October 25, 2026
Recently, I have been preparing and leading a program on the spirituality of Teilhard de Chardin S.J. (1881-1955). I share here some of my insights on contemplation and spirituality that have guided me.
Teilhard de Chardin taught that accepting evolution as the fundamental dynamic of life must ground our understanding of God, prayer, and worship. While we find inspiration in the great contemplatives from Theresa of Avila, Meister Eckart, and Thomas Merton – to name a few – we need now to place their insights within an evolutionary and science-honoring worldview.
The fundamental scripture text to ground our contemplation is not in the four Gospels but in texts like the Letter to the Colossians, specifically Chapter 1:15-20. Read it again! Colossians proclaims that the entire universe is in Christ and for Christ. “In Christ” is the shorthand for this view and found often in the writings of Paul and other early Christian writers.
Colossians and other scriptures suggest a “Great Cosmic Incarnation,” the Christ as divine presence in matter beginning in the sub-atomic particles of the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. The Universal Christ is in all life whether massive or infinitesimal in size, organic or inorganic, as an imbedded attracting and active presence prompting beings toward greater connections and greater life. Since we live and move and have our being living in the Universal Christ, all our activities done in the name of promoting fuller Christ presence can become prayer. Our contemplative prayer practices can then be seen as a more in depth attending to this luminous Christ presence.
We need no longer contemplate God as “out there,” asking for God to come to our aid. The Divine is in us always! So, our prayer can change from “Help us, God, to be more kind” to “May we be more kind” as we invoke the divine life in us and one another.
The Christ within us can be described as a movement towards “moreness,” the urge within us to grow, to develop new skills and insights, to build relationships, to expand mind and heart for the sake of greater life. Even through our sufferings and diminishments our intention is to co-create however we can with the Universal Christ.
We can use new names to recognize and pray in and with the Universal Christ. We can recognize God as both noun and verb. “Mystery,” “Presence,” “Evolver,” “Fire” are just some possibilities for acknowledging the Divine. When praying we may use less the God language of “almighty” or “all powerful” and more “all loving” and “all present.”
These are some of my thoughts about contemplation and spirituality. All the best to you as you navigate your own spiritual journey! Teilhard now guides mine.
~Mike Reiling