Day 7: Contemplation

Contemplation is a muddy word. What does it mean? Maybe most of us imagine it being like a “deep pondering” where we can get existential about our lives, but in my experience, it isn’t that melodramatic. This is my second year being a simply professed Capuchin friar, and let me tell you, contemplation is a major part of my life. So, maybe we can break it down together for Advent.

If you have the time to read some of the great spiritual writers of the Church, you’ll find a whole lot of “mystical imagery,” like visions of God, the Blessed Mother, and other Saints. None of that, strictly speaking, is contemplation though. However, what they all have in common is that the Saints practiced contemplation daily. To “contemplate” is something that each of us are capable of doing if we are willing to put the work in. Not only would I argue that it’s a good way to prepare for Christmas, but it also takes your prayer life to the next level!

I find that most days when I am swamped with school or ministry, my mind is racing and I become “anxious about many things.” (Lazarus’ sister, “Martha” comes to mind.) Ironically, it is through reflecting on these moments that I realize I should throw myself into contemplation more intentionality.

In Pope Francis’ Amoris Laetitia, he draws particular attention to the Holy Family: “Like the Magi, our families are invited to contemplate the Child and his Mother, to bow down and worship him (cf. Mt 2:11).” I’m going to assume that the Holy Father is inviting us to go beyond the mere “fond thinking” of the event. Contemplation should cut to the bone; it leads us to a state of intimacy more immersive than our present reality can provide. 

I don’t see contemplation as a simple exercise of imagination, but the practice of a humble and docile surrender to welcome the presence of the Living God into our lives. When we meditate on the Holy Family, we must go boldly into the scene in a dialogue with the miracle of miracles: God made flesh. We ponder in our hearts, the dignity and immense love for which the Christ child has for his tender loving mother. We can stand with the humble yet devoted St. Joseph, and mirror the profound closeness he has to contemplate this family that we are now a part of.

 St. Claire of Assisi has her own method of contemplation: “Gaze → Consider → Contemplate → Imitate.” If we follow her lead, we can gaze before what we are awaiting with anxious anticipation: the Nativity of the Savior. We look at a million things everyday online, but this gazing asks us to be still in both body and soul. We consider what we now see, imagining not just the “silent night” of Christmas, but the threat of the darkness of this world coming after the source of our greatest hope: a darkness still felt in our world today. Greater still, through this honest consideration, we find a great solace in the fact that nothing can overcome our King. Now we contemplate the icon of the Family, going from the many worries and anxieties that surround us, to the pure, simple, and divine. We take onto ourselves the image of the Holy Family present in our own families here and around the world. And as good Franciscan spirituality will point to, our contemplative prayer should lead us to imitate the One who we contemplate here: Christ the newborn Savior. 

As our loving God becomes incarnate after our long Advent of waiting, our imitation of Him should be “incarnational” in the way we love our human family. We don’t just welcome those familiar, but the outcast and the stranger as well. The peace and closeness we experience in contemplation of the Holy Family, is meant to be incarnated in the love we offer to others. As we learn to welcome Christ through our contemplation, we learn to welcome our sisters and brothers who still live outside the inn of our hearts. God will take care of the rest as you learn to rest in Him.

Question for Reflection: How do you see contemplative prayer drawing you closer to Christ and to Him present in others this Advent?

Br. Sam Roberts is a Capuchin Franciscan Friar studying at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is currently a graduate student of theology in the M.Div program and is in his second year of simple vows. He loves to hone his passion for videography and photography through the @capuchincollegefriars Instagram page as well as creating videos for the Capuchin Province of St. Augustine. He enjoys time out with his Franciscan brothers, hiking, skiing, film criticism, and playing the bass. His current ministry involves visiting patients as a student chaplain in the hospital.