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Contemplation: a Means to Wholeness and Harmony

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CONTEMPLATION: A MEANS TO WHOLENESS AND HARMONY WITH SELF, GOD, AND PEOPLE by Sister Esuria Fabronia Mendonca A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Milwaukee, Wisconsin December, 1986 Graduate School Office of the Dean Marquette MU University 1217 West Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI 53233 (414) 224-7137 Cable: MUGRAD July 3, 1986 Ms. Fabronia Mendonca 1501 South Layton Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 53215 Dear Ms. Mendonca: In partial fulfillment of your master's degree, I am pleased to report that your thesis outline has been officially accepted by the Graduate School. You have reached another objective in pursuit of your degree and I wish you every success as you execute your thesis outline. It has been returned to your Department Chairperson. As you know, Dr. Nordberg will serve as your thesis director with the support of Rev. Lambeck and Dr. Collins as valuable committee members. Please keep in close contact with your Thesis Committee as you enter the final stages of your degree program. Sincerely, >PLQYL I'\- £ . (YlVY1UVAC ~{~ E. Miner Assistant Dean, and Director of Research Support LEM:j 1c cc: Education Dr. Nordberg Rev. Lambeck Dr. Collins PREFACE This paper is born out of a personal search. De~pite any name, fame or glory earned through being an effective teacher and an efficient administrator and animator, de~p peace and a sense of fulfillment was not realized. Hence a search began, a search for the unknown, the other shore, the Absolute. The author looked for someone who would free her from this earthly mire at times and lead her on the right direction to peace. A guide was found in the person of Aacharya Guru Amalorananda, who pointed out the path to God and emphasized the simplicity of the Indian Christian tradition and the practice of contemplation. This was a turning point. It was a call to a new life, a life of love, a life of peace, and a life of communion with God in contemplation and interior transformation. Remarkable and notable change and conversion were personally witnessed by many a co-pilgrim who were also in search for the Ultimate. Each of them experienced inner freedom, harmony and peace. Consequently the realization dawned on us that contemplation could have tremendous impact on the life of people. The main purpose of this paper, therefore, is to explore the need for contemplation as a valid approach in ii attaining wholeness and harmony with self, with God, and with ~the~s in today's world. This would result in a practical method which would encourage people to live a simple and meaningful life, and enable them to attain wholeness and harmony. In contemplation one can find God in oneself, in others, and in the whole of creation. If this is true, then people should live in love and spread the same love tn all mankind, because God is love. Only then can a new and just iociety be created where all will be accepted as brothers and sisters. My observation of the value of contemplation being used with individuals, in small groups, and communities, suggested that it can be employed profitably in any ordinary situation by people in all walks of life. Any procedure that will achieve this is to en60urage people in the practice of contemplation. For this tbpic, "Contemplation: A Means to Wholeness and Harmony", the chosen materials are of four kinds: 1. The available literature on conte~plation to date has been extensively reviewed. 2. A questionnaire which, in itself, could not demonstrate the validity or non-validity of contemplation, although it could show what people think about the issue which feeds into the larger question, was given to varied groups in Wisconsin and in India. 3. Twenty interviews were conducted among diversified iii persons of various ages ranging between 25-80 years. 4. Personal communication with Reverend Amalorpavadass, Ph.D., in India, an authority on contemplation, elicited new insights and re-directed thoughts. Contemplation serves different needs according to the beliefs of those who use it. For example, the pantheists would use it to commune with nature, while many students in the United States spend their time in T.M. or Indian-inspired transcendental meditation. There is a good proportion of people practicing Zen meditation as a way to interior peace and harmony, while many Christians yield to contemplation for a deeper experience of God. With due respect for the different beliefs, the author chooses Christo-centric cbntemplation because in and through Christ one can experience God. Jesus is the way to the Father: "No one comes to the Father except by me" (In 14:6). Whatever methods others use, the central fact of the author's faith is that Jesus Christ is the supreme medium of revelation and faith, and the perfect sign of communication between God and man (Mk 11:25-27). Through prayer the author has met the Lord. This personal experience of Christ in the center of one's being has enabled the development of an attitude rif openness and tolerance towards other religions and people. The author was born into a Christian family in India where the majority of the neighbors were Hindus. From my youth I observed iv their different lifestyles. Through contemplation in these later years, it has been possible to grow in respect of their customs and practices, and in appreciation of their forms of worship and prayer. My re1i9ious experience has enabled me to enter into dialogue with Hindus, Mus1i~s, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsees on values common to all religions. Over the years I have seen myself grow in the love of God and in love for people. I have become more sensitive and ' compassionate to the needs of other~. Trials and difficulties have strengthened me and have caused me to have my security in God. As a result, I experience inner freedom and quietness and have come to realize that contemplation is a gift from God: one cannot earn it on one's own, but one can always be grateful for it. During my stay at the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Center in Bangalore, India, I was introduced to Indian forms and , methods of prayer. The premise that communion with God is not merely a vague presence, but a relationship; and relationships take time to develop, became my personal conviction. The necessity to set aside a specific time each day to be with the Lord became apparent. This was brought home to me by the gospel scene of Christ's appearing to Mary Magdalene near the tomb when Jesus said to Mary: "Do not cling to me. • But go and find my brothers and tell them. ." (In 20:14). Every v genuine encounter will result in a fresh dynamic urge to share that unique experience with others as totally as possible. It is true that contemplation is a mystery, and therefore, little is actually known about it. But the purpose and result of every God-experience is not for oneself, but for others. One needs to share and proclaim it to all as Good News. This thesis was initiated for self-education and as a vehicle to study the needs of others as a basis for counseling towards wholenss and harmony. The author1s aim is to discover~ays in which people can deal with today1s insecurities through centering, and to show ways of transcending life1s complexities. This research has already benefitted the writer, and it is hoped that those who read it will profit from it. vi ACKNO\oJLEDGF~MENTS with a deep sense of gratitude I acknowledge my spirit.ual director, . Rev. D. S. Amalorpavadass, who inspired me to walk in the presence of God and who also enabled me to receive an education at Marquette University. Like\<lise, I am grateful to His Eminence Simon Cardinal Lourdusamy for sponsoring me and taking a keen interest in my welfare and studies. Also, I am deeply indebted to the School Sisters of Saint Francis for their hospitality and friendship which facilitated and fostered this work in numerous wa y s. My advisor, Robert B. Nordberg, Ph.D., who acted as a source of assistance, encouragement and advice, helping me with invaluable comments on the several parts of my T,', manuscript also merits my gratitude. Rev. Robert V'• • Lambeck, S.J., and Peter M. Collins, Ph.D., were willing to serve on the committee and to be supportive of my efforts from start to finish. I thank them. I also thank my ind~fatigable Franciscan typist. My gratitude is given to the many individuals who were available for interviews, and to the students of Alverno College, Milwaukee, and the participants of Indian Christian Spirituality Experience at Anjal Ashram, India. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ••••• " " ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • •. vii Chapter I. INSATIABLE HUMAN NEEDS •••••••• • 1 Cause of Personal Disintegration •• .3 Cause of Human Tensions. • • . • •• 7 II. REMEDY: CONTEMPLATION •••• .11 Definition. 12 Centering. .15 Purification of Self. 18 Interior Silence •••• 21 III. THE GOAL OF CONTEMPLATION: WHOLENESS, HARMONY, AND UNION WITH GOD. • • • • • • • • • . • 26 Self Discovery •••••••••••••.• 28 Integrated Life. • • • • • • • • • • •. 30 Personal Integrity: Wholeness ••••.•• 32 Community Fellowship (me--God--neighbor) •. 34 Cosmic Harmony. • • • • •••• 36 Union vith God ••••••••••••••• 37 IV. THE , UNIVERSAL CALL TO CONTEMPLATION ••• • 40 A Call to a Personal Response •••••••• 41 A Need for a Death to Self •.••••••• 45 V. TRANSFORMING OUTCOMES OF CONTEMPLATION ••••• 49 Finding God in the Realities of the World •• 52 A Special Relationship With God. • • • •• 54 Love in Action. •••••• • • 56 Conclusion ••••••••••••••••• 58 VI. CONTEMPORARY ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPLATION ••••• 61 BIBLIOGRAPHY.
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