What is the meaning of the contemplative life today, when everything is consumed at a rapid pace, when individuals are constantly on the move while often immobile, when real contacts diminish and virtual ones are cultivated to the detriment of relationships; when the desire to cherish the profound silence that leads to the discovery of the beauty of life is not mentioned by name? What is the witness borne by contemplative fraternities today, in a world in which many people, attracted above all by their own well-being, fail to ask themselves for whom and for what they are living, silence their existential questions, and fail to engage in the search for meaning? Yet many people, when they discover the presence of monasteries, often discover their own need to connect with the very depths of their existence.
Called to build, in stability, a more human and therefore more evangelical world, to be beacons of light for the journey of men and women of our time (cf. VDQ 36), the contemplatives are dedicated to making monasteries oases of peace. In these places it is possible to listen to the voice of silence, to rediscover oneself, regardless of whether one is a believer or not, to perceive and contemplate the harmony of creation, to allow God to speak to the heart of each one.
Why do you renounce everything? This is the question young people ask contemplatives.
What makes a young woman leave everything to follow the Lord is the discovery of God’s boundless love for every living creature.
The life of a person called to live a contemplative life has no meaning if it is not rooted in Jesus Christ and the Gospel. It is only through a continuous act of listening to the presence of the Lord in our lives, in the lives of others, and in history, that our personal journey can grow enlightened, and at times this applies also to the journey of those who are searching for meaning, or, conversely, those who have ceased to search for meaning. Today, more than ever, living in stability is a meaningful message, especially for those, believers and non-believers alike, who are not in continual contact with the world inhabited by the Spirit of the Father, who gives hope to His children.
Through the act of listening, the contemplative life points to the possibility of perceiving the footsteps of God, who continually seeks, and asks His created being: “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9).
Is it not a fundamental need to have the feeling of being sought, of being called by name and therefore of being loved? Contemplatives, by attending to God’s presence, communicate with their own presence God’s love for all Creation. By invoking the Lord in prayer, they constantly ask Him not to turn His loving gaze away from humanity, which is too often faithless. They pray that He will continue to care for every living creature, as a mother cares for her child (Is 66:13).
Inspired by the example of Trinitarian love, the contemplative sisters constantly nurture and foster dialogue in a spirit of human fraternity, living relationships as equals, respecting the diversity of roles.
Care for a profound silence, lived in the presence of God, helps them to lead a life in the footsteps of Jesus, in self-despoilment, in order to bear witness to the presence of the Lord in their daily lives. The fraternities, formed by people of different origins, ages and levels of education, make the evangelical life credible, starting from the care of fraternal relations.
Who, then, are the contemplatives of the Church for the world?
They are those who praise and give thanks to God for His love for humanity; who intercede for those in need; who implore peace and care for Creation; who proclaim with their lives that the believer is called to embody the values of the Gospel with faith in every situation, seeing the work of God everywhere, including in incomprehensible events.
Contemplative fraternities can encourage contemporary Christians to embrace the synodal style, to participate actively in ecclesial and social life, to be listening to God and to the men and women of our time, to promote dialogue with all, and to care for the common good and creation by placing Jesus Christ and the Gospel at the centre of their lives.
When contemplatives commit themselves to live in full a contemplative life in accordance with their baptismal promises, the meaning of their life is ultimately rooted in living as Christians every day.
