Is it possible to live a contemplative life in marriage and parenthood? The Catholic Encyclopedia gives a very profound definition. To me, it’s about developing a relationship with God that rests on top of my visible, temporal life — like a spiritual blanket. It’s about seeing God in every event in my life, in every interaction I have in the world, in every person that I meet. This isn’t easy, but from what I’m reading, I think I can chart a path for a married man like myself. I also recently posted some wise words from St. Francis de Sales that reinforce my belief that a contemplative life in marriage is possible.
Make Time to Think About God
I need to deliberately make time to think about God. It should be part of my daily routine. When I wake up in the morning, I should say a quick prayer, asking “God, give me the graces I need this day to do Your will and glorify You, Lord.” During the 25-40 minute shuttle ride to the Embassy, I should read the morning Divine Office and contemplate what I’ve read in the time left over. If I need to connect with another soul during the ride, then I should read the morning office first-thing when I get to my desk. It takes a few minutes, anyway, for my computer to boot up and Outlook to update emails. So, I can close my door for the 15 minutes it takes to do the morning office before starting my day.
At lunch, I should do some spiritual reading. I should save the last 15-20 minutes of my lunch time to do the Rosary. If the day is slow, I could take a 15-minute break and sneak in another session of reading.
On the ride home, there is another 25-40 minutes for spiritual reading or the evening office. Both my wife and children are asleep by 9 or 10 p.m. This is where I can do some serious contemplation of an hour or more. Do the Rosary if I didn’t do it at lunch.
Just from my commute and lunch break, I can get in almost two hours of prayer time during my normal work day. I have two to four hours at night while my family sleeps. That’s four to six hours a day that I can spend with God in prayer and contemplation. Season 2 of House of Cards is coming out in February. So, maybe my time with God will be drastically cut back, then.
Seeing with the Eyes of Faith
Trade missions, VIP visits and family time on the weekends would preclude that much time hanging out with God. But even then, if I look with the eyes of faith, I can maintain a dialogue with God. During a trade mission, the fast-paced schedule and quick decisions needed for crisis management are opportunities to harvest the fruits of the Holy Spirit. I can show my colleagues that, because of my faith, even in stressful situations I am able to be charitable… joyful… peaceful… patient… kind… good… generous… gentle… faithful… modest… self-controlled… and chaste (especially when there are a lot of beautiful women around!) When I support high-level government official visits, these are great opportunities for acts of charity (service), humility, and obedience. The less I like the task, the better it is for my soul (mortification). All that time planting seeds of virtue during my normal days will come to bloom during these times of high activity.
I include family time along with the above two examples not because it’s a chore. Quite the opposite; it’s what I look forward to every week. However, it is easy to look at family time and taking care of the children as ordinary tasks instead of analogies to my relationship with God. When Maya or Hana are slow to obey, or defy my authority, I can recognize that behavior in my spiritual life with God. I am slow to obey the Holy Spirit’s gentle promptings. I defy God when I sin. Seeing that similarity, I am able to be more patient and merciful with my own girls — just as God is patient and merciful with me.
This post will have to be continued. I need to explain what the three evangelical counsels are.