Contemplation That Makes Room for Others
Clearly, in the serious contemplation of our place in the human community lies the quality of our contemplation. To be a real contemplative we must every day take others into the narrow little confines of our lives and listen to their call to us to be about something greater than ourselves.
—Joan Chittister, Illuminated Life
This honest prayer reminds us that we come before God not because we are worthy, but because He is merciful. When we look back, we often see a trail of regret—wasted opportunities, selfish choices, and years of neglecting the very grace that was offered to us. But the beauty of the gospel is that even in our guilt, there is hope. We are invited to come—not hiding our failures but confessing them fully—and to fix our eyes on the Lamb who takes away our sin.
True contemplation is not escape from the world—it’s engagement with it. Joan Chittister reminds us that authentic spiritual reflection isn’t complete until it includes the faces, voices, and needs of others. It’s easy to view contemplation as a private, quiet practice, but in reality, it invites us to open the narrow spaces of our hearts to the broader human community. We cannot go deeper with God while ignoring the people He’s placed around us.
Every day, others call to us—through their struggles, their stories, and their silent longing for someone to care. When we make room for them in our prayers and our lives, we begin to reflect the heart of Jesus, who never separated intimacy with the Father from compassion for people. Let your contemplation stretch beyond yourself today. Let it call you toward something greater: love that listens, serves, and sees. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics