of the world means, and this is our calling from God.
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