Contemplation of Things Divine

Now the perfection of the religious state consists in the contemplation of divine things. For Dionysius says (Eccl. Hier. vi) that they are "called servants of God by reason of their rendering pure service and subjection to God, and on account of the indivisible and singular life which unites them by holy reflections," i.e. contemplations, "on invisible things, to the Godlike unity and the perfection beloved of God."
                                                                                                                 Summa Theologica, Q 188, Art. 2, Obj. 1


The first and principal duty of all religious is to be the contemplation of things divine and constant union with God in prayer.
                                                                                                       Code of Canon Law, Bk 2.3, Canon 663 §1

    In one of our conferences this week, the novice master reminded us that the fundamental calling of religious is the contemplation of divine things, a calling that is prior to any institutional charism or apostolic work. Our focus all month has been receiving the gift of prayer, and this was another reminder that prayer is principally a gift from God that is initiated by Him, not me. It is also important for remembering that religious life is not dependent on nor defined by apostolic work. If a religious from an apostolic institute is incapacitated for any reason, they are still called to live their vocation to prayer.
     It is a matter of human habit to get wrapped up in having or doing and neglect the very fundamental state of being. In every spiritual life, the first call is to relationship with God and everything else follows upon that. Novitiate focuses on prayer for that reason; it is the beginning of religious life and the time of building a foundation on which every subsequent aspect of that life depends.