Crossroads

Contemplative prayer has always stood at a crossroad. It is the location where the spiritual dimension of reality intersects the real situations of people's lives. Aloofness and withdrawal in and of itself is not a valid element in the lives of contemplatives. Instead, concrete responsiveness to the daily needs of others is tempered by the historically repeated and measurable patterns of observable spiritual contemplative experiences found within the Judeo-Christian tradition. These serve to both ground contemplatives compassionately in reality, as well as to afford those outside of this tradition with a new, valid resource option for their own rest and inner renewal.