Where Contemplation Meets the Cry of the World

How might contemplation ground us in joy and action amidst a turbulent world? In June’s “We Conspire” series, we explore the transformative work of the Center for Spiritual Imagination, a ministry of the Community of the Incarnation. Through their “new monastic” formation process, participants cultivate a contemplative posture in their daily lives, attentive to injustices in the world. Josué Perea shares how this journey leads to a deeper joy—one that grounds the soul and fuels an embodied witness for justice.  

The Center for Spiritual Imagination is a ministry of a “new monastic” community called the “Community of the Incarnation.” New monasticism is a contemporary spiritual movement that reinterprets traditional monastic principles for daily life, emphasizing that deep contemplation and spiritual practices are accessible to everyone. The Community commits to a “Rule of Life” that integrates daily prayer, personal growth, and active engagement with social and environmental justice, blending ancient wisdom with insights from contemporary fields like psychology and ecology to address both individual and global transformation. Through public programs, an emphasis on the 12 steps and spirituality, group meditation and a three-year contemplative formation process, the Center helps individuals deepen and nurture relationships with God, self, and their neighbors.  

Josué Perea, the Director of Black Lives and Contemplation, emphasizes that the Center is inspired by the work of the Community, “which embodies and teaches engaged contemplative spirituality in response to what Father Bede Griffiths called “the universal call to contemplation.”” [1] “We believe that you’re called first into contemplative life, and then once that call happens, you can see how you’re going to use the gifts out in the world,” Perea explains.  

In a world filled with diverse realities and challenges, the contemplative life provides inner grounding that helps individuals remain steady amidst external turmoil. Perea observes, “One of the gifts of the contemplative life is to give us this inner grounding where we’re not tossed to and fro based on external events.” The inner grounding that contemplation provides helps strengthen an internal posture of joy. Perea points out: “Joy comes out of the internal life, and in order for us to develop that internal life, we have to develop a contemplative life.  If I believe joy is an inner posture, then it’s important to create ways to listen to that inner life and live it out.”  

For participants in the new monastic community, the exploration of their calling is rooted in three distinct gifts or “charisms” from the Christian tradition: the Benedictine rhythm of life, which through ongoing prayer recognizes the holiness of the hours of the day; the Carmelite commitment to silence and friendship with God; and the Franciscan emphasis on listening to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.     

Over the course of the Community’s three-year spiritual formation process, group cohorts spend an entire year immersed in Benedictine, Carmelite and Franciscan spiritualities. Perea explains that each tradition from which the Community takes inspiration offers a unique experience of new monastic vows. In the Benedictine year, for example, participants learn the significance of a prayer rhythm in cultivating a contemplative life.   

In the second year, the Carmelite focus emphasizes opening oneself to the divine mystery through contemplation. This practice fosters an inner sense of the divine and an inner sense of grounding, helping individuals face injustices in the world. Perea reflects on his own formation, stating, “Once I embraced this deeper call to the contemplative life with the community, I saw the depth and beauty of contemplation as something that refreshed me and allowed me to face the world’s perils.”  

After establishing a structured prayer rhythm and embracing contemplation, the third year focuses on the gifts of the Franciscan tradition. “How do we turn our way of being into action so that it’s not just an internal transformation but a holistic one? How is Spirit calling you to engage in the world?” Perea asks.  

Perea’s answer to that question resulted in the creation of “Black Lives and Contemplation,” a program that seeks to center Black wisdom and lived experience in contemplative offerings and knowledge sharing. Perea describes Black contemplation as “a non-dual, embodied experience that integrates the richness of Black culture, including its artistic expressions of music, dance, and literature.” [2] He says, “Often, people don’t think about the richness of Black culture as having a contemplative expression. When we broaden contemplation to mean someone making constant contact with God through an inner life, that expands contemplation to a lot more experiences, including the liberating expressions of joy, despite forms of oppression and societal ills, when Black people connect deeply with their inner selves.”  

Acknowledging widespread suffering, Perea notes that pain can disrupt our being and livelihood, making joy seem foolish or irresponsible. “How can I be joyful when the world is burning? But it’s good to have joy, and to be able to share that joy. And I think that’s what our formation provides.”  

References  
[1] Center for Spiritual Imagination, “The Community,” Center for Spiritual Imagination, https://www.spiritualimagination.org/the-community. Accessed May 20, 2025.  

[2] Center for Spiritual Imagination, “Black Lives and Contemplation,” Center for Spiritual Imagination, https://www.spiritualimagination.org/black-lives-and-contemplation/. Accessed May 20, 2025.  

Reflect with Us  
How has your inner life shaped the way you respond to a world in crisis? In what ways have contemplative practices grounded you—not in retreat, but in resilience? As you reflect on your own formation, how might joy become more than a feeling, and instead a posture that anchors you in the face of injustice and suffering? Share your reflection with us.    
  

“We Conspire” is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.