Pilgrims of contemplation, pilgrims of hope

With a new year approaching, we have an opportune moment to explore the ever plenteous and fertile terrain of fresh possibilities, intentions and changes.  For Catholics, 2025 is also a Jubilee Year, which adds even more impetus for such renewal and reconciliation.

Where to begin?

In his new book, “The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change,” the noted Czech theologian and priest Tomáš Halík uses a panoramic lens well beyond that of simply one’s personal new year’s resolutions. He attempts to envision the future of Christianity as a whole!

He writes: “I believe that the Christianity of tomorrow will be above all a community of a new hermeneutic, a new reading, a new and deeper interpretation of the two sources of divine revelation, Scripture and Tradition, and especially of God’s utterance in the signs of the times.”

To begin to attain that hope-filled vision, Msgr. Halík says “the art of contemplation is needed,” adding that “through contemplation we learn to read and listen anew, more deeply, more carefully, to listen to what is happening in and around us.  God can speak to us through both processes.”

The motto for the coming Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope.”  So, one could say that setting forth on a pilgrimage of contemplation in 2025 can also be part of becoming a pilgrim of hope.

“Find your contemplative practice and practice it,” advises spirituality author James Finley.  The expression “contemplative practice” is not accidental; the only way to acquire a disciplined contemplative dimension in your life is through frequent – and ideally daily – practice.

Can you dedicate 10-20 minutes in prayer each day, where you would be able to sit quietly somewhere?  Do you desire to go deeper in your awareness, thoughts and feelings? Do you aspire to surrender more fully to God’s will?  If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you’re already on the launch pad for the contemplative path.

There’s a wide and rich world of Christian contemplative options, some centuries-old, but all tied together by a grounding in awareness, simplicity, whole-heartedness and a desire for harmony and communion with God. These prayer methods range from lectio divina to silent meditation practices to walking meditations to journaling, and much more.

As with New Year’s resolutions, once you choose your contemplative prayer type, the key is to stick with it.  The rewards of this prayer are harvested more in the long haul than in any one session. Progress is measured at the speed of self-emptying and trust in God.

Patience is also called for in contemplation.  In Pope Francis’ statement Spes Non Confundit announcing the Jubilee Year, he writes, “Patience has been put to flight by frenetic haste, and this has proved detrimental. … A renewed appreciation of the value of patience could only prove beneficial for ourselves and others.”

When contemplative prayer is fruitful, many people find a new sense of inner peace, a greater connection with the present moment, and the joy of living life at a deeper level.  These fruits would assist in realizing Msgr. Halík’s vision of a Church that more deeply interprets the Scriptures and God’s presence in the signs of the times.

Some practitioners even credit contemplative prayer with dramatic conversion in their lives, or reconciliation of fragmented parts of their inner selves.

“Christ came not to offer a ‘doctrine’ but a journey on which we continually learn to transform our humanity, our way of being human, including all our relationships – to ourselves and to others, to society, to nature, and to God,” writes Msgr. Halík.  “This is his ‘teaching’ … a process of learning, of learning something.”

Choosing a contemplative discipline in 2025 can be a great way to experience that transformative journey in Christ.  In such prayer, may we also have first-hand experience of what Pope Francis anticipates: “The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God.”

Msgr. Joseph Kerrigan is pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Bound Brook, and a member of the Advisory Council for the Mt. St. Mary House of Prayer in Watchung.