Three Mystics You May Have Missed

Last updated on: December 11, 2018 at 7:44 pm By Carl McColman

Walk into a Catholic bookstore — or a general bookstore large enough to have a “Christian mysticism” section — and you will see books by or about Thomas Merton, Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila, along with anonymous works like The Cloud of Unknowing or The Way of a Pilgrim. These are the “A-List” mystics: figures who are renowned for their sanctity, their wisdom, and their contemplative teaching. Anyone who is interested in discovering the wisdom of the mystics ought... Read more

Creative Conversation Begins with Contemplative Compassion

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 4:02 pm By Carl McColman

A friend of mine, who is the executive director of a progressive Christian ministry, told me the story of meeting an activist who identifies as spiritual but not religious. At first, this person wasn’t even interested in talking to my friend. He saw a Christian as someone hopelessly irrelevant, part of the problem rather than the solution. Fortunately, my progressive Christian friend was able to communicate one essential detail. “I’m not here to convert you or to argue with you. I’m... Read more

Seven Ways the Mystics Inspire Us Today

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 4:01 pm By Carl McColman

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 in 1984. When paired with the demographic realities of the last 30 years (Americans who identify as Christian comprised 85% of the population in 1985, but only 70% of the population today, while the so-called “nones” — people without religious affiliation — grew from 8% in ’85 to 16% today),... Read more

How Saint Benedict Can Help Us Grow Spiritually

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 3:58 pm By Carl McColman

How can the wisdom of the monastery help folks like you and me — who are not monks or nuns — to grow spiritually? To answer that question, we can begin by looking at The Rule of Saint Benedict. The Rule of Saint Benedict remains one of the great classics of western spirituality, even though it was written for a very small and specific audience: monks and nuns. What on the surface looks like an administrative manual for the smooth operation of a... Read more

How Mysticism is Unique — and Universal

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 3:55 pm By Carl McColman

How, exactly, does Christian mysticism relate to all the other “mysticisms” of the world (Kabbalah, Sufism, Taoism, Vedanta, Zen, etc.)? A reader of this blog writes: I have been reading your Big Book of Christian Mysticism: on page 64 you say that “Ultimately … no absolutely clear distinction can be drawn between Christian and non-Christian mysticism.” This concerns me, because you *do* seem to say in other parts of the book that there *is* a clear distinction between the two... Read more

“They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love” — And These Gifts Make It Possible

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 3:54 pm By Carl McColman

One of C.S. Lewis’s last, and best, books was called The Four Loves. Drawing from four different Greek words for love, the book celebrates affection, friendship, eros, and charity and considers the moral, ethical, and spiritual dynamics at play in each form of love. As worthy as Lewis’s writing might be, I think Jesus offers his own take on “four loves” that considers not the dynamic of love so much as the object of our love. Here are two Biblical passages that illustrate... Read more

What to Say to the Nay-Sayers: Talking About Contemplation With Its Critics

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 3:53 pm By Carl McColman

If you are active in a church or other faith community, and you are drawn to (or practicing) silent prayer, if you talk about it with others you will likely, sooner or later, hear somebody say something along these lines: “Isn’t meditation Buddhist? Or Hindu? Christians don’t need to do that sort of thing.” “Sitting in silence? It’s just a waste of time. We are called to be serving others, not avoiding them.” “Contemplation and mysticism aren’t in the Bible.... Read more

Mysticism and the Divine Feminine: An Interview with Mirabai Starr

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 3:52 pm By Carl McColman

One of my favorite contemporary authors is Mirabai Starr, who I first encountered through her vivid and accessible translations of some of the great Christian mystics. Mirabai has emerged in the last few years as one of the leading voices in interspirituality. She is the author of Caravan of No Despair, God of Love, along with translations of mystics like John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Julian of Norwich. In this brief interview she talks about another topic dear to her heart: the Divine Feminine.... Read more

Mindfulness and Contemplation

Last updated on: November 26, 2018 at 3:51 pm By Carl McColman

Recently a reader left the following comment on this blog: I have been reading and tried to practice the way of a contemplative life although poorly I believe. But my hunger for anything on the topic of contemplation continues. Recently I have also been enticed into “mindfulness” practices. Now what or how do you relation contemplation and Mindfulness? They’re beginning to sound that there is a correlation? Thank you! Thanks for your comment. First of all, we are all “poor”... Read more

Desert Island Discs (and DVDs)

Last updated on: November 27, 2018 at 1:06 am By Carl McColman

If you were stranded on a desert island, what music would you want to accompany you? The BBC has a long-running program called Desert Island Discs which began airing in 1942 and as of 2015 it’s still going strong. Here’s the concept: Desert Island Discs … was introduced to the listening public as “a programme in which a well-known person is asked the question, if you were to be cast away alone on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose... Read more