A Long, Loving Look at the Real

Fr. Walter Burghardt, SJ, said that contemplation is to take “a long, loving look at the real.” Those of us who want a fuller sense of who God really is can take two approaches to our looking. The first is known as the “path of images” where we use our senses — sight, sound, smell, touch — to catch a glimpse of God. In this way artists can reveal the sacred through visual arts, poetry, music, dance, and culinary or gardening skills. People who feel close to God in nature are looking at God through the path of images — trees, mountains, seas, sky, animals, plants. Liturgy is another example of the path of images because of its use of symbols, ritual gestures, and the presentation of ideas through scripture readings.

A second approach to looking at the real is just the opposite: it is to let go of our dependence on thoughts, words, and images, because although these things can point to God, they cannot contain the fullness of God. Just as a cup that is full is limited in its ability to receive anything new, we become limited in our receptivity to new understandings of God when we become overly dependent on our senses. Thus the counterbalance to the path of images is the path of receptivity through silence, emptiness, absence, darkness, and poverty.

We need a balance between these ways of looking to find the presence of God. Jesus demonstrated this when he was approached by a rich young man who wanted to know what he should do to achieve eternal life with God. Because of his wealth, the young man had easy access to the path of images through art, fine linens, rich food, and the like. However, this sensory overload kept him from having a deeper sense of God through silence and emptiness. That is why Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and follow him. And the young man went away sad, just as we do when we are invited to relinquish our preferred way of looking through our senses and enhance our receptivity through absence, darkness, unknowing, emptiness, silence, and poverty.

During the pandemic, most of us have been forced to spend some time on the path of receptivity. Many people have found the experience painful because they are usually so awash in sensory input that they don’t know how to deal with quiet, waiting, and nonproductivity. This illustrates why we need to achieve a balance between the path of images and the path of receptivity; both ways are necessary in our quest to become aware of the presence of God. Holding on to either path too tightly leads to an unhealthy attachment to the pleasures of our senses or self-absorption when we spend too much time apart from others.

St. Benedict shows us the way to achieve this balance through a life of moderation — setting aside time each day for lectio divina and silent prayer (the path of receptivity) and time for work (including creative endeavors and outdoor labor), eating meals, and being with others (the path of images). When we adopt this approach, we will enjoy a fruitful life in God’s presence through our balanced practice of taking a long, loving look at the real.