“If the goal of the contemplative is union with God, does the individual begin to disappear and lose his or her unique self (personality, emotions) in pursuing this goal?” The…
Category: Spirituality
Deeper into the Heart of Christ
Over the past year I have become interested in the topic of “Christian leadership.” People who are in a leadership position in the Christian community — whether clergy, consecrated religious,…
Thirteen Characteristics of Healthy Spirituality
Following the passing of Anglican contemplative theologian Kenneth Leech, I’ve been revisiting several of his books. In the back of his book True God: An Exploration in Spiritual Theology is…
The Fear of the Lord and the Love of God
As a young man growing up in the American south, I heard the phrase “God fearing” a lot. As in, “He’s a God fearing man.” I think it comes from…
Seven Ways the Mystics Inspire Us Today
One of my favorite quotations comes from Karl Rahner: “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist.” It’s a prophetic statement, from a man who died…
Principles for Contemplative Spirituality (Part Two)
Last week I shared six principles that guide me in my understanding of what Christian contemplative spirituality is. This week I’m sharing six more. As I said last week, it’s…
Principles for Contemplative Spirituality (Part One)
A couple of years ago Rob Bell wrote a book with the title What We Talk About When We Talk About God. I haven’t read the book, but I love…
The Rule, the Discipline, and Spiritual Growth
I bet if I took a poll, almost everyone who reads my blog would agree with this statement: “I want to grow spiritually.” Readers of spiritual blogs want to grow…
Better to Light a Candle (of Silence) than to Curse the Darkness (of Language)
Does language always limit the way we talk about, think about, or even pray to, God? This question has been on my mind for the past few days. This past weekend…
The Last Instructions of Christ to His Disciples
In the first chapter of The Acts of the Apostles, Jesus gives his disciples their last instructions before his ascension into heaven (Acts 1:6-12). The first chapter of Acts is…
Contemplative Leadership with Saints Benedict and Ignatius of Loyola
In recent months I have become very interested in the topic of leadership. Which might seem silly, since I do not manage people, or lead a congregation, or hold a…
Five Ways You Can Enjoy a Deeper Personal Prayer Life
We need to deepen our own personal prayer lives. — The Most Reverend Wilton D. Gregory, S.L.D., Archbishop of Atlanta Recently the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta published a Pastoral Plan, the result of…