The Contemplative Order of Divine Presence
Be still and know that I AM God - Psalm 46: 10
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Be still and know that I AM God - Psalm 46: 10
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__A New Monasticism
All are called to holiness, to be holy as God is holy, that is our human dignity and grace. But some few are called to follow a less frequented path to achieve it. Not because of any merit on their part, but to fulfill a particular function in the Church; in the case of the Religious, to witness visibly, in his/her life, to the absolute priority of God to any created thing. Christ looks at someone, loves him and invites him to leave everything he has and to follow him in his radical surrender to God and in his mission for the salvation of mankind.
New monasticism isn’t primarily about nostalgia. New Monasticism learns from what has come before, but it doesn’t seek to re-create it. It is a movement inspired by the past but open to new possibilities:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Cor 3:17-18)
So the New Monastic “adventure” has started. The key element is and always will be a small but truly loving community. Many people are looking to New Monasticism for a renewal and refreshment and rightfully so. They may find that they are now called to live their faith in another way of life that demands commitment, self-sacrifice and dedication. They can choose to live together or alone, marry or remain single, withdraw or engage. The goal is always the same: That we may the more ardently seek, the more quickly find, the more perfectly possess God himself in the depths of our souls; and thus, with the Lord’s help, we may be enabled to attain to the perfection of love — which is the aim of our heart and of the New Monastic life — and through it, to obtain beatitude eternal.
Contemplative Spirituality
Contemplative spirituality is a love-driven way of knowing God that is centered in constant awareness of the Divine presence. It is not a set of beliefs, and not (only) a set of practices. It is an attitude, a way of seeing things, a way of relating to the Divine and to the world.
Those who are drawn to contemplative spirituality hunger for an ever-deepening experience of oneness with God. They are searching for something deeper and more personal than they can find through intellect and study. St. John of the Cross wrote: "As long as your spirit is filled with a God constructed from your images and words, there is no room for the God who goes beyond words."
Contemplatives are sometimes contrasted with theologians. Contemplatives are more interested in love than in logic or knowledge. Contemplatives embrace mystery (hence they are sometimes called mystics) and are perfectly comfortable not fully understanding; whereas theologians are not satisfied until they understand. For contemplatives, the balance is shifted from knowledge to mystery; from understanding to love.
In contemplative prayer we use silence to focus our mind and heart totally on God, not to ask for anything, not to say anything to God, but to open our heart to listen and simply rest in God's presence. In contemplative prayer we seek to quiet all distractions, the better to be open to God's voice. The highest experience of contemplative prayer is simply to be aware of God's presence and delight in it. There is no agenda other than: "Be still, and know that I am God."
Prayer is the center of contemplative life. But although contemplative prayer is more receptive than active, it does not require turning away from the world. In union with God in love, we see others through God's loving gaze and we face, with him, toward our suffering world in loving service and just action.
This spiritual path does not appeal to everyone. God calls some people to activity, intellect and study. But the Holy One calls the contemplative to seek the Divine in this interior landscape, in a cloud of unknowing, in love and by faith.
Our Rule
We sense that God’s spirit is currently speaking through many voices around the globe about the need for a more embodied, incarnational Faith and we want to join in what God is doing. Developing a Rule of Life is an important step in that process.
We are finding that many people we talk to misunderstand the purpose of a Rule of Life. We're not talking rules as in rule books. It is a Rule in the sense of a ruler: a way of measuring. It articulates, not so much what I promise to do, but my understanding of what God is doing in me. These are not the things I must do to be saved and to earn the love of God. These are the results: the evidence of my love affair with the Holy One. St. Benedict once said that a Rule is “nothing more than a path to freedom”.
When we follow the voice of the One who call us to higher service, we put down our own concerns, allow ourselves to be led by the sights of another, treat our own best interests with a relaxed grasp. We empty ourselves out so that the presence of God can come in, tangible and present and divinely human.
Becoming a Contemplative however, means restructuring life and priorities. Given this re-prioritization, life takes on a different shape. Our Companions are advised to withdraw in "the cell of their heart" in order to immerse themselves totally in God. There is no agenda other than: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The Way of the Disciple
In the Name of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier: By the grace of God, I offer my life as a servant of God, to live in union with God, surrendering myself to be totally immersed in the mystery and love of God.
Vocation
My vocation is to seek the perfection of Divine Love, devoting my life to continually deepening my relationship with God, in a covenant of love, through prayer in silence, meditation and service.
Vows
By these vows, I seek to be free from hindrances and remove all barriers to perfect intimacy with God, seeking God before all else, and only him.
Praxis
I will live out these vows through a practice of prayer, contemplation, reading, study and work, and also promise:
To do all I can to end the ignorance, confusion, doubts and suffering of all beings around me through my own good example;
To uproot endless blind carnal passions and attachments;
To partake of the Sacraments frequently, and honor the saints and my elders in faith. I will follow and imitate them in everything good;
To find and be a good soul-friend for the journey;
To support the vulnerable, the immigrant, the poor, the prisoner, the outcast, the sick, the hopeless, the infants, the hungry, the naked, the widow, the orphan and all in need regardless their state of life or differences;
To uphold the sanctity of human relationships and marriage;
Never harm my fellow human intentionally;
Abstain from violence no matter how much I am provoked.
Live your faith
We ask that you hold the essence of these values as you consider joining us on this journey either as a layman, Religious or minister. Maybe you want to start a chapter in your area. We are more than supportive and ready to journey with you. Yet, in this Order vows are taken seriously so be mindful of God in this process and look to what He is doing in your heart as you discern your ability to say ‘Yes’ to your vocation.
All are called to holiness, to be holy as God is holy, that is our human dignity and grace. But some few are called to follow a less frequented path to achieve it. Not because of any merit on their part, but to fulfill a particular function in the Church; in the case of the Religious, to witness visibly, in his/her life, to the absolute priority of God to any created thing. Christ looks at someone, loves him and invites him to leave everything he has and to follow him in his radical surrender to God and in his mission for the salvation of mankind.
New monasticism isn’t primarily about nostalgia. New Monasticism learns from what has come before, but it doesn’t seek to re-create it. It is a movement inspired by the past but open to new possibilities:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Cor 3:17-18)
So the New Monastic “adventure” has started. The key element is and always will be a small but truly loving community. Many people are looking to New Monasticism for a renewal and refreshment and rightfully so. They may find that they are now called to live their faith in another way of life that demands commitment, self-sacrifice and dedication. They can choose to live together or alone, marry or remain single, withdraw or engage. The goal is always the same: That we may the more ardently seek, the more quickly find, the more perfectly possess God himself in the depths of our souls; and thus, with the Lord’s help, we may be enabled to attain to the perfection of love — which is the aim of our heart and of the New Monastic life — and through it, to obtain beatitude eternal.
Contemplative Spirituality
Contemplative spirituality is a love-driven way of knowing God that is centered in constant awareness of the Divine presence. It is not a set of beliefs, and not (only) a set of practices. It is an attitude, a way of seeing things, a way of relating to the Divine and to the world.
Those who are drawn to contemplative spirituality hunger for an ever-deepening experience of oneness with God. They are searching for something deeper and more personal than they can find through intellect and study. St. John of the Cross wrote: "As long as your spirit is filled with a God constructed from your images and words, there is no room for the God who goes beyond words."
Contemplatives are sometimes contrasted with theologians. Contemplatives are more interested in love than in logic or knowledge. Contemplatives embrace mystery (hence they are sometimes called mystics) and are perfectly comfortable not fully understanding; whereas theologians are not satisfied until they understand. For contemplatives, the balance is shifted from knowledge to mystery; from understanding to love.
In contemplative prayer we use silence to focus our mind and heart totally on God, not to ask for anything, not to say anything to God, but to open our heart to listen and simply rest in God's presence. In contemplative prayer we seek to quiet all distractions, the better to be open to God's voice. The highest experience of contemplative prayer is simply to be aware of God's presence and delight in it. There is no agenda other than: "Be still, and know that I am God."
Prayer is the center of contemplative life. But although contemplative prayer is more receptive than active, it does not require turning away from the world. In union with God in love, we see others through God's loving gaze and we face, with him, toward our suffering world in loving service and just action.
This spiritual path does not appeal to everyone. God calls some people to activity, intellect and study. But the Holy One calls the contemplative to seek the Divine in this interior landscape, in a cloud of unknowing, in love and by faith.
Our Rule
We sense that God’s spirit is currently speaking through many voices around the globe about the need for a more embodied, incarnational Faith and we want to join in what God is doing. Developing a Rule of Life is an important step in that process.
We are finding that many people we talk to misunderstand the purpose of a Rule of Life. We're not talking rules as in rule books. It is a Rule in the sense of a ruler: a way of measuring. It articulates, not so much what I promise to do, but my understanding of what God is doing in me. These are not the things I must do to be saved and to earn the love of God. These are the results: the evidence of my love affair with the Holy One. St. Benedict once said that a Rule is “nothing more than a path to freedom”.
When we follow the voice of the One who call us to higher service, we put down our own concerns, allow ourselves to be led by the sights of another, treat our own best interests with a relaxed grasp. We empty ourselves out so that the presence of God can come in, tangible and present and divinely human.
Becoming a Contemplative however, means restructuring life and priorities. Given this re-prioritization, life takes on a different shape. Our Companions are advised to withdraw in "the cell of their heart" in order to immerse themselves totally in God. There is no agenda other than: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The Way of the Disciple
In the Name of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier: By the grace of God, I offer my life as a servant of God, to live in union with God, surrendering myself to be totally immersed in the mystery and love of God.
Vocation
My vocation is to seek the perfection of Divine Love, devoting my life to continually deepening my relationship with God, in a covenant of love, through prayer in silence, meditation and service.
Vows
By these vows, I seek to be free from hindrances and remove all barriers to perfect intimacy with God, seeking God before all else, and only him.
- Poverty. Recognizing my spiritual poverty, I cast myself upon divine mercy, empty, waiting, thirsty for God’s grace.
- Chastity. I vow fidelity to God and to this Rule, to love God and His Creation with an undivided heart.
- Obedience. I vow to empty myself of any ambition of my own, surrendering totally to God’s grace, listening attentively at all times to the leading of the Holy Spirit and my spiritual father.
- Silence. I vow to entrust myself to a “living and vigilant silence,” to listen and wait upon the voice of the Holy One.
- Solitude. I vow to seek God in solitude of heart, trusting that all I need comes from God alone.
Praxis
I will live out these vows through a practice of prayer, contemplation, reading, study and work, and also promise:
To do all I can to end the ignorance, confusion, doubts and suffering of all beings around me through my own good example;
To uproot endless blind carnal passions and attachments;
To partake of the Sacraments frequently, and honor the saints and my elders in faith. I will follow and imitate them in everything good;
To find and be a good soul-friend for the journey;
To support the vulnerable, the immigrant, the poor, the prisoner, the outcast, the sick, the hopeless, the infants, the hungry, the naked, the widow, the orphan and all in need regardless their state of life or differences;
To uphold the sanctity of human relationships and marriage;
Never harm my fellow human intentionally;
Abstain from violence no matter how much I am provoked.
Live your faith
We ask that you hold the essence of these values as you consider joining us on this journey either as a layman, Religious or minister. Maybe you want to start a chapter in your area. We are more than supportive and ready to journey with you. Yet, in this Order vows are taken seriously so be mindful of God in this process and look to what He is doing in your heart as you discern your ability to say ‘Yes’ to your vocation.
