...back to Basics...

…back to Basics…

We have just come from an intense weekend of reflection on contemplation. We have always known it is the rich ground of our ministries. It is a fact that many of us never have had real training in its meaning or practice in our Dominican formation. So why is contemplation so significant in present-day religious life, especially among active religious?

Let’s get very concrete. Rational analytic consciousness, the way our minds work in day-to-day thinking, is grounded in a more basic type of consciousness. This basic awareness is just plain wonder. It’s awe. It’s surprise, like the child on Christmas morn. As we grow, we get scolded if we “wonder” too much. We need to be responsible, you know. We need to get things done, and not be lazy. We need to accomplish something. This is the measure of our worth, right?

Really? The gospel has another suggestion: “…unless you turn and become as a little child…” Wonder reclaimed has the ability to clarify our thinking.  We see more clearly when we wonder at beauty, at kindness, at being loved. So as Dominicans, we begin all meaningful activity by a pause…on tiptoe…to be kissed. Then we run off to help heal the world. Our uniqueness? To be honest, others can do our ministries. But as long as we Dominicans have breath, we will remind those in the structure of the Church and outside it, that the authentic study of anything…of science, of medicine, of economics, of politics, of theology…all of it is grounded in wonder. All of the nitty-gritty is grounded in wonder…and our uniqueness is to call the world back to this wholeness so it can heal…back to basics.