Glimpses from the Temple
Fr. Tony’s Midweek Message
October 16, 2013
We often hear in Ashland the word “contemplation” or
“contemplative.” It usually brings to
mind the image of someone who mediates or observes, with little or no speaking,
and sees things, or at least, feels ways about things, that the rest of us
don’t.
The word contemplate
comes from the Latin verb contemplari,
“to look at carefully.” The word combines the preposition con “with” and templum “temple,
holy place, place for seeing auspices or omens.” Its most basic meaning is seeing into things
and grasping their true sense.
In medieval Christian theology, there are three ways of
seeing: the sight we have with our physical eyes (visio), the perception
(literally, through-sight) we gain through
use of our reason, intuition, imagination, and reflection (meditatio or ratio), and
the insight we experience when in
unity with God (contemplatio).
St. Thomas Aquinas, that paragon of rationality and reason,
brought Aristotelian logic to the practice of theology. Near the end of his life he had a mystical
experience where he glimpsed God’s love and glory. Having had such contemplative insight, he
characterized all his previous work as “so much straw.” He declined to say more about his
experience. The word mystical comes from the Greek verb myo, “to be mute, remain silent.” Some things just can’t be talked about
because of the inadequacy of our language.
Contemplation
involves looking quietly, carefully, and seeing matters under the aspect of the
eternal. In it we have the perspective
of being in a place of holy divination, of perceiving the holy pattern and
intention in things. We often express
sponsorship or protection by saying that something is “under the auspices” or
“aegis” of someone. In ancient pagan
Greece and Rome, the Aegis was the
goat-skin shield of Athena with supreme protective power; an auspice was an omen or sign of the gods’
will or intention. A templum was a place where auspices were
divined. Contemplation thus also means seeing the divine protection and gracious
intention in all things.
St. Julian of Norwich, in her Showings of Divine Love, does not so much speak about her mystical
experience as hint at snippets of
it. The universe is seen as fragile
hazelnut in the hand of God, protected from harm: “All is well and all is well,
and all manner of thing shall be well.”
None of us is perfect, and all of us have our bad moments,
our bad days. Glimpses from the temple
help us get through, and see God’s love is all around. Quiet spiritual practice, steadily pursued,
helps give us such glimpses.
Grace and Peace,
Fr. Tony+
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