I once grew heirloom cherry tomatoes from seed. I did not know what I was doing and started too late. I ended up with ONE perfect cherry tomato. I decided I would share it with my husband. I cut it in half, and we both declared it to be THE most delicious cherry tomato we’d ever eaten. Some may have felt the work wasted for one tomato, but grace says that tomato was a gift. I certainly received it as such. Oh, to receive all such gifts as grace!!!
There are few things truly higher and more uplifting than the cherry tomato (literal or metaphorical as it may be). There's something about the slowness and the givenness of growing vegetables that is good for the soul.
Yes, “givenness” is such a good word, James. When I was younger I thought gardening was a lot of work for the yield. Now I’m more impressed by how abundant the yield is compared to the work (and not because I have high yields! I’m still quite a novice.)
I'm terrible at it, but I started my four year-old growing tomatoes this year. The lessons you can learn from growing a simple plant. Time, patience, fruitfulness, it's all there.
Thanks for this reminder! I will have to bump that book up higher on my "to acquire" list. I have read Pieper's "Leisure, the Basis of Culture," and he speaks of similar things. I'm not sure how I feel about contemplation being the only meaningful activity either - is it possible that other activities could be done in a contemplative manner which makes them meaningful? I wonder if this is related to a sacramental view of reality (thinking of Alexander Schmemann here). If, in growing the tomato or baking the bread or writing the book or hugging the child, we participate in those activities as gifts from and opportunities for communion with God, are we "seeing" the reality beyond and engaging in an active form of contemplation? Thanks for getting me thinking today!
Much of "Only the Lover Sings" will be familiar to you if you've read "Leisure, the Basis of Culture." One nice thing about "Only the Lover Sings" is that it's MUCH shorter (76 pages, and small pages at that). It's a nice entree into Pieper.
Sep 6, 2023·edited Sep 6, 2023Liked by Jonathan Rogers
Hmmmm- wow - lot to chew on (mentally) here. The reminder here that rest and meditation (beholding reality)- are beautiful things-was very comforting to me. I am in your camp here- the idea that contemplation is the only “meaningful activity” (in and of itself) is one that takes some mental gymnastics even to wrap my mind around. Perhaps I am not wholly following his thought process: if beholding reality were the ultimate activity… then why the Creation of the World in the beginning? Bringing order out of Chaos was a Creative Act , and our Creative Acts mimic our Creator … I am trying to think this out…. I think in the end, I don’t agree with the statement that beholding reality is the only meaningful activity- but would modify it to “beholding reality is one of the chief meaningful activities:” and would add- with strong emphasis- that it is largely spurned and relegated to insignificance in a society that “idolizes labor.” Wow. I needed this thought today. I Can return to such guilt over and over when my “visible production level” does not meet what I deem society judges reasonable. What a beautiful reminder that rest is holy, reality is beautiful, reveling is appropriate.
Thanks for these ruminations, Mildred. I'm not 100% qualified to make Pieper's case re: contemplation, but I'll try... Almost everything you do is a means toward some other end. But in heaven—or, perhaps, in the New Heavens and the New Earth—there is no further end to strive for. You're there. You've arrived. And the New Heavens and the New Earth is the eternal Sabbath rest, where the Blessed gaze on the face of God. (If you're one of those unusual readers who has made it all the way to the Paradiso part of the Divine Comedy, this idea will be familiar). On this earth (not the New Earth), the Sabbath and contemplation of the Divine are those activities that are most like the heavenly state; they cannot serve any further purpose. (And when they do serve some other purpose, they are corrupted; when we think of the Sabbath, for instance, as simply a day for us to recharge in order to go back to work on Monday, we're getting it wrong). So, if I'm getting Pieper right, that's the logic by which he says that contemplation is the only activity that is meaningful in itself (and both Sabbath and leisure are closely connected to contemplation).
This is all a version of the debate regarding the contemplative life and the active life. I don't know if Catholic and Eastern Orthodox believers still have this debate. I'm pretty sure Protestants don't; we just assume that the active life is more important (see The Protestant Work Ethic).
One more thing I would add. You asked why God created the world at all if contemplation is the only activity that is meaningful in itself. I should have specified that, for Pieper, contemplation is the only HUMAN activity that is meaningful in itself. All of God's activities are meaningful...but we are alienated from reality, which is a big part of the reason contemplation is so hard for us. And why we keep ourselves busy.
Yes, definitely agree: I think a lot of the Protestant work ethic comes from a Puritan view- which has roots in the past we forget about: i.e. “blessings” or material gain are an evidence of God’s favor, thus the more material gain we see in our lives, the more certain we are that we have gained Eternal favor and our place in the Elect: thus the root tendency to work harder to gain more material evidence to prove to ourselves that we have God’s Blessing. 😂almost circular reasoning and I think that most of us with the Protestant work ethic ingrained in us aren’t even aware that this is (part of) the root of the frantic scurrying of work toward the American Dream. Studying the Word and being reminded that material blessings are emphatically *not* the evidence of God’s favor- nor the contrary- brings us full circle to the root of all this and remembering the blessing that Rest truly is.
However, I don’t think that’s what I really believe the New Creation will be like… I think I see it demonstrated in Scripture that God loves Creativity and I believe we will definitely be creating and working in His New Earth. Obviously the only way to prove one theory or the other is either to find strong Scriptural support for one or the other- or to reach the Blessed Realm oneself… 😂
Thank you for explaining his logic. I Can see where my basic belief on the subject differs from his.
I needed this! I often think of myself as kind of a psalmist. I lament and then, I reel it in back to God. This week’s newsletter validated that and helped me make sense of my writing! Thank you!
Hi! Welcome to Substack! Emma Fox, a personal friend and contributing author of The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad by Rabbit Room Press, recommended your newsletter to me years ago. Thank you for your thoughtful and thought-provoking posts. Your words have been a great source of encouragement as I've spent the last decade typing stories I feared would never leave my desktop. You can do the best work you can, but in the end, it's God Who grants favor. I wanted to let you know I recently signed a book contract with Bandersnatch Books for my upcoming murder mystery series. Thanks again for your faithful voice in helping me cultivate my own writing faithfulness. And should you care to check out my substack page, it's Cup & Quill. Thanks again! https://katherineladnymitchell.substack.com/p/taking-up-the-shears
Our discussion during Office Hours on Thursday evening reminded me of Abraham Joshua Heschel's book The Sabbath. In the Prologue to the book, Heschel suggests "The power we attain in the world of space terminates abruptly at the borderline of time. But time is the heart of existence."
Heschel continues, "There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord." He goes on to say, "Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern." (Is this perhaps Pieper's issue with "work"?)
If I understand Heschel correctly, he uses story as well as scholarship to affirm that both work and rest are important and are correlated; that is, they complement and complete each other. Work gives us the opportunity to take part in creation, caring for it as well as contributing to it, while rest (that is, Sabbath rest) is specifically good.
Heschel writes, "The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time, rather than space . . . on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world."
Later Heschel talks about the Sabbath as a celebration, rather than merely a duty, which sounds a little like Pieper's "contemplation" -- although a celebration sounds like more fun than mere contemplation!
I once grew heirloom cherry tomatoes from seed. I did not know what I was doing and started too late. I ended up with ONE perfect cherry tomato. I decided I would share it with my husband. I cut it in half, and we both declared it to be THE most delicious cherry tomato we’d ever eaten. Some may have felt the work wasted for one tomato, but grace says that tomato was a gift. I certainly received it as such. Oh, to receive all such gifts as grace!!!
It sounds like the two of you had a highly concentrated feast.
Your comment gave me the laugh I needed just now. 😂 Dave and I still reminisce about that Edenic tomato.
There are few things truly higher and more uplifting than the cherry tomato (literal or metaphorical as it may be). There's something about the slowness and the givenness of growing vegetables that is good for the soul.
Yes, “givenness” is such a good word, James. When I was younger I thought gardening was a lot of work for the yield. Now I’m more impressed by how abundant the yield is compared to the work (and not because I have high yields! I’m still quite a novice.)
I'm terrible at it, but I started my four year-old growing tomatoes this year. The lessons you can learn from growing a simple plant. Time, patience, fruitfulness, it's all there.
Go to the tomato, you frantic modern worrier!
You've mentioned his book before and I was so hungry for more. It is so profound but simple enough for me to grasp.
Any possibility of you leading a book study on this book??
Hmm...that’s an interesting idea. Maybe.
It seems like a foundational book and so timely when foundations are shaking. And the way you explain the parts you reference are so helpful.
Thanks for this reminder! I will have to bump that book up higher on my "to acquire" list. I have read Pieper's "Leisure, the Basis of Culture," and he speaks of similar things. I'm not sure how I feel about contemplation being the only meaningful activity either - is it possible that other activities could be done in a contemplative manner which makes them meaningful? I wonder if this is related to a sacramental view of reality (thinking of Alexander Schmemann here). If, in growing the tomato or baking the bread or writing the book or hugging the child, we participate in those activities as gifts from and opportunities for communion with God, are we "seeing" the reality beyond and engaging in an active form of contemplation? Thanks for getting me thinking today!
Much of "Only the Lover Sings" will be familiar to you if you've read "Leisure, the Basis of Culture." One nice thing about "Only the Lover Sings" is that it's MUCH shorter (76 pages, and small pages at that). It's a nice entree into Pieper.
Hmmmm- wow - lot to chew on (mentally) here. The reminder here that rest and meditation (beholding reality)- are beautiful things-was very comforting to me. I am in your camp here- the idea that contemplation is the only “meaningful activity” (in and of itself) is one that takes some mental gymnastics even to wrap my mind around. Perhaps I am not wholly following his thought process: if beholding reality were the ultimate activity… then why the Creation of the World in the beginning? Bringing order out of Chaos was a Creative Act , and our Creative Acts mimic our Creator … I am trying to think this out…. I think in the end, I don’t agree with the statement that beholding reality is the only meaningful activity- but would modify it to “beholding reality is one of the chief meaningful activities:” and would add- with strong emphasis- that it is largely spurned and relegated to insignificance in a society that “idolizes labor.” Wow. I needed this thought today. I Can return to such guilt over and over when my “visible production level” does not meet what I deem society judges reasonable. What a beautiful reminder that rest is holy, reality is beautiful, reveling is appropriate.
Thanks for these ruminations, Mildred. I'm not 100% qualified to make Pieper's case re: contemplation, but I'll try... Almost everything you do is a means toward some other end. But in heaven—or, perhaps, in the New Heavens and the New Earth—there is no further end to strive for. You're there. You've arrived. And the New Heavens and the New Earth is the eternal Sabbath rest, where the Blessed gaze on the face of God. (If you're one of those unusual readers who has made it all the way to the Paradiso part of the Divine Comedy, this idea will be familiar). On this earth (not the New Earth), the Sabbath and contemplation of the Divine are those activities that are most like the heavenly state; they cannot serve any further purpose. (And when they do serve some other purpose, they are corrupted; when we think of the Sabbath, for instance, as simply a day for us to recharge in order to go back to work on Monday, we're getting it wrong). So, if I'm getting Pieper right, that's the logic by which he says that contemplation is the only activity that is meaningful in itself (and both Sabbath and leisure are closely connected to contemplation).
This is all a version of the debate regarding the contemplative life and the active life. I don't know if Catholic and Eastern Orthodox believers still have this debate. I'm pretty sure Protestants don't; we just assume that the active life is more important (see The Protestant Work Ethic).
One more thing I would add. You asked why God created the world at all if contemplation is the only activity that is meaningful in itself. I should have specified that, for Pieper, contemplation is the only HUMAN activity that is meaningful in itself. All of God's activities are meaningful...but we are alienated from reality, which is a big part of the reason contemplation is so hard for us. And why we keep ourselves busy.
Yes, definitely agree: I think a lot of the Protestant work ethic comes from a Puritan view- which has roots in the past we forget about: i.e. “blessings” or material gain are an evidence of God’s favor, thus the more material gain we see in our lives, the more certain we are that we have gained Eternal favor and our place in the Elect: thus the root tendency to work harder to gain more material evidence to prove to ourselves that we have God’s Blessing. 😂almost circular reasoning and I think that most of us with the Protestant work ethic ingrained in us aren’t even aware that this is (part of) the root of the frantic scurrying of work toward the American Dream. Studying the Word and being reminded that material blessings are emphatically *not* the evidence of God’s favor- nor the contrary- brings us full circle to the root of all this and remembering the blessing that Rest truly is.
However, I don’t think that’s what I really believe the New Creation will be like… I think I see it demonstrated in Scripture that God loves Creativity and I believe we will definitely be creating and working in His New Earth. Obviously the only way to prove one theory or the other is either to find strong Scriptural support for one or the other- or to reach the Blessed Realm oneself… 😂
Thank you for explaining his logic. I Can see where my basic belief on the subject differs from his.
I needed this! I often think of myself as kind of a psalmist. I lament and then, I reel it in back to God. This week’s newsletter validated that and helped me make sense of my writing! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear it, Georgina!
Hi! Welcome to Substack! Emma Fox, a personal friend and contributing author of The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad by Rabbit Room Press, recommended your newsletter to me years ago. Thank you for your thoughtful and thought-provoking posts. Your words have been a great source of encouragement as I've spent the last decade typing stories I feared would never leave my desktop. You can do the best work you can, but in the end, it's God Who grants favor. I wanted to let you know I recently signed a book contract with Bandersnatch Books for my upcoming murder mystery series. Thanks again for your faithful voice in helping me cultivate my own writing faithfulness. And should you care to check out my substack page, it's Cup & Quill. Thanks again! https://katherineladnymitchell.substack.com/p/taking-up-the-shears
Our discussion during Office Hours on Thursday evening reminded me of Abraham Joshua Heschel's book The Sabbath. In the Prologue to the book, Heschel suggests "The power we attain in the world of space terminates abruptly at the borderline of time. But time is the heart of existence."
Heschel continues, "There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord." He goes on to say, "Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern." (Is this perhaps Pieper's issue with "work"?)
If I understand Heschel correctly, he uses story as well as scholarship to affirm that both work and rest are important and are correlated; that is, they complement and complete each other. Work gives us the opportunity to take part in creation, caring for it as well as contributing to it, while rest (that is, Sabbath rest) is specifically good.
Heschel writes, "The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time, rather than space . . . on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world."
Later Heschel talks about the Sabbath as a celebration, rather than merely a duty, which sounds a little like Pieper's "contemplation" -- although a celebration sounds like more fun than mere contemplation!
Thanks for bringing up Heschel’s book, Holly. That one is on my long to-be-read list. Maybe it should be on my short list!