Becoming the Ground of Contemplation
In every great religious tradition the concept is clear: to be contemplative we must become converted to the consciousness that makes us one with the universe, in tune with the cosmic voice of God. We must become aware of the sacred in every single element of life. We must bring beauty to birth in a poor and plastic world. We must restore the human community.
We must grow in concert with the God who is within. We must be healers in a harsh society. We must become all those things that are the ground of contemplation, the fruits of contemplation, the end of contemplation.
The contemplative life is about becoming more contemplative all the time. It is about being in the world differently. What needs to be changed in us? Anything that makes us the sole center of ourselves. Anything that deludes us into thinking that we are not simply a work in progress, all of whose degrees, status, achievements, and power are no substitute for the wisdom that a world full of God everywhere, in everyone, has to teach us.
Anything that drowns out the voice of the Ultimate within must be damped.
—Dennis Kinlaw,
This Day with the Master
The contemplative life isn’t about escape—it’s about engagement, a transformation of how we see and exist in the world. Dennis Kinlaw reminds us that to be truly contemplative, we must be converted to a new consciousness—one that hears God’s voice not just in quiet moments but in all of life. This sacred awareness shifts us from self-centeredness to soul-centeredness, from noise to listening, from striving to healing. The call is to become beauty-bearers in a broken world, healers in a harsh society, and learners in a universe brimming with God. Contemplation isn’t a destination; it’s a way of being—growing, awakening, and letting the Ultimate speak through everything. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics