Fran and Rhiannon singing at the Friends of L’Arche Atlanta
Here are links to videos of Fran and Rhiannon singing at the Friends of L’Arche Atlanta coffeehouse on June 26, 2010 (our anniversary). I’m sorry I don’t have the videos embedded — they’re not on Youtube and I can’t figure out if there’s a way to embed them from the Photoshop website. I’ll ask the guy who filmed them to put them on Youtube, and if he does, I’ll embed them here. But for now, please just follow the links. They’re both great fun, and I’m just as proud as can be.
He’s Always Been Faithful
(originally performed by Sara Groves)
Into the Silent Land
Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation
By Martin Laird
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006
Review by Carl McColman
Here is one of the loveliest, most poetic, and most useful books on the practice of mature Christian prayer that I have ever read.
First of all, what this book is not. It is not a comprehensive guide to Christian spirituality, or even to Christian prayer. The author does not bother discussing the sacramental or liturgical life of the church, or lectio divina, or the quest for personal or collective holiness. Nor is this a manual on meditation in its classical Christian sense — e.g., meditation as reflection on the spiritual life, such as found in the writings of Ignatius of Loyola. And while there are some superficial similarities (particularly in the emphasis on the “prayer word”), this is not about centering prayer or John Main’s approach to Christian meditation. Laird anchors his approach to contemplation in the desert and eastern traditions, quoting authors such as Evagrius, John Climacus, Theophan the Recluse, Hesychios, and Gregory of Sinai. But he doesn’t ignore the west: John of the Cross, Augustine, Meister Eckhart and John Ruysbroeck are frequently cited as well. If you’re the kind of reader who pays attention to footnotes, you’ll probably come away, as I did, with the sense that this is a book thoroughly grounded in the tradition of Christian spirituality. (more…)
Quote for the Day
Stand guard over your spirit, keeping it free of concepts at the time of prayer so that it may remain in its own deep calm. Thus he who has compassion on the ignorant will come to visit even such an insignificant person as yourself. That is when you will receive the most glorious gift of prayer.
— Evagrius Ponticus, Chapters on Prayer, 69
Would you give a book to a monastery, please?
A couple of weeks ago, one of my dearest monk friends (who gets written about on this blog all the time, usually anonymously — see this post, for example) brought in to the Abbey Store a check that a friend of his had written to him. Typical of the monks, he used the money to benefit someone other than himself: he bought a copy of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism to send to the monks of Our Lady of Gethsemani — the monastery where Thomas Merton lived.
I did not put him up to this. As is so often the case with the monks, this particular father had never said “well done, Carl” or “what a great book, Carl” or anything like that. Monastic culture is not really geared toward personal praise. But in showing his conviction that this book is important enough to be sent to the mother house speaks volumes. I was deeply touched.
But it also raises another issue that I have been pondering for the last few weeks. I’d like to see that a copy of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism gets sent to every monastery and retreat house in the country (hey, in the world even, but we have to start somewhere). The monastery could place it in their library, or in their guesthouse where retreatants could read it. It’s something I’d really love to do, but frankly it’s beyond my financial means to send a book to literally hundreds of monasteries, convents and retreat centers.
Well, wouldn’t you know — after a class I taught this past weekend, a woman came to me and said, “I feel led to give you this.” She handed me a check for a significant amount of money. Humbled and honored, I told her about my desire to donate copies of the book to monasteries. She agreed that this would be a wonderful use for her funds.
I wish I could say that this generous gift is enough to cover all the monasteries in North America, but of course, it isn’t. It’s just a good start.
One of my Lay Associate sisters has graciously offered to write letters to the various monastery and retreat house bookstores to ask them to stock the book. But just because they receive the letter doesn’t mean they’ll actually order the book. I am still very much an “unknown” person, except for the folks who read this blog or who have stumbled across my writing elsewhere. So I’m kind of at a loss as to how to get books to all the various contemplative centers throughout the USA. But the blessings that came from the monk and from the generous woman have given me an idea.
I’m wondering if some of the readers of this blog would be willing to help out. If you enjoy this blog, and/or have enjoyed The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, would you consider donating a copy to a monastery? Many hands make for light work, and many wallets make for a miracle that doesn’t cost any one person too much money. Here’s what I propose: I can order copies of my book at wholesale prices — my cost for each book, delivered to me, is approximately $13.64. Add the shipping and packing cost to mail each book out to a monastery, and the total cost per book is $16.60 — to donate a book, delivered, to a monastery, convent, or retreat house library. But since I do make royalties on the book, I’ll round this down to an even $16.00.
Think you can spare $16 to help make this happen? Or $32 to get two books delivered to two contemplative centers?
Let me be clear: at this price, I do not make any money on this transaction. This is not about lining my pockets, but rather about getting this book into the hands of monks and nuns and retreatants who, hopefully, will be blessed by it.
If you don’t want to send me money, you can order the book from Amazon and have it shipped to a monastery, convent or retreat center of your choice for $18.92 (including shipping). If you do this, however, please let me know so that we don’t duplicate efforts.
You can mail me a check to Carl McColman, PO Box 1146, Clarkston GA 30021. Please mark it “Monastery Book Donation” in the memo field. If you want to request a particular monastery or convent, please do so, but that’s on a first come basis, so if someone else has already had a book donated to that particular center, I’ll use your donation to cover a different one. I’m sure you can understand that.
If you’d rather make your donation via Paypal, that’s an option, but if you are using a credit or debit card, Paypal will collect approximately 79¢ to cover bank costs. So to cover that cost, please make your Paypal donation in the amount of $16.79 per book (which means, frankly, it would be cheaper to use a stamp and just mail me a check, but of course that’s up to you).
You can also donate books to monasteries or other spiritual centers anywhere in the world. But please check with me first, because the postage costs for books sent out of the United States can be quite high. Send me the address of the monastery you wish to receive a book, and I’ll let you know what the exact cost will be.
Feel like you can’t donate $16? Then please, send what you can. For every $16 I collect, another book will be donated to a religious community or retreat center.
By the way: I hope you’ll understand that this special price of $16.00 is only for books donated to monasteries or other spiritual centers. If you want an autographed book sent to you or a loved one, I’ll be happy to do so at my regular price ($20 for books mailed to a U.S. address). Thank you for your understanding!
I hope you will prayerfully consider participating in this effort. At the end of this post is a partial list of monasteries, convents and retreat centers in the United States. This list just covers Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries in the Roman Catholic tradition. But there are also Carthusian, Franciscan, Jesuit, Dominican, Carmelite, and various other Catholic monasteries, convents or retreat centers; plus there are Anglican, Orthodox, and even some Protestant or Neo-Monastic communities. There are literally hundreds of religious communities across North America that I believe would be blessed by receiving a copy of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism. Will you help me to get the books out to these sacred centers?
When you donate a book to a monastery, please include your email address in your letter so I can send you a thank you, including telling you which monastery or center(s) received book(s) thanks to your generosity. I will also be documenting on a separate page which monasteries have received books, noting the donor’s first name and last initial (“Carl M.”). If you’d rather be anonymous, I’ll list you as such.
Cistercian Monasteries and Convents
- Assumption Abbey
- Abbey of the Genesee
- Abbey of Gethsemani
- Holy Cross Abbey
- Monastery of the Holy Spirit
- Mepkin Abbey
- Monastery of Our Lady of Jordan
- Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey
- Abbey of New Clairvaux
- New Melleray Abbey
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey
- Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey
- St. Benedict’s Monastery
- St. Joseph’s Abbey
Benedictine Monasteries
- American-Cassinese Congregation
- Belmont Abbey, North Carolina
- Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
- Blue Cloud Abbey
- Monastery of Christ in the Desert
- Monastery of Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek
- Conception Abbey
- Holy Name Monastery
- Mount Angel Abbey
- New Camaldoli Hermitage
- Portsmouth Abbey
- Abbey of Regina Laudis
- St. Andrew’s Abbey
- Saint Anselm’s Abbey
- Saint Benedict’s Monastery
- Saint Emma Monastery
- Saint John’s Abbey
- Saint Leo Abbey
- Saint Louis Abbey
- St. Meinrad Archabbey
- Saint Vincent Archabbey
- St. Joseph Benedictine Abbey
- St. Paul’s Abbey
- Subiaco Abbey and Academy
- Weston Priory
Plus: Carthusian Monasteries, Carmelite, Franciscan, Jesuit, Dominican, and various other monasteries, convents, and retreat centers; as well as Orthodox Monasteries, Episcopal/Anglican Monasteries, Neo-Monastic, Ecumenical, and Evangelical Communities.
Quote for the Day
Were we to have the tiniest glimpse of God, we would lose desire for anything else.
— Ruth Burrows, Guidelines for Mystical Prayer
Quote for the Day
To understand contemplation correctly, we need to go back to its original meaning. Step out in the dark night, raise your eyes to the starry sky, and you will experience what contemplation was before it had a name. Since prehistoric times humans have looked up to the stars and have longed to measure up to that cosmic order. The root meaning of temp is “measure,” and the temple was originally a measured-out area in the sky. The temple below was meant to be a reflection of the perfect order above.
— David Steindl-Rast, OSB, Benedict’s Dharma.
Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Biography
Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Biography
By Amy Frykholm
Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2010
Review by Carl McColman
Stories are important. Spirituality is a field that can easily get lost in the most arcane types of discourse: philosophy, theology, psychology, scholarly prose. Such writing, no matter how well done, always seems to have a quality of abstract otherness that fails to fully engage the reader. By contrast, a heartfelt story: someone’s autobiography, a parable, or even a didactic novel like The Shack, seems to cut through the mental flotsam and jetsam and provide a real, meaningful insight into the sheer humanity of the spiritual life. This, I believe, is why Jesus, and the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and the Celtic saints, not to mention great mystics from Teresa of Avila to Thomas Merton, have always been gifted storytellers. We connect most easily with spirituality through well told tales.
This is the principle at the heart of Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Biography.
Probably the most important word in the title of this lovely, if imperfect, little book is “contemplative.” Frykholm is not attempting to provide a scholarly consideration of the life of the great fourteenth century mystic we now know as Julian of Norwich; rather, she simply weaves a story around the mysterious, unknown human figure who wrote what is arguably the greatest work of mystical theology in English. We know almost nothing about Julian as a person; indeed, even the name “Julian” is almost certainly not truly hers. She was an anchoress — a consecrated solitary — attached to the church of St. Julian in the bustling port town of Norwich, and that is how she is known to us. Call her “the anchoress of Norwich” or even “anonymous” and it’s about as accurate as calling her Julian.
So what, then, is a contemplative biography? Frykholm has considered what daily life for a pious woman in the fourteenth century might look like, against the backdrop of wars, peasant uprisings, and the bubonic plague. Weaving this together with what little we can glean about Julian’s life from her own writing, Frykholm has created a speculative, imaginal approach to the anchoress’ biography. Scholars and Julian aficionados might want to argue about various elements of Frykholm’s tale; meanwhile, no less a reviewer than Sheila Upjohn has griped about the anachronisms (from canning to tea) that undermine this biography’s verisimilitude. I suppose such problems need to be pointed out, but in doing so the reader risks missing the point behind this book. It is less a work of historical scholarship, and more a simple invitation to befriend the human side of this amazing literary and theological figure.
Julian was the first woman to write a book-length manuscript in the English language. Unlike her near-contemporary Margery Kempe (an illiterate who dictated her autobiography), Julian appears to have written her book herself. She calls herself “unlettered,” but that probably meant she knew no Latin. Frykholm offers some ideas as to how this apparently normal, if fervently devout, woman could come to achieve such a literary milestone. Her writing, of course, was always just an aspect of her all-consuming faith, and Frykholm does a lovely job at envisioning how the experience of writing came to support, and then eventually define, Julian’s experience of reflecting on her mystical encounter with God that occurred during an illness in her youth.
What would it have been like living in a market town in the “calamitous fourteenth century”? How did Julian manage to write, in a society where women didn’t do such things? How would the plague have affected her? What was it like for her to become an anchoress, and how did this momentous decision shape the rest of her life? These are the kinds of questions that Frykholm explores in this engaging book.
If you are like me, and not too bothered by the occasional anachronism or the overall speculative nature of this book, I suspect you will enjoy it for its warm and inviting depiction of Julian, the woman; and such an enjoyment need not negate the fact that this book remains a work of imagination. But if you insist on ferreting out every little historical inaccuracy, perhaps this isn’t the book for you. One final thought on the notion of a contemplative biography: it seems to me that the ultimate purpose of such a work is to inspire prayer and a hunger to read the words of Julian itself. As someone who has been reading Julian for over 25 years now, I’d have to say this book succeeded on both of those counts. For that reason alone, I’d commend this book to anyone who wishes to understand the heart of this particular mystic.
Quote for the Day
Saints and divines teach us that prayer is the elevation of the soul to God. If thy prayer by word of mouth serves this purpose, well and good. But even so: if my clothing serves me, all the same it is not my own self. Thus does all prayer of the mouth serve true prayer; but in itself and taken alone it is not true prayer.
— Blessed John Tauler, quoted in
The Soul Afire: Revelations of the Mystics
edited by H. A. Reinhold.
Change in Dates for the Evening at Emory Class
Please note that the Evening at Emory “Introduction to Christian Mysticism” class has had a schedule change. Instead of starting this Thursday, the class will begin on Thursday, October 14 and run through Thursday, November 18 (with no class on October 28).
There is still time to register for the class — visit the Emory Center for Lifelong Learning Website.
Thanks — and I’ll see you on the 14th of October!
Howard Thurman (More to Come)…
Dr. Howard Thurman, American Mystic. Image via Wikipedia
In some ways, blogging keeps me humble. And here is one of those ways.
Last night I received the following message from a woman named Liza, one of this blog’s readers:
I will assume that it was a gross oversight not to include Howard Thurman on the list of mystics during the 20th century.
Gross oversight indeed!
I’ve fixed the “oversight” to which Liza refers, on this blog’s Christian Mysticism page. That was easy enough. But harder to fix is the fact that I didn’t include Thurman in the Big Book of Christian Mysticism. And that embarrasses me.
It embarrasses me for several reasons. First, I tried to find as many Protestant mystics as I could (Thurman was a Baptist). Secondly, I wanted to include as many mystics as possible of backgrounds other than European ancestry (Thurman was African-American). And thirdly, I wanted to include as many mystics from recent years as possible (Thurman lived from 1899-1981). For that matter, of all the mystics I have explored, Thurman has the most immediate geographical proximity to me, in that he went to school here in Atlanta.
So with all these points of consideration, how did I miss Howard Thurman? All I can think of, by way of answer, is the title of Ralph Ellison’s classic novel: Invisible Man. Howard Thurman, the grandfather of the civil rights movement and perhaps the most revered and eloquent African-American theologian of the mid-twentieth century, and yes, widely regarded as a mystic — didn’t make it into The Big Book of Christian Mysticism because I, well, overlooked him.
I suppose that’s better than “he didn’t get included because I didn’t think he deserved to be.” But not by much. I feel like a white schmuck right now.
Of course, it’s not just me. It’s the various books I consulted, articles I read, websites I visited, where names like Thomas Merton and Teilhard de Chardin and Evelyn Underhill showed up again and again and again, but Thurman… well, I knew who Thurman was, and I knew he was regarded as a mystic. But I never got around to actually reading Thurman, or reading a study of him (two books that are now in my Amazon shopping cart: Howard Thurman’s Essential Writings and Luther E. Smith Jr.’s Howard Thurman: Mystic as Prophet). Once I’ve had a chance to read those books, I’ll be in a better position to write something intelligent (and fitting) about the African-American Baptist who quietly espoused a mystical faith in the midst of the calamitous 20th century.
But in the meantime, thank you to Liza for bringing this “gross oversight” to my attention. And to all you Howard Thurman fans out there in the blogiverse, I offer my apologies.
Another interesting article…
Mike Morrell pointed this one out to me: an article by N. T. Wright on C. S. Lewis.
Simply Lewis: Reflections on a Master Apologist After 60 Years
A Novice and His Master…
Belltower at Gethsemani Abbey. Image by + Alan via Flickr
Readers of my blog may find this interesting: the story of Randy De Trinis, who explored monastic life at Gethsemani Abbey in the 1950s under the spiritual guidance of Thomas Merton. Although he did not stay at the monastery, his memoir reveals what an impact Merton had on his young life.
In his own words:
This is an article by Randy De Trinis originally published in The Merton Seasonal, a quarterly of The International Thomas Merton Society. It is a memoir of my life especially focused on my years as a monk at the Trappist Monastery of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky where I was fortunate to have Merton as a spiritual director. I would like to hear from you: reactions good or bad or further discussion.
Read the article (in two parts) at Thomas Merton and the Quest: A Spiritual Odyssey.
Quote for the Day
Once we empty ourselves of our certainties, we open ourselves to the mystery. We expose ourselves to the God in whom “we live and move and have our being.” We bare ourselves to the possibility that God is seeking us in places and people and things we thought were outside the pale of the God of our spiritual childhood. Then life changes color, changes tone, changes purpose. We begin to live more fully, not just in touch with earth, but with the eternal sound of the universe as well.
— Joan Chittister, Called to Question:
A Spiritual Memoir
To love many things…
Image via Wikipedia
The other day my co-worker, Robin, with whom I carpool, and I had a deep and philosophical conversation… about the weather.
“This is such a great time of year,” I enthused, about September in Georgia. “Cool in the mornings, and yet still plenty of warmth in the afternoons.” She nodded, as I went on, “You get a chance to both cool down and thaw out.”
“I agree, Carl, I love this time of year.” She thought for a moment, and then added, “but I love every time of the year.” We both laughed.
Robin jokes about having an extra “happy gene.” She is, indeed, a person who seems to be almost always looking on the bright side, accepting life’s punches with humor and perspective, and willing to give people — and situations — the benefit of the doubt. I really admire her for this, and on my good days I think I’m almost as positive.
I believe there really is a link between being positive, being happy, and choosing to love. Somebody once told me that Van Gogh said that he felt the purpose of life was to love many things. I’m probably getting the words wrong and it may have been someone other than Van Gogh who said whatever it was, but that doesn’t matter now. The basic idea: that there is meaning and purpose in loving, lavishly and freely and universally, is what matters to me. I think it’s a great idea for orienting life.
Robin loves all the seasons of the year, and that love translates into a personality suffused with optimism and happiness. As contemplatives, we are called to baste our souls in the fruit-juice of love, joy, peace, and all those other wonderful qualities you can find in Galatians 5. “Happiness” may not be explicitly listed, but I think it’s the fruit of the fruit. When we love many things, enjoy many things, and make peace with many things, we are invited into the most intimate chambers of happiness itself. This isn’t some sort of happiness-by-denial (for that’s not true happiness anyway); but rather, it is the happiness that honestly and openly encounters all the pain and suffering that the world can toss our way, and yet refuses to be defeated by such trials. Because, at the end of the day, love and hope and joy and peace are functions of the will, not accidents of our circumstances. We choose to love, and we can choose to love many things (and by “things” here, of course I mean people first, then principles or values, and only then material objects).
After laughing about the weather, Robin and I talked about happiness and the mystery of why so many people seem to carry such weight around in their lives. Acknowledging that we both have had our times of sadness or sorrow or bitterness, we also recognized that, in the end, happiness is a choice. I told her what John Ruysbroeck said about holiness: “You are as holy as you want to be.” I think the same thing holds true for happiness.
In fact, I suspect there is a quite a correlation between holiness and happiness, that many people (including many supposedly holy people) might not see. Unless or until they choose to.
Live, Laugh, Love, Lectio
Image via Wikipedia
This week I led a retreat at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit on the theme of “Live, Laugh, Love.” It’s an interesting topic to explore in the setting of a Trappist monastery, known for its silent atmosphere and ethos of Cistercian simplicity. But the small group of retreatants and I have enjoyed plenty of fun and chuckles as we have explored our topic together.
One of the exercises I provided for the retreatants was a lectio divina exercise on the following scripture verses. I thought they were worth passing along. The next time you need a gentle reminder that contemplative spirituality is all about laughter and joy, reflect on these verses:
We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute. (I Corinthians 4:10)
Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD had done great things for them.” (Psalm 126:2)
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. (Luke 6:21)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
I believe I shall enjoy the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)
Translations are from either the New Revised Standard Version or the New American Bible.
Quote for the Day
Wisdom, health, life and love cannot be found in trying to control the wind, but rather in harnessing the wind in the sails of receptive engagement of the present moment.
— Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land
How is she doing?
I had the occasion to speak with a friend yesterday with whom I haven’t spoken in over a year. We did the obligatory “how’s it going?” conversation, and of course, that led to the hardest question of all: “How’s Rhiannon?”
Carl and Rhiannon, July 2004, World War II Memorial, Washington DC
For readers who do not know the story of my stepdaughter, she was born in 1985 with polycystic kidney disease, which is, according to Wikipedia, “the most common genetic, life threatening disease affecting an estimated 12.5 million people worldwide.” Her enlarged kidneys at birth led to a number of secondary issues, including underdeveloped lungs and intestines; at the time of her birth her doctors had no plan of care for her but she beat the odds and managed to survive (after 10 weeks in hospital, much of which was spent in intensive care). For the first three years of her life she progressed, slowly, under the oppressive label of “developmentally delayed,” but as she passed her third birthday she was speaking and even on the verge of walking.
Then she had her stroke. (more…)
Quote for the Day
It makes sense to compare the work of contemplation to sleep. When we’re asleep, the functions of our physical faculties are suspended so that our bodies can get complete rest. Sleep nourishes and strengthens our bodies in every way. The same is true of the spiritual “sleep” of contemplative prayer. The stubborn questions of our restless spirituality and all our creative and rational thoughts are firmly bound and totally emptied, so the happy soul can sleep soundly, resting profoundly in the loving awareness of God as he is, completely nourished and strengthened in spirit.
— Anonymous, The Book of Privy Counsel,
Carmen A. Butcher translation
New Wild Goose Website/Blog
The Wild Goose Festival has a new website/blog. Put it in your bookmark folder and tell all your friends. Lots of exciting news to come over the next 10 months as we get closer to the first festival (June 2011), so I recommend staying connected to this site…
A Few Upcoming Events…
A reminder to my friends in Atlanta, GA and Portland, OR: we have some exciting events coming up in October. I’ll begin the month with a weekend event devoted to Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality here in Atlanta, and then carry the party across the country at the end of October. Hope to see you either here or there.
To register for the Atlanta weekend, call 770.939.4358 during business hours, Monday-Friday. To register for the Portland weekend, call 503.504.3827 during business hours M-F, or fill out the online form at www.instituteprogressivespirituality.org/contact_us
October 1-2, 2010 — “Christian Mysticism Weekend” at First Christian Church of Atlanta, 4532 LaVista Road, Tucker, GA; phone 770.939.4358
- October 1, 7:00 PM — “What is Christian Mysticism, and Why Should I Care?” talk.
- October 2: 9:30 AM-4:00 PM: — “Introduction to Contemplative Spirituality” workshop will include talks, time for dialogue, and shared contemplative practice.
Cost for the Friday evening presentation will be $15.00; for the Saturday event will be $40.00, or participate in both for $50.00. Please pre-register by contacting the church.
October 1-2, 2010 — “Christian Mysticism Weekend” in Portland, OR, sponsored by the Institute for Progressive Spirituality.
- October 29, 7:00 PM — “The Underlying Stream of Mysticism in the Christian Tradition” talk at St David of Wales Episcopal Church, 2800 SE Harrison, Portland, OR 97214.
- October 30: 9:30 AM-4:00 PM: — “Christian Mysticism and Contemplative Spirituality” Workshop at Sts. Peter & Paul Episcopal Church, 8147 SE Pine, Portland, OR 97215. This day-long event will include a morning talk by me, with a response by a guest panel. After an optional group lunch, the afternoon will include time for group interaction and shared contemplative practice.
Cost for the Friday evening presentation will be $15.00; for the Saturday event will be $40.00, or participate in both for $50.00. The optional lunch on Saturday is $7.50.
Contemplation and the Daily Office
A reader writes:
I am a deep devotee of praying the Daily Office through morning and night. How do you think praying the set Divine Office affects more Contemplative prayer, and vice versa?
Wonderful question. I believe that, from an orthodox Christian perspective, the Daily Office (Liturgy of the Hours) has a relationship to silent prayer similar to how a setting relates to a jewel. A talented jeweler, by properly setting a diamond, will only enhance the beauty and brilliance of the gemstone. Furthermore, a set diamond is safer than a loose diamond, and of course, a loose diamond cannot easily be worn or displayed.
Hopefully you can see how the analogy works. Contemplative prayer is brilliant and dazzling, like a lovely diamond. But to appreciate the fullness of its gifts, the diamond needs to be set. Likewise, contemplation is most fully and truly a blessing when it is part of an overall “balanced diet” of spiritual practice, including lectio divina, reception of the sacraments, engagement in a faith community — and, yes, liturgical prayer.
An interesting thread has been developing on this blog over the past few days about the merits and dangers of centering prayer. Normally I get frustrated pretty quickly with those who criticize CP, but this thread has been marked by respectful dialogue and open sharing of ideas, and has given me insight into the sometimes very legitimate concerns of CP’s critics. The basic concern seems to be that, by itself, centering prayer is simply a generic meditation practice, and so can easily devolve into a new age or non-Christian type of spirituality, particularly if the practitioner decides that he or she no longer needs the structure of traditional orthodox Christianity. In other words, take the jewel out of its setting — remove contemplative practice from the sacramental or liturgical life of the church — and you run the risk of the jewel getting lost, or at least of its brilliance being diminished.
Please, do not read this as an attack on non-Christian spirituality! Heaven knows that I have a strong commitment to respecting other faiths. But for those who identify themselves as Christians and seek to engage in contemplation as Christians, I think a contemplative practice must be embedded in the words and wisdom and traditions of the faith. Hence, the beauty and necessity of the Daily Office.
Incidentally, I do think this dynamic works in the other direction as well. A jewel without a setting is easily lost, but a setting without a jewel is, well, pointless. Or at best, empty. I think a rote recitation of the Daily Office, without the nourishing waters of contemplative prayer, will soon grow dessicated and lifeless. We need to keep the words of our faith supple by showering them with the refreshing waters of silence in which we rest in God’s presence.
Quote for the Day
As I understand it, the soul whom the Lord has been pleased to lead into this Mansion will do best to act as I have said. Let it try, without forcing itself or causing any turmoil, to put a stop to all discursive reasoning, yet not to suspend the understanding, nor to cease from all thought, though it is well for it to remember that it is in God’s presence and Who this God is. If feeling this should lead it into a state of absorption, well and good; but it should not try to understand what this state is, because that is a gift bestowed upon the will. The will, then, should be left to enjoy it, and should not labor except for uttering a few loving words, for although in such a case one may not be striving to cease from thought, such cessation often comes, though for a very short time.
— Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle,
Fourth Mansions, Chapter 3
Economy of Love
Economy of Love: Creating a Community of Enough
A Resource of Relational Tithe
Video Sessions with Shane Claiborne
Kansas City: The House Studio, 2010
Review by Carl McColman
“America thrives on a simple message — that what we currently have is not enough. Not big enough, not nice enough, not fast or hip enough.”
This is the tag line on the back of the Economy of Love box, which contains a 120 page book (that can be easily read in a single sitting) and a DVD with five short video segments, featuring that always-entertaining Shane Claiborne. Taken together these items function as a 5-week curriculum for exploring the question of how to do Christian discipleship in a world with staggering degrees of economic inequality. Each of the five sessions is built around a single word theme: “Tension,” “Enough,” “Vulnerable,” “Filled” and “Practice.”
Ironically, my immediate response to this package is that it doesn’t contain enough! It feels like it was designed for folks with attention deficit disorder (and maybe it was), for all the video segments are under five minutes long (halfway through watching the DVD my wife turned to me and said “Are all these available on Youtube?”), and the book contains large margins, and many pages with only a single paragraph of text (or even just a single word). I was left with an overall sense that, with such an important message, Economy of Love offers precious little information beyond the stark question: “are you on the bus or off the bus?”
I would have liked to hear, see or read more stories: people whose lives have been crushed by western culture (read: the empire), people who enjoy material affluence but who embody the empire’s lack of consciousness, people who have discerned and responded to a call to step out from the economy of not-enough and how their lives have been transformed and set free. And maybe such a wealth of information would be counterproductive to the focus of this slim little curriculum. But I suspect that a vibrant discussion group would face questions like that, articulated or not, from its group members.
Economy of Love is a resource of Relational Tithe, an organization and website described as “an interactive platform for connecting and meeting needs across socioeconomic and geographic barriers.” It’s not meant to replace local faith community involvement, but rather promotes a way of thinking about money (and tithing) that calls for each person to donate ten percent of income to those who are in need, with support for one’s church coming out of the remaining 90%. This, needless to say, is not a message heard from the pulpits of traditional congregations. Economy of Love functions as an introduction to the philosophical foundation for Relational Tithe: exploring the theological, spiritual, and justice-based rationale for this kind of economic redistribution. Given the profound cynicism of our age, it may be tempting to see this curriculum as an infomercial for the organization, and I suppose that it is. But since Relational Tithe is volunteer run and seeks to pass through 100% of the resources donated to those who are in need, it’s an infomercial I can live with.
Economy of Love is modestly priced and deserves to be shown widely. It might engender some push-back from Christians who feel that making a pledge to their local congregation is “enough.” But the conversation that this will inspire, difficult though it may be, will be well worth having. I just wish it were a meatier curriculum (similar to the Catholic Church’s JustFaith program). Maybe version 2.0 will provide us more insight into how we, individually and collectively, can best create and embrace the community of enough.
