The other night my wife and I watched Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Like the 1970 book by Judy Blume, this is a coming-of-age story about girls entering into the…
Spirituality
Nicodemus, Peace, and the Dark Night
N. B. This is a Gospel reflection I shared during a communion service at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Decatur, Georgia, on the evening of April 17, 2023. The Gospel…
The Stations of the Cross with Julian of Norwich
Friends, it is holy week, and I cannot think of a better guide to this most sacred week of the Christian liturgical year than Julian of Norwich. Julian’s book of…
Encountering Silence: A Conversation with Kaira Jewel Lingo, author of “We Were Made for These Times”
Friends, here is the latest episode of the Encountering Silence podcast. This episode features a conversation the Encountering Silence team had last year with Buddhist author Kaira Jewel Lingo, author of We Were…
The Politics of Emotions
This morning I came across this luminous insightful paragraph on page 132 of Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility: Many of us see emotions as naturally occurring. But emotions are political in two…
The Science of Meditation (and the Relationship between Meditation and Trauma)
A few years back the Buddhist magazine Lion’s Roar published an interesting article surveying what insights we can glean from the scientific study of meditation. These insights concern questions such…
Check Out the New Podcast from Contemplative Outreach!
I am happy (and honored/humbled) to announce that I’ve recently appeared as a guest on the new podcast from Contemplative Outreach! Opening Minds, Opening Hearts is a new initiative from Contemplative…
The Mystical Imagination: Quotations for Reflection and Meditation
One of my favorite topics to explore when leading a retreat is “The Mystical Imagination.” I often pair it with Centering Prayer, exploring how the silence of Centering Prayer naturally…
Plowshare Prayer — and General Intercessions
Yesterday I was leading a class for Zeitgeist Atlanta and one of the participants shared an amazing song by a musician named Spencer Lajoye, called the “Plowshare Prayer.” It is…
The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom — But Love Casts Out Fear
N.B. This homily was written for the Community of Hope International at their annual retreat, during the Saturday evening Taizé service, October 8, 2022 at Camp Allen, Navasota, Texas. The…
Dying Alone (with the Angels)
I recently received the following heartbreaking message through my website. Normally this is the kind of message that I would answer with a private email, but the person who sent…
Join Carmen Acevedo Butcher for an Online Program Celebrating the Wisdom of Brother Lawrence
On June 16, 2022 my friend and colleague Carmen Acevedo Butcher PhD is offering a free online program to explore the wisdom of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, author of The Practice…