Recently
I read the following in the news: "The Queen has urged Britain’s
political leaders to calm down in the wake of the chaos triggered by
the Brexit vote and allow 'room for quiet
thinking
and contemplation'
before they decide their next move."
I have to say that I like this royal piece of
advice. But what is "quiet thinking" and, moreover, what is
"contemplation"? Can we take the practice of these
spiritual exercises for granted? How can this royal recommendation be
implemented?
In what the Queen is saying two factors are
indicated: 1- "quiet thinking" and 2- "contemplation".
The first generally involves the natural light of reason and the mere
exercise of the mind.
There’s no
doubt that today, we live in a world very much influenced by many
'techniques of meditation' (Yoga Meditation, Transcendental
Meditation,...). Here 'meditation' is not to be understood in its
Christian sense, but in more of a Far Eastern tradition as found in
local religions (Hinduism, Buddhism,...) which have been imported by
the West. Contemplation
in contrast involves the supernatural Light of God and is specific to
Christianity.
The "quiet thinking" mentioned by Her
Majesty would involve the above different ways of
thinking/meditating.
The Christian Perspective
The Christian approach to ‘meditation’
involves the direct action of the Holy Spirit in us. However, we do
not 'use' God like a fortune-telling machine that will foretell our
fate, instead we submit our entire life to Him and as a consequence,
we understand that our personal relationship with Him involves
seeking Him, knowing Him, and being led by Him. This attitude of
following his lead is should be our constant guide: "behold the
handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your Word”
(Luke 1:38).
Contemplation in the Christian spiritual
tradition involves the direct and personal intervention of the Holy
Spirit in us, either in our Mind (and Heart) or purely in our Heart.
These two types of food or "bread" for the soul and
spirit/heart are offered by Christ in the example of his life (his
Words and his Passion) and these 'meals' are divided up and rationed
out on a daily basis and given at the daily Mass: the Liturgy of the
Word and the Liturgy of the Body and Blood of Jesus. Evidence of this
is indicated in the words of the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this
day our daily Bread", and by "Man shall not live on bread
alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt
4:4).
a- Contemplation According to Lectio Divina
Lectio
Divina is the digestive process that allows us to digest Jesus' Word
which we receive during the Mass. Lectio Divina encourages the slow
descent of the light of God, into our mind/brain, until it reaches
our will and triggers a synergetic action.
What
does that mean?
The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God (in the
daily readings) in order to penetrate our mind and brain in a new way
each day, to make them fruitful with its light and love. (Read more on Lectio Divina)
b- Contemplation According to the Prayer of
the Heart
The Prayer of the Heart is the digestive
process that we undergo after receiving Holy Communion. It is the
quiet time we take to be immersed in Jesus' Being... as a
prolongation of Communion. During this silent time our heart is
immersed in the Lord, like a tree that needs to have its roots
watered.
This prayer allows a decanting effect on the
mind, clarifying it, allowing all "noise" and foggy
thoughts to disappear and allows our mind to acquire therefore a
greater clarity, unifying it under the action of the Holy Spirit.
Political Life and Leadership
Politics is about making practical decisions.
Paradoxically, however, the life of a politician should involve more
Contemplative Prayer than any other job or mission.
The temptation of the politician is to decide
to rely essentially on advice, opportunistic decisions and
orientations, and lose his soul and purity of heart. It is true that
in dealing with political issues compromise is often necessary, but
it should not entail a lack of purity of intent or acceptance of
darker decisions. A good compromise is led rather by patience and an
inclusive attitude, in other words, by the virtues of God himself.
Is it possible to keep a pure heart and the
heart of a child in the midst of such ferocious wolves? The answer of
the Lord to that question is definitely "yes": "Be
pure like a dove and prudent like a snake", (Matthew 10:16) says
the Lord. Moreover one has to allow the work of the Holy Spirit to
invade all levels of our mind, and this essentially happens through
contemplating God's Word.
As the Scriptures say: “the tip of the sword
of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). So if
somebody wants God's light, he or she not only needs to put himself
totally and repetitively in God's Hands ("Behold the handmaid of
the Lord"), but he or she also has to practise Lectio Divina, in
order to allow the Word of God to take possession of all the
potentialities of their Minds.
The temptation, otherwise, is to act according
to our own views and use our own means and ways.
The Prayer of the Heart gives us a deeper
capacity to bear difficulties and trials and helps us be patient and
resilient; politicians and leaders need these virtues as well.
The Real
Challenge: "allowing room"
Now the
challenge is how to "allow room" for these exercises of
thinking and of contemplation. Some politicians can spend hours in
meetings, on negotiations, deals,... Experience shows that the more
we give time (“allow room”) for Contemplation, the less time we
lose in other occupations (meetings, deals, negotiations,..). Why is
this so? The answer lies in God's action, for it is God who is
building the House, who guides us, imparts His Light to us, helps us
understand what is at stake in each decision. He helps us have a
"policy", a direction, a clear vision, helps us maintain it
and, moreover, implement it, showing us the different opportunities,
persons to involve and steps to take.
To “allow
room” is to put God above everything else, to choose Him as the
first Person in our life, to consecrate ourselves to Him. Seeking
God's will above all else is a very rewarding experience in life and
prepares us to face an amazing eternity. What we want is to achieve
things that would remain for eternity, not just shortsighted
decisions, in order to realise a short-term plan. To lead a country
requires a high, wise and deep vision. Who can give us this vision?
Nothing less than the choice we make everyday of dedicating time to
God, before and above anything else, keeps this purity of vision that
allows us to See Him in everything during the day: “Blessed are the
pure of heart for they shall see God”. (Matthew 5)).
Here now is
the Golden piece of advice : "seek first the Kingdom of God and
all the rest will be given to you" (Mt 6:33). There is no need
to have a long list of things to do. You have only this one thing to
put all your money on, to which to devote all your energy, desire and
trust.This is a matter of widely tested experience and not just talk
talk. Whoever tries this Golden Rule, will see his life totally
transformed.
In the final
analysis, the real Leader, the strong Leader, is a Leader with a pure
heart, one who “allows room” for a daily encounter with Jesus'
Word and Jesus' Heart. He will then be directly led by Jesus . Jesus
does not always guarantee human success, but certainly guarantees
real and eternal fruits. Jesus does not guarantee to offer us a false
worldly peace, but true achievement, for all eternity.
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