The Contemplative Lens
As a Dominican, I take seriously the charge to approach life from the contemplative lens of God’s presence being manifested in the ordinary experiences of one’s life. Centering my life in daily meditation of the scripture and celebration of the Eucharist, I wake each morning attentive to the fact that I am called once again to continue the mission of Jesus Christ in a context of a society that is in moral and cultural crises. Contemplative insight, born of prayer and social analysis, provides the foundation for contemplative action in the name of Jesus. Our actions must reveal to the world the Way of Jesus as an expression of the Will of God. We are called to be a sacramental people.
God uses others and me as sacraments of divine unconditional love manifested most profoundly by the divine self-emptying love that led to the Incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. As sacramental people, we must embrace a similar journey as we speak and embody the truth through our interpersonal relationships and the institutions we create to continue the mission of Jesus. We must, by our way of living, embody God’s unconditional, universal love and call to communion with God and one another.
My ministries among diverse racial-cultural groups have always focused on those whose lives are “at risk.” As an educator, social worker, community organizer, pastoral minister, consultant, lecturer, retreat director, administrator, scholar, theologian, and author, I have essentially sought to help others to discover the truth and richness of their identity as people born in the image and likeness of God, who are called to use their intelligence, gifts and skills for the good of the Church and the community. I have tried to help others discover God’s loving presence within themselves and others as they become mutual sacraments of God’s healing love and hope in our church and society.
In the Eucharist, Jesus, broken and blessed, offers us his body and blood. In life, we too are broken and blessed as we offer our body and blood for others by confronting racism, sexism and other systems of inequality. As itinerant preachers we are called to walk in solidarity with the poor and the rich. We are called to walk in solidarity with Black Americans, European Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans. We are called to walk in solidarity with women and men. We are called to be bridges and sacraments of God’s call to communion (unity in diversity) as we seek to realize our identity as people made in the image and likeness of the Triune God.