Manifesting Your True Self: How Contemplative Christian Practices Can Transform Individuals and Their World

Manifesting Your True Self

How Contemplative Christian Practices Can Transform Individuals and Their World

Kenneth J. Martinelli

ISBN 978-1-64559-391-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64559-392-8 (Digital)

Copyright © 2019 Kenneth J. Martinelli

All rights reserved

First Edition

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Rediscovering our Origins

Missing the Mark

First Half of Life Religion

Repentance and Transformation

Contemplation: A Means to an End

Journey from the Alpha to the Omega

Epilogue

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Notes

Bibliography

About the Author

Introduction

To put it boldly, contemplation is the only ultimate answer to the unreal and insane world that our financial systems and our advertising culture and our chaotic and unexamined emotions encourage us to inhabit. Let’s just look at the emotional issue. I think we realize-I sure do-that much of the time we’re just jerked around by our passing emotions. So much so, that you don’t have feelings; feelings have you. There is no stable you there to hold and process a feeling or a thought. Contemplation teaches you how to stand guard and not let your emotions and obsessive thoughts control you. Contemplation and silence nip the ego and its negatives in the bud by teaching you how to watch and guard your very thoughts. As Paul says, Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7) (from Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations, May 2016)

Are you satisfied with the current state of our world? Has the message of Christianity promoting peace and fellowship to all its inhabitants been realized? I know I am not satisfied. Our institutions—government, organized religion, among others—have not delivered what they promised. The above quote suggests another option, one of incorporating contemplative practices into our daily and/or religious lives. Will contemplation really make a difference in people and the world? I think the answer is yes, and this book will explore the reasons for this optimism.

This is not another how to book on contemplative practices such as meditation. There are many fine books written on this subject by authors much more experienced on the topic than I am. This book addresses the question Why bother with contemplation? And furthermore, why should a church attending Christian, or those called by Michael H. Crosby as Culture One Catholics (1), even consider such a topic? The easy answer is because contemplation brings one closer to God. But isn’t that what organized religion is meant to do? I often get asked why I go on contemplative retreats and participate in centering prayer. The Bringing one closer to God response is not enough for me. There is a greater, more in-depth context that needs to be explored to fully appreciate this contemplative attraction. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating doing away with organized religion, but rather to expand it and give it a new perspective.

So how do I begin to explain this new perspective, this deeper experience reached through incorporating contemplation into religious practices? I begin by looking at the bigger picture of life, thus adopting a more holistic view of the human condition, and how one’s understanding of a Creator fits into this view. Knowing where we came from and where we are heading is critical to putting a contemplative view of life into practice.

This holistic approach I am discussing is not an easy sell in a culture that encourages discreet facts and short, easy answers. It takes time to paint a complete picture of any argument, one that outlines the essential components without unnecessary details that merely cloud that picture. As an educator and teacher, I have been told that my biggest strength is the ability to put things together, to synthesize seemingly separate facts into a unified whole, to achieve a greater and more profound level of understanding. Of course, as a teacher, my well-thought-out lessons were not always received by my students the way I expected. Thus, I apologize in advance if my line of reasoning does not automatically connect with yours. It is difficult to ascertain where someone’s understanding is on a topic, as well as eloquently convey some of the more personal and abstract workings of the human condition.

My own journey in my understanding and implementation of the Gospel teachings underwent a paradigm shift about fifteen years ago. Up until that time, I was a churchgoing Catholic, one who approached his faith through an intellectual perspective; that is, I knew the teachings of my church and the various tenets of the Catholic faith, but I lacked an emotional attachment. I believed in Jesus but did not feel connected to him. I understood that Jesus should be my personal savior, but I struggled to make this an integral part of my life. My family upbringing encouraged weekly attendance at Mass, celebration of all religious holidays, and the reciting of some prescribed prayers, which seemed to be the norm for this period in my life.

Then my personal life experienced a setback, and I was forced to reevaluate my goals and values. I went on a religious retreat and encountered centering prayer as a way of relating to God. I was always interested in meditation but did not know that there was a practice already embedded in my faith. But once I found a local group that supported this practice, an entirely new way of approaching the Gospel message emerged.

I firmly believe that all of God’s creation is good and that all creatures are meant to live in harmony and peace. This is the Alpha, the Garden of Eden, and God’s desire for all of creation. It is also our ultimate destiny, our Omega. I also know that God’s love of diversity allows for multiple paths one might follow to reach his or her goal of true happiness and union with Him. Most of the mainline religions have a contemplative dimension to them. The path that I am most familiar with, and the