March 31, 2020 - Use isolation for contemplation

I mentioned in my last posting that my life and schedule has been completely changed and in fact I am sure all of your schedules have been significantly altered, postponed or canceled as well. However, there are some in Vermont whose schedules have not changed a bit and whose daily routine has not been affected in the least! Who could that be?

There are a few religious communities in our state that live a contemplative and cloistered life, but I am going to focus today on one in particular - one of the oldest and faithful orders in the world - the Carthusians. Here is an excerpt from the goal of Carthusian contemplation:

“Union with God in intimate love is the aim of every Christian life; what singles out the Carthusians is that they strive more directly toward this goal (cf. St 10:1: rectius). The entire life in Charterhouse is geared to this, that "we may the more ardently seek, the more quickly find, the more perfectly possess God himself in the depths of our souls; and thus, with the Lord’s help, we may be enabled to attain to the perfection of love - which is the aim of our Profession and of the whole monastic life - and through it, to obtain beatitude eternal"(St 1,4). To attain 'the one necessary thing', the Carthusians developed their own characteristic way of life marked essentially by solitude and silence.” (from http://transfiguration.chartreux.org/). 

Carthusian monks also live in complete isolation from the world in total silence and solitude. “Since our Order is totally dedicated to contemplation, it is our duty to maintain strictly our separation from the world; hence, we are freed from all pastoral ministry – no matter how urgent the need for active apostolate is – so that we may fulfill our special role in the Mystical Body of Christ” (St 3,9).” ( http://transfiguration.chartreux.org/index.htm). 

The strict observance of this ancient order, and their faithful obedience to their founding principles of contemplation and a direct and committed obedience to the will of God, has kept this community from any needed reform. They are continually being perfected by God through their daily humble submission to Him. What a great lesson for us in these times of isolation. Being isolated can be a great blessing that will bear fruit in our spiritual lives, or it can be a curse that leads to desolation. The deciding factor is who will we follow and obey.
The Carthusians follow and obey God in the Holy Spirit, and we are called to do the same. When we allow God to perfect us we will experience the joy of knowing Him and living in His presence. God is offering us all a chance to live more this life of contemplation by using our time of isolation to reflect on His presence and live by His will for our lives. 

So how do we know what God’s will is for each of us? To know God’s will requires one most critical skill - become a good listener! We have never had a better opportunity to become good listeners. Because the primary part of becoming a good listener is taking time away from our regular hectic pace to be quiet. Our world has provided this for most of us, or perhaps forced us to it. Either way this is a great opportunity for us to become better listeners of God. Tomorrow I will explain more about what we can do to aid and direct our ear to hear God’s word. For now if you would like to learn more about the Carthusian spirituality click the links above or also check out the movie, “Into Great Silence.”