Monthly Archives: July 2009

On the Rise of ‘Casino Capitalism’

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Carl McColman

I found this one at the National Catholic Reporter website. I think it needs to be spread far and wide: The cultural embrace of illusion, and the celebrity culture that has risen up around it, have accompanied the awful hollowing … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Quotations | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Adventures in Shameless Self-Promotion

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Carl McColman

How I envy Julian of Norwich. Not only did she have an awesome experience of sixteen revelations of Divine Love, but she also took twenty years to reflect on her experience and then wrote a book that remains one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements, Writing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Quote for the Day

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Carl McColman

The closer we grow to God, the more intensely we experience the love of God and the desire for God that awakens in us, the more painful become all those defects of character to which we still cling because they … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian mysticism, Mysticism, Quotations, spirituality | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

E. Lynn Harris, R.I.P.

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Carl McColman

I’ve never read any books by E. Lynn Harris. Nevertheless, I was saddened to learn of his passing, apparently from a heart attack, at the young age of 54. This is because I can attribute the best piece of writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Wikipedia & Me

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Carl McColman

Tonight I discovered that there’s a picture of me on Wikipedia. It’s on the page for the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, in the “Book store and religious gifts” section. No caption with my name, so unless you knew it … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian mysticism | 2 Comments

First Communion on the Moon

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Carl McColman

In honor of the fortieth anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first human beings to set foot on the moon, my friend and fellow blogger Bosco Peters has posted a wonderful article about a little known fact: that the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Other people's blogs | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Epistemology of Post-Fundamentalism

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Carl McColman

A friend of mine, formerly a devout Christian who is now an atheist (and, unfortunately, a rather bitter and cynical one at that), wrote this to me recently: I got into religion as a literal believer, and I became disappointed … Continue reading →

Posted in Emergent, Mysticism, Mystics, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Who’s In Charge? (Purrrrrr….)

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Carl McColman

In honor of the recent news article from LiveScience.com that reports a study which has finally scientifically proven that cats control their “owners” (I put it in quotation marks because I think it’s a coin toss as to who really … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, humor | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Twenty Books I Want to Read

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Carl McColman

I’ve been tagged in yet another Facebook meme. This one asks me to list fifteen books that I would like to read. That seems to be a pretty cool list to draw up; in fact, it seemed worthy enough to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sorry, Mr. Weigel, the Cafeteria is Closed

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Carl McColman

I don’t normally venture into politics in this blog. I believe that contemplative prayer and Christian mysticism are for everyone, across the political spectrum. However, a blog post that I have just read, critiquing a prominent Catholic pundit who appears … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Current events | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Brad Culver on Mysticism

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Carl McColman

I’ve just stumbled across a pretty sweet looking blog by a guy named Brad Culver, Living Water From an Ancient Well. Of particular interest is his post on Mysticism.

Posted in Mysticism, Other people's blogs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wendell Berry on Christianity and Creation

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Carl McColman

The following quotation landed in my email inbox this morning from my good friend and co-conspirator Phil Foster, who in turn found it on Facebook… I traced it back to a wonderful website run by a Zen Quaker organic farmer … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Christianity, Quotations, nature, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

A Call to Religious Life Worldwide

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Carl McColman

If you’re interested in the future of monasticism and other forms of consecrated religious life, read this article by Jose Maria Vigil, CMF: A Call To Religious Life Worldwide Father Vigil argues that the collapse of religious life in Europe … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christianity | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Dream wisdom

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Carl McColman

Last night I had a dream, and most of the details I now can’t recall. But I do remember that someone in the dream offered this nugget of wisdom: In marriage, when you keep score, nobody wins. Frankly, that also … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, humor, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary and Martha Revisited

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Carl McColman

A friend of mine wrote me this note: I struggle at times to see the point of non-mystic relationships with our Abba. I don’t want to judge but it feels as if mystics connect with God and all else is … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian mysticism, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments