A reader of this blog submitted this question: How explicitly Christian does the prayer word need to be in contemplative prayer (e.g., Centering Prayer)? My quiet-time practice is a hybrid…
Category: Spirituality
Two Online Retreat Options for October: Celtic Wisdom and the Spirituality of Tolkien and Lewis!
Hi friends, just want to make sure everyone is aware of two upcoming retreats I am doing online. If one or both of these topics appeal to you, I hope…
Catholic Spirituality versus the Institutional Church: Navigating the Choppy Waters
A friend on Instagram wrote this to me recently: Hello, Carl! I have become so drawn to the Catholic Church and I don’t know what to do. I am an…
My Latest Initiative, or, What is a “Contemplative in Residence”?
Friends, I am honored to announce that I have embraced a special relationship with one of Atlanta’s most progressive and visionary spiritual communities. I have been named the “Contemplative in…
Why the Desert Mothers and Fathers Still Matter
In one of his daily emails, Richard Rohr once admitted that he has some issues with the sayings of the Desert Mothers and Fathers — the early Christian hermits and…
Faith, Science, PBS — and Trappist Monks
I’m so happy to share this segment from a recent episode of the PBS News Hour with you. It features the monks of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit — the…
A Meditation on the Spirituality of Healing (A Patreon Sneak Peek)
A note from Carl: Friends, I am currently writing a manuscript that I am calling Meditations on the Christian Mysteries. I’ve identified fifty-two key themes, wisdom teachings, and mystical principles…
Many Paths, One Way: Balancing Religious Commitment with Spiritual Diversity
A reader, who chooses to remain anonymous, posed the following question: “a world shaped by peace and harmony among the people of all positive paths.” Are they all the way…
James Martin: Learning to Pray
“Everyone can pray” is the hopeful and helpful opening message of Learning to Pray, the new book from bestselling Jesuit author James Martin. But he knows that many people don’t…
How My Surrogate Grandmother Introduced Me to Silence
When I was a small boy, there was a lady named Mrs. Frazier who lived across the street from my home. Mrs. Frazier and her husband were a bit older…
How do I choose a contemplative lay order? And do I have to be Catholic to do so?
A reader recently wrote to me: Dear Carl, I grew up as a Protestant, but as I’ve journeyed into Contemplative Christianity over the last while I’ve become more amenable to Roman…
The Prayer of Recollection: A Classic Mystical Practice as Taught by Evelyn Underhill
Contemplative spirituality has its own jargon, and this “language of prayer” evolves over time. Nowadays you’ll find students of the mystical path speaking about meditation, nonduality, mindfulness and heightened consciousness,…