Contemplative Life in the World?
Benedict Steuart
Life of the Spirit December 1, 1951 DOI: 10.1017/s0269359300034844 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
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| Key points | A Carmelite nun argued that genuine contemplative life is impossible outside the cloister because the essential 'stripping' requires enclosure or a rule, and that too much is made of 'contemplative life' in the world. Published replies to this challenge all rejected her position. |
Abstract
In the May issue of Life Of The Spirit, ‘A Challenge from inside the Cloister’ by a Carmelite nun denied with considerable force that there could be any real contemplative life in the world—mainly ‘because the essential “stripping” could never be accomplished outside Enclosure or the Rule nor could it be born', (p. 556.) It is true that the writer says that it is ‘A Carmelite life in the world’ that does not seem possible, but she goes on to say: ‘May I suggest that it is a great pity so much is made of “contemplative fife” in the world now'; so that evidently it is not only the Carmelite form of that life which is considered impossible outside the cloister.This ‘challenge’ has given rise to a series of replies—some of which have appeared in the following numbers of Life Of The Spirit—all of which have protested quite decidedly against the theory expressed in the ‘challenge'.