God has manifested himself, we Christians believe, in a new and extraordinary way in Jesus Christ; in a way which makes him more accessible to every human being through the super-abundance of grace which Jesus brought into the world. Once the art of thinking and feeling with Christ has developed through pondering the scriptures and has been deepened by contemplative prayer, we have to reflect on the signs of the times and what is to be done given the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We may be called to some special ministry, as Christ called his first disciples. Maybe we are called to reflect the Christian life in our own family and circle of friends, like the man out of whom the Lord cast a legion of demons. When he pressed to follow Jesus, he was told, "Go back home"--not to forget about his deliverance, but to share the new life he had received with his family and friends.

Whatever the circumstances, there is a Christian way of responding to them. Nowadays, when there are vast social problems which need Christian solutions, the signs of the times have 

to include not only our own immediate environment, but the broader world: the neighborhood, city, or nation, in which we live--indeed, the whole world and the future of the human race. Relying on the Holy Spirit, we must choose how to respond to the signs of the time out of our Christian tradition.

Tradition consists not only of handing down the dogmatic formulas and liturgical customs from one generation to the next. It means receiving this traditional teaching into ourselves in such a way that it becomes part of us. It must pass through our minds and hearts, become our own, and emerge in our lives as a true revelation of Christ here and now. It is only then that our baptism and the other sacraments achieve their purpose of extending Christ's presence throughout time and space. Christians are meant to be the continuing revelation of God's Son through the inspiration of his Holy Spirit who dwells within us. That inspiration can be more or less. It will be more in the degree that we penetrate the mystery of Christ to its depths. This can only be done through contemplative prayer and the abiding state of mystical union to which it leads. Then, under the influence of the gift of wisdom, we can grasp the meaning and significance of the truths of faith and express them with the kind of unction which comes from the Spirit.

The basic thrust of Christian spirituality might be summed up in two texts from the Old Testament which speak to the fundamental situation of the human adventure. The first is from Exodus: "I am who am" (Exod. 5:14). God thus reveals himself as unlimited being. Is-ness. Everything that is must be in relationship to his infinite being, and in fact, penetrated by it.

The other text is from Psalm 46:11: "Be still, and you shall know that I am God." We are thus invited to open ourselves completely to this infinite being, to the reality of the God who is; who penetrates, surrounds, and embraces us at every moment. God is the atmosphere that our spirit needs to breathe in order "to live, move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

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Excerpted from The Heart of the World by Fr. Thomas Keating

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