On the Denigration of Contemplative Silence
There is from some quarters a call to endless action at the expense of sitting quietly at the Master's feet listening. Jesus went to great lengths to demonstrate in his own life that the Church must always keep the most careful balance. It is typical of those demanding positive response to their call for action to use aggressive manipulative behaviour to get their own way. Although it is a common pattern it is not a Christ-like one.
Sadly, in the Church today there seem to be many members who are desperate to make Christianity "relevant" to modern society. These people spend little time in silence before God, and openly claim not to pause for meditation on the words and teaching of our Lord. Not surprisingly they have no regard for the Church's accumulated understanding of our Lord's teaching, and prefer instead to promote their own selective interpretation relentlessly in the name of the Kingdom of God. This is leading to a very serious situation as one sacred sphere of the Christian legacy after another falls victim to their axe, in the hope that new doctrine and way of presenting it will win people over. Still the world fails to respond to their shouting from the rooftops. It is a pathetic picture, and Christianity as a major world religion is disintegrating into unprecedented splinter groups and movements with ever more bizarre forms of worship paraded before a bewildered and confused civilization.
Much so called evangelistic preaching these days employs inappropriate coercion and verbal assaults to cajole people into compliance. Many are "turned-off" Christianity for very good reason! Our Gospel reading this week calls for a permanent place and elevated status for prayer and meditation on our Lord's teaching — as recorded in the Gospels. Failure to heed this message can only take the Church down blind alleyways!
We close with the warning from the late Professor Blaiklock:
"Jesus implies clearly only unruffled attention
to what he says leads to truest service."
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