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...
Tag: Prayer
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...
Persevering Through the Dry Times of Prayer
In response to a post I wrote last year — “What to Do When Prayer Gets Dull” — a reader recently left this comment on Facebook: Carl, I think it wou...
The Easy Way to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours
I believe that anyone who is serious about embracing the Christian contemplative path needs some form of sustainable daily prayer. For most of Christian history...
A New Prayer for Contemplatives
O Holy Trinity, we come to you in silent prayer, seeking only to love you and adore you beyond all words and thought. Grant us the grace to long for you with su...