"Church of the Real World"
The above title does not reflect any (other) denominational slant or doctrine. This "Church of the Real World" is born out of my own reflection on what I would name a church if I were to add another to the hundreds of thousands that are already in existence. Sad that so many are in existence in a way. It kind of shows how broken up the body of Christ is. And I am not making a case for any discussion on the subject.
I am a born (and born-again) Catholic! And please do not let me or this site scare you away. I suggest you let the Holy Spirit give you what you witness to as you read. Some of the authors, those tagged for quotes may be of concern to some of you. Again, do not let this scare you. God is Way to big to have that be part of His plan.
The Holy Spirit will dicern the words and will give you what is correct.
I have participated to some level or other in the Catholic Church to the Southern Tabernacle Baptist Church and many denominations inbetween. Even dabbled with a cult in Europe. God's Word has spoken to my souls in many ways, through many people, places and circumstances.
I utilize the teachings of the Scriptures, Magisterium and Tradition to be my guide-posts to get to "shore". If what I read sits a bit ill, I give it to God, God does what God wills with it.
I do not have any intentions to start a new church denomination!
The point of all this is to encourage God's people to grow in the call God desires for each and everyone of us. A life of prayerful existence among one another, becoming who we truly are, with one another, is what this contemplative life is all about. Our "Real World" is us as God calls us to be as Beings in this world.
Living for God does not take you out of the world. To paraphrase... "we are in it, but not part of it"
Thomas Merton does a great job sharing what I am thinking. I strongly encourage the read of New Seeds of Contemplation.
What follows is the first few sentences of Chapter 1.
"What Is Contemplation? CONTEMPLATION is the highest expression of man’s intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being."
Let the previous words peak your interest. There is so much more to grow in Christ. No matter how old you are, no matter how much you think you know, no matter how much you think of your theological prowless is, there is always more of God to grow into.
