First a disclaimer about my headline. I’m answering this question (What do contemplatives want?) based on the results from my 2015 readers’ poll. If you aren’t interested in the survey results, scroll to the bottom of the post to see my conclusions. All the blogging gurus suggest that professional bloggers should survey their readers once a year or so. My last poll was in late 2013. The questions in this year’s survey were partially demographic (so I could get a sense of... Read more
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 one of the easiest chapters in the New Testament to gloss over. After all, the real action of Acts begins with the second chapter, which recounts the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. If the Gospels tell the story of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, then... Read more
Today would have been my daughter Rhiannon’s 30th birthday. We’re calling it her “first birthday in heaven.” If you haven’t been following the story, here it is in a nutshell: Rhiannon was born (5/19/1985) with polycystic kidney disease which led to other issues, including liver disease, an enlarged spleen, and paralysis following a stroke at age 3. Faced with a short life expectancy, in 2011 she began to experience falling blood counts that led to repeated hospitalizations as her caregivers... Read more
Like so many folks in the blogosphere, I was fascinated by the story of Leah Libresco, atheist blogger who in 2012 surprised all sorts of folks by converting to Catholicism. I haven’t been a regular follower of her blog, either before or after she entered the Church, but the few times I’ve checked it out her writing struck me as articulate, intelligent and thoughtful. So when Libresco’s first book, Arriving at Amen was published, I jumped at the chance to review... Read more
Here’s a little video I filmed last month at the Gulf Coast. It’s only about 45 seconds long and consists of the sunset and the surf. I offer it to you as a little moment of serenity. Please enjoy. I know some people might find a little video like this boring. Compared to Hollywood culture or Madison Avenue culture, something as simple as the ocean or the gulf crashing gently on the shore might very well seem, well, singularly unexciting. And so it... Read more
What do Brian McLaren, Fr. Daniel Horan OFM, Fr. Michael Casey OCSO, Br. Patrick Hart OCSO, and Phyllis Tickle have in common? They’ve all endorsed Befriending Silence. Brian McLaren praises Befriending Silence as “a great gift to all who hunger for meaning, mystery, peace, hope, and God.” Fr. Daniel Horan calls the book “an accessible and enlightening introduction to the beauty of Cistercian spirituality.” Fr. Michael Casey notes that “it will be found useful and stimulating by anyone who wishes to profit from... Read more
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 military command position. But I’ve come to recognize that “leadership” is a topic that has broad implications, broader than just our job descriptions. And for those of us who embrace contemplative spirituality, it’s a topic that I think we need to be paying close attention to. In fact, let me... Read more
Please fill out my reader’s survey — and help me to make this a better blog. I’m asking for this information (collected anonymously) to give me a better sense of this blog’s readers, which in turn will help me as I continue to create new content for the blog. I invite everyone to participate, whether you are a newcomer to my blog or have been reading for years. Thank you so much for your input. I appreciate it, and I hope it will... Read more
“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 much prayer, conversation and discernment. In the words of the Archbishop, it’s a plan “that will guide our Archdiocese for the next five years.” You can download a PDF of the plan here. It covers a variety of initiatives and needs, under three topics: “Knowing our faith,” “Living our faith,” and “Spreading/Keeping... Read more
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). How exactly does this “spiritual dying” fit in with the practice of contemplative spirituality? One reader of this blog is curious about this. In response to my post from a few weeks back (Why is “Mysticism” a Dirty Word), I received the following message on Facebook: Thank you for your thoughts on mysticism’s more dubious meanings, my learned friend. I’m afraid I’ve been shallow in my... Read more
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