On Evil - A Contemplative Answer
Life in the world draws us into an existence of division and alienation, alienation from our true inner self and, in turn, the world around us. All of this is part of the human condition, a predisposition to chaos and disarray, an undoing of the order and beauty instilled in creation. Thomas Merton, in examining this phenomenon, writes that “the world itself is no problem, but we are a problem to ourselves because we are alienated from ourselves, and this alienation is due precisely to an inveterate habit of division by which we break reality into pieces and then wonder why, after we have manipulated the pieces until they fall apart, we find ourselves out of touch with life, with reality, with the world, and most of all with ourselves.” Merton advocated a “contemplative lifestyle,” a journey to true consciousness of the God that encompasses all of life, all of the person, all of creation and restores the unity in our life and our relationships, both secular and divine. “The highest peak of contemplation is a mystical union with God in which the soul and its faculties are said to be ‘transformed’ in God, and enter into a full conscious participation in the hidden life of the Trinity of Persons in Unity of Nature.”
Defining what contemplation means is no easy task, much like describing the form or shape of water. Water has no form in itself, rather it takes on the form of the container, and the same concept is true of contemplation. The journey of contemplation is specific to each individual, and what shape this journey will take depends upon the container that God has ordained. In The Ascent to Truth, Merton writes that “love is both the starting point of contemplation and its fruition,” and in New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton adds, “the beginning of contemplation is faith. If there is something essentially sick about your conception of faith you will never be a contemplative.” Merton goes further and states that “faith in Christ, and in the mystery of His life and death, is the foundation of the Christian life and the source of all contemplation: and about this there can be no issue.”
The key point is that unity with God conditions our hearts to reach out in love, even to those who are least deserving in our eyes, for true love teaches us that in fact we are all undeserving. Love compels us to stand up against evil that confronts us on a daily basis, for we all contain some of the evil that is the problem. To raise our voice in opposition is to first see the shortcomings in our own life and to stand not on our own accord, but to stand in unity with creation and speak out as the very voice of God in the world. Contemplation leads us to this unity which allows us to have a voice, to have a message to preach, and contemplation places within us a Divine compassion that enables us to love our neighbor as our self. Thus, the seeming paradox of contemplation and action disappears and we see that at its core, contemplation produces action. Action not for self or motivated by selfish lusts, but divine action flowing out of humility and perfect love. And it is in this way that we can begin to affect the world for good, not that we will abolish all hate and injustice, but we can begin to recapture the world of peace that was lost in the Garden. Jesus, in His beatific sermon blesses those who actively seek peace, and for the contemplative this “seeking” may never attain perceptible results but nevertheless demands our energy and effort. “If we can love the men we cannot trust (without trusting them foolishly) and if we can to some extent share the burden of their sin by identifying ourselves with them, then perhaps there is some hope of a kind of peace on earth, based not on the wisdom and the manipulations of men but on the inscrutable mercy of God.”
Too often, we hide behind our dogmas and look for sanctuary in the foxholes of our church pews, ready to cast blame and bemoan the evils of those who are not like us but of the world. We pompously wonder when God will “have enough” and come down and wipe out all the evil in the world, thinking that we would not be included in those labeled as evil. We brag about how we too hate those who are evil, not remembering that Jesus came in the world to befriend sinners and give his life for such “evil” ones. We find the fault so easily in those around us, conveniently excusing our own shortcomings with thoughts of good intentions and dubious promises. Merton warns of this attitude: “Do not think that you can show your love for Christ by hating those who seem to be his enemies on earth. Suppose they really do hate Him: nevertheless He loves them, and you cannot be united with Him unless you love them too.”
In the end, the answer begins in the hearts of men, ordinary men, and in the conscious choice of individuals to seek love and mercy and unity with God – a life of contemplation, not of self. And this is not a unity and love that sees someone who is hungry and stops to pray that they will be fed, or that sees suffering in their neighborhood and goes into church to implore God to act on behalf of the oppressed. We are the feet and hands of Christ! “It is easy enough to tell the poor to accept their poverty as God’s will when you yourself have warm clothes and plenty of food and medical care and a roof over your head and no worry about the rent. But if you want them to believe you – try to share some of their poverty and see if you can accept it as God’s will yourself!”
The purpose of contemplation is not to find happiness or love and then to go into our rooms and enjoy the fruits of our labors! We must take action in the situation that God leads us into; we must show love to the ones that are in our path. The story of the Good Samaritan is memorable not because three pious individuals chose not to act, but rather because one person chose to love and to take action. And who was it that this story upset so much? The religious elite – the very ones who were supposed to care and have compassion and mercy and be an example of the love of God to others. But Christ indicted them as evildoers and called them whitewashed tombs. But the most damning evidence offered by Christ was the sacrifice of his own life. Jesus associated with the whores, the corrupt politicians, the thieves and beggars and cripples, but in the end, he did not tell them that all would be better one day and then ascend back to heaven. The humility of Christ associated himself with evil men in every way, even to death, though he himself was perfect and without fault. The answer to evil begins in our mystical union with Christ, in all His humility, love, grace, mercy, and peace.
Defining what contemplation means is no easy task, much like describing the form or shape of water. Water has no form in itself, rather it takes on the form of the container, and the same concept is true of contemplation. The journey of contemplation is specific to each individual, and what shape this journey will take depends upon the container that God has ordained. In The Ascent to Truth, Merton writes that “love is both the starting point of contemplation and its fruition,” and in New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton adds, “the beginning of contemplation is faith. If there is something essentially sick about your conception of faith you will never be a contemplative.” Merton goes further and states that “faith in Christ, and in the mystery of His life and death, is the foundation of the Christian life and the source of all contemplation: and about this there can be no issue.”
The key point is that unity with God conditions our hearts to reach out in love, even to those who are least deserving in our eyes, for true love teaches us that in fact we are all undeserving. Love compels us to stand up against evil that confronts us on a daily basis, for we all contain some of the evil that is the problem. To raise our voice in opposition is to first see the shortcomings in our own life and to stand not on our own accord, but to stand in unity with creation and speak out as the very voice of God in the world. Contemplation leads us to this unity which allows us to have a voice, to have a message to preach, and contemplation places within us a Divine compassion that enables us to love our neighbor as our self. Thus, the seeming paradox of contemplation and action disappears and we see that at its core, contemplation produces action. Action not for self or motivated by selfish lusts, but divine action flowing out of humility and perfect love. And it is in this way that we can begin to affect the world for good, not that we will abolish all hate and injustice, but we can begin to recapture the world of peace that was lost in the Garden. Jesus, in His beatific sermon blesses those who actively seek peace, and for the contemplative this “seeking” may never attain perceptible results but nevertheless demands our energy and effort. “If we can love the men we cannot trust (without trusting them foolishly) and if we can to some extent share the burden of their sin by identifying ourselves with them, then perhaps there is some hope of a kind of peace on earth, based not on the wisdom and the manipulations of men but on the inscrutable mercy of God.”
Too often, we hide behind our dogmas and look for sanctuary in the foxholes of our church pews, ready to cast blame and bemoan the evils of those who are not like us but of the world. We pompously wonder when God will “have enough” and come down and wipe out all the evil in the world, thinking that we would not be included in those labeled as evil. We brag about how we too hate those who are evil, not remembering that Jesus came in the world to befriend sinners and give his life for such “evil” ones. We find the fault so easily in those around us, conveniently excusing our own shortcomings with thoughts of good intentions and dubious promises. Merton warns of this attitude: “Do not think that you can show your love for Christ by hating those who seem to be his enemies on earth. Suppose they really do hate Him: nevertheless He loves them, and you cannot be united with Him unless you love them too.”
In the end, the answer begins in the hearts of men, ordinary men, and in the conscious choice of individuals to seek love and mercy and unity with God – a life of contemplation, not of self. And this is not a unity and love that sees someone who is hungry and stops to pray that they will be fed, or that sees suffering in their neighborhood and goes into church to implore God to act on behalf of the oppressed. We are the feet and hands of Christ! “It is easy enough to tell the poor to accept their poverty as God’s will when you yourself have warm clothes and plenty of food and medical care and a roof over your head and no worry about the rent. But if you want them to believe you – try to share some of their poverty and see if you can accept it as God’s will yourself!”
The purpose of contemplation is not to find happiness or love and then to go into our rooms and enjoy the fruits of our labors! We must take action in the situation that God leads us into; we must show love to the ones that are in our path. The story of the Good Samaritan is memorable not because three pious individuals chose not to act, but rather because one person chose to love and to take action. And who was it that this story upset so much? The religious elite – the very ones who were supposed to care and have compassion and mercy and be an example of the love of God to others. But Christ indicted them as evildoers and called them whitewashed tombs. But the most damning evidence offered by Christ was the sacrifice of his own life. Jesus associated with the whores, the corrupt politicians, the thieves and beggars and cripples, but in the end, he did not tell them that all would be better one day and then ascend back to heaven. The humility of Christ associated himself with evil men in every way, even to death, though he himself was perfect and without fault. The answer to evil begins in our mystical union with Christ, in all His humility, love, grace, mercy, and peace.
posted by Aaron Hernandez at
6/22/2006
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