Some Journal Entries from A Young Aspiring Contemplative
I’ve been refurbishing my office over the past few months, and so one of the tasks I’ve taken on is reviewing my old journals. Most of them I’...
Tag: Prayer
Wisdom During Difficult Times from Evelyn Underhill and Julian of Norwich
Today I led a day of reflection for the Mary Brewster Committee of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Ridgfield, CT. This committee is tasked with creating...
Contemplation When Things Seem Out of Control
A reader named Allen writes: With what is going on in the world, how do we as contemplatives take care of our spiritual health? I find it more challenging to si...
Praying with the Spanish Mystics
This week I facilitated my second Zoom retreat hosted by the monks of Holy Cross Monastery. Our theme was “Praying with the Spanish Mystics” — this ...
The Communion of Saints Who Watch Over Me As I Write
Today’s post is just for fun! This morning on Facebook my cousin Danny, up in Manhattan, made a comment about the beautiful icon of the Holy Cross, writte...
How Does Contemplative Practice Benefit Us — And the Communities We Are Part Of?
In response to an old blog post of mine, Between Shambhala and the Catholic Church, one reader tweeted the following: These questions are too big for twitter, b...
Called to the Prayer of Listening to Christ
God saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time b...
Contemplation and Vocal Prayer: For a Balanced Spiritual “Diet,” Cultivate Both
A reader of the blog wrote to me with this question: We had an opportunity last night to attend a presentation on prayer & spiritual warfare. I’m now contem...
Seven Mystical Affirmations
Currently I’m reading two classic self-help books, both for my personal edification and as research for a project I’m working on. The books are Juli...
Less than 12% of the Catholic Catechism is devoted to spirituality. That, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the church today.
Over the years I have discovered that there are three types of people interested in Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality: Some are practicing Chri...
Pray Without Ceasing: An Introduction to Christian Contemplation and Mystical Spirituality
Could your new year’s resolution be, “This year I want to grow spiritually?” If so, this course — meeting six Thursday evenings from January 30 to March 5 — cou...
Silent Prayer Every Day: How Much Do We Need?
A reader writes, I just finished reading the article about having everything you need for Divine union. I want to share it with my Carmelite spirituality group....
The Difference Between Meditation and Contemplation
A reader of my blog writes: As someone new and aspiring to find a more contemplative lifestyle, I’m curious of one thing. Is there a critical difference b...
The Point Behind “Be Still and Know”
One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” You can go into a Christian gift shop and find paperweights, wall...
Spirituality and Technology: How Can New Ways of Communicating and Learning Support Our Ancient Practices of Prayer?
A few months ago I wrote about smartphone apps that are designed to support a daily prayer practice. Most of the people who gave me feedback on the post express...