A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
Laurence Freeman, OSB
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for
fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and
sells everything he owns and buys it.     (Matthew 13:45)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    EVERYONE IS A CONTEMPLATIVE
    To understand the meaning of the meditation and the meditation group we need
    to understand better what contemplation means. In ancient times the
    ‘contemplative life’ meant a life of privilege. Only those who were educated and
    sat on top of the social pile could afford the time and leisure for contemplation.
    Later in Christianity the contemplative life became more democratic and anyone
    in the church could follow it. But it meant giving up the ordinary vocations of
    marriage and work in the world for a celibate and cloistered life. Contemplation
    still seemed a gift that God gave only to an elite. It is curious how for centuries
    the universal teaching of Jesus was restricted to the few. Jesus called everyone
    to ‘be perfect’ in love and compassion like his Father, to leave self behind, to
    shed materialistic stress and anxiety, to find the ‘rest’ of contemplation in
    accepting his yoke. But the universal application of the essential teaching was
    forgotten or repressed or denied.

    The first Christians however got the point. They listened to the gospel when it
    told them to pray without ceasing. They understood that contemplation is an
    essential, universal element of the human condition. Martha and Mary are sisters,
    two complementary dimensions of the person, not just two personality types.
    Without Mary’s stillness at the center, sitting at the feet of the teacher and
    listening, we become like Martha, irritable, complaining, discontented,
    distracted. In the end we are not even very productive in the work we do. In
    fact Mary and Martha are both working, one interiorly, the other exteriorly.
    Contemplation is not an escape from one’s life’s work. It is a part of our work
    and helps us to do the other part better. Mary and Martha are like two chambers
    of one heart. They don’t just complement one another; they need each other to
    realize fullness of life.
A Pearl of Great Price
Copyright © 2002
The World Community for
Christian Meditation

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A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
SHARING THE GIFT OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION BY STARTING A GROUP
THE WORLD COMMUNITY FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION