1969 was quite a year, and so in 2019 we’ve had plenty of “50th Anniversary” moments: marking the fiftieth anniversary of the first humans on the moon, of the Woodstock Festival, and of the Beatles’ last recorded album, Abbey Road. It was the year that Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Sesame Street premiered on television, and some movies from this year included Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Easy Rider. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Kurt… Read more
December 6, 2019
Altamont, Auschwitz, Bethlehem, and My Lai — The Challenge of Contemplating the Dark Side
December 6, 2019 By Carl McColman
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December 2, 2019
Advice for Contemplatives looking for a Spiritual Community to Call Home
December 2, 2019 By Carl McColman
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A reader recently wrote this to me on Facebook: I’ve been on a spiritual journey for some time now probably for about eight years. The last five years it has gotten more and more intense and I have traveled / practiced within various paths that have led me to various religions and spiritual practices but I seem to be having difficulty finding one that resonates with me. Every time I seem to find a path there is some form of… Read more
December 2, 2019
Poetry, Meditations, and Contemplative Encouragement (the Perks of Being a Patron)
December 2, 2019 By Carl McColman
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December 3, 2019 is “Giving Tuesday.” It’s a day designed to highlight the many worthy non-profit and charitable organizations that deserve our support — not just in December, but throughout the year. May I humbly suggest that, on this Giving Tuesday, you might also consider supporting a creative professional — a writer (like me), or some other artist whose work brings joy to many people? You probably know that my work as a blogger — maintaining not only my personal… Read more
December 1, 2019
A Question for Your Advent Reflection: What Do We Need to Do to Make Mysticism Mainstream?
December 1, 2019 By Carl McColman
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It’s the first Sunday of Advent. So liturgically speaking, it’s a new church year. Happy new year! In the spirit of making a new year’s resolution, I’d like a pose a question for discernment. I don’t have the answer to this question, certainly not all the answers. This is question that I think everyone who is drawn to contemplation and mysticism needs to be working on, together. The way we answer this question will give us insight into the “new… Read more
November 28, 2019
My Christmas Recommendations for 2019: Books to Give to the Contemplatives You Love
November 28, 2019 By Carl McColman
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Here’s a list of books published in the last eighteen months on a variety of contemplative themes. Most of these books are anchored in the Christian tradition, although several have a strong inter-spiritual themes as well. Their theologies and approach to spirituality vary, as one might expect from any collection of twenty interesting and thoughtful books. But what they all have in common is a recognition that contemplative prayer and mystical spirituality matter. I am confident that there is something… Read more
November 26, 2019
Revisiting Grace: Wisdom and Photography from a Trappist Monk
November 26, 2019 By Carl McColman
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If you are looking for a wonderful Christmas gift idea, I’ve got a suggestion for you: the newly released “Memorial Edition” of Grace Revisited: Epiphanies from a Trappist Monk by Fr. James Stephen Behrens, OCSO. Father James passed away suddenly earlier this year; you can read my obituary for him here: Remembering the Monk Who Wrote About Grace. At the time of his passing, all of Fr. James’s books were out of print, but the publisher was preparing a new edition… Read more
November 8, 2019
Contemplation, Community, and the Institutional Church: Has the Time Come to Be “Mystical But Not Religious”?
November 8, 2019 By Carl McColman
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I often get asked if Christian mysticism needs the institutional church. Do you have to be a member of a church in order to be a Christian mystic? Or, to paraphrase a common way many people describe their spiritual lives: is it possible, in our day, to be “MBNR,” that is, “Mystical But Not Religious”? Almost ten years ago, on page 30 of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, I wrote the following: Mysticism is often connected with religion. Here I am… Read more
November 2, 2019
Gatekeeping and Contemplation: Is the Church Its Own Worst Enemy?
November 2, 2019 By Carl McColman
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A friend of mine posted the following fascinating observation recently on Facebook: I am easing out of parish ministry because there are too many gatekeepers and not much interest in contemplative prayer. The writer is a Catholic lay minister — but I have heard or read similar words from Protestants as well as Catholics, from clergy as well as laypersons. I think this points to a serious problem within the institutional form of Christianity. The church gets so wrapped up… Read more
October 16, 2019
When You Say “Yes” to God — Where Will It Lead?
October 16, 2019 By Guest Contributor
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Today’s post is by guest contributor Dr. Marie Marquardt, who is a novelist (Dream Things True), scholar, and contemplative activist. This is the transcript of a reflection she offered at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Decatur GA, on September 22, 2019. Her thoughts are based on the following scripture passages: Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8; I Timothy 2:1-8; and Luke 16:1-13 (the parable of the shrewd manager). Dr. Marquardt looks at how God’s invitation to say “Yes!” made all the difference in… Read more
October 11, 2019
Romans 8:28-39: Basic Instructions for A Mystical Worldview
October 11, 2019 By Carl McColman
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One of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament — perhaps even one of the most beautiful passages in all the wisdom literature of the world — comes from the 8th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. I think anyone interested in Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality needs to be familiar with this passage. It affirms who God is, how God loves us, how inseparable God’s love is from us, and really sets the stage for how Christian… Read more
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TRENDING AT PATHEOS Contemplative
