Today I led a day of reflection for the Mary Brewster Committee of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Ridgfield, CT. This committee is tasked with creating a retreat each year…
Tag: Prayer
Contemplation When Things Seem Out of Control
A reader named Allen writes: With what is going on in the world, how do we as contemplatives take care of our spiritual health? I find it more challenging to…
Praying with the Spanish Mystics
This week I facilitated my second Zoom retreat hosted by the monks of Holy Cross Monastery. Our theme was “Praying with the Spanish Mystics” — this was a follow up…
The Communion of Saints Who Watch Over Me As I Write
Today’s post is just for fun! This morning on Facebook my cousin Danny, up in Manhattan, made a comment about the beautiful icon of the Holy Cross, written by iconographer…
How Does Contemplative Practice Benefit Us — And the Communities We Are Part Of?
In response to an old blog post of mine, Between Shambhala and the Catholic Church, one reader tweeted the following: https://twitter.com/met_annoy_a/status/1254242028965289987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Maybe those questions were big for Twitter, but I…
Called to the Prayer of Listening to Christ
God saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus…
Contemplation and Vocal Prayer: For a Balanced Spiritual “Diet,” Cultivate Both
A reader of the blog wrote to me with this question: We had an opportunity last night to attend a presentation on prayer & spiritual warfare. I’m now contemplating the…
Seven Mystical Affirmations
Currently I’m reading two classic self-help books, both for my personal edification and as research for a project I’m working on. The books are Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and John Bradshaw’s Healing…
Less than 12% of the Catholic Catechism is devoted to spirituality. That, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the church today.
Over the years I have discovered that there are three types of people interested in Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality: Some are practicing Christians, active in their local parish or…
Pray Without Ceasing: An Introduction to Christian Contemplation and Mystical Spirituality
Could your new year’s resolution be, “This year I want to grow spiritually?” If so, this course — meeting six Thursday evenings from January 30 to March 5 — could…
The Difference Between Meditation and Contemplation
A reader of my blog writes: As someone new and aspiring to find a more contemplative lifestyle, I’m curious of one thing. Is there a critical difference between sitting time…
The Point Behind “Be Still and Know”
One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” You can go into a Christian gift shop and find…