Fr. Jeremiah Shryock, CFR, gives a homily to the nuns of the monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York, where he serves as chaplain. You can hear the first of this series, on contemplative prayer as the fruit of love, here. In this homily, he explains that listening is the beginning of spiritual direction–listening to the other, and to God. This gives us a ‘contemplative orientation.’
He says, “How necessary then is this deep listening. Without it, we miss God. We miss our vocations. And we miss the intimacy and the depth to which He is calling each one of us.”
And of the importance of contemplative prayer in the Chruch: “Ironically, the life of contemplation, in and of itself, is a profound and beautiful apostolate. It is perhaps the greatest activity one can participate in for the Kingdom.”
