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--Year-- 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2004 --Month-- December November October September August July June May April March February January

May 2017

May 26, 2017

Celtic Monks Observed Three Lents Each Year — Perhaps We Should Too

When we think of Celtic spirituality in our day, we might think of nature mysticism,...

May 23, 2017

What Is the Relationship Between Christian Prayer and Meditation?

Christian spirituality is dedicated to growing in intimacy with God. Both the prayer of silence...

May 21, 2017

Mystery of the Missing Silence

To you, silence is praise, O God in Zion: and unto You shall the vow...

May 18, 2017

Wisdom and the Wild Goose — Coming to the Mountains of North Carolina this July

Friends, I'd like to invite you to join me at a special event called "Wisdom...

May 16, 2017

“Even the Depths of God” — A Brief Meditation

Here are two verses from the New Testament for your consideration. First: For the Spirit...

May 15, 2017

Holy Wells: “Icons” of Celtic Spirituality

In my last post I made several references to Holy Wells as thin places. From the Chalice...

May 12, 2017

Thin Places: Are they Celtic, pre-Celtic, or Universal?

I first heard of the notion of Thin Places the first time I visited Glendalough,...

May 10, 2017

The Three Streams of Celtic Spirituality (and Three Lessons We Learn from it)

Friends, I am in the process of writing a book about Celtic spirituality. This will...

May 08, 2017

How Julian of Norwich Changed My Life

Julian of Norwich, the author of Revelations of Divine Love, had a series of visions...

May 07, 2017

Following the Good Shepherd

The sheep obey Jesus not because they’re stupid, not because they’ve been trained the right...

May 04, 2017

Compline — Prayer for the Closing of the Day

This video presents a service of Compline, sung live by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, England, under...

May 02, 2017

Essential Writings from Two Important Living Catholic Authors

Orbis Books has a long-standing collection of books called the "Modern Spiritual Masters Series." With over...

May 01, 2017

How the Deserts of Egypt Inspired the Saints of Ireland

In the Celtic lands, you’ll find places with names like Dysart or Dysert. There’s Dysart...

April 2017

April 27, 2017

When a Jesuit talked to a Franciscan (Video)

Check out this video, where two of my favorite living Catholic authors — Fr. James...

April 25, 2017

Can Beauty Help Us to Be More Ecumenical?

Five hundred years ago this coming October, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on a...

April 24, 2017

C. S. Lewis, Brendan the Navigator, and Evelyn Underhill

In March I was one of several presenters at a symposium on C. S. Lewis and...

April 20, 2017

A Contemplative Faith — with a Gaelic Accent!

Friends, 2017 is shaping up to be the year of Celtic spirituality for me. I...

April 19, 2017

How to be a Contemplative in a “Toxic” Community (Part Two)

This is a continuation of a post I began yesterday — click here to read...

April 18, 2017

How to be a Contemplative in a “Toxic” Community (Part One)

A reader wrote the following message to me recently: Hi Carl. I'm a contemplative in...

April 14, 2017

Richard Rohr on the Spirituality of Unknowing (Video)

Here's a treat for all you Richard Rohr fans (and if you're not a Rohr...

April 12, 2017

Seven Things I’ve Learned from the Vinyl Revival

Sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake. Apparently vinyl records have been making a...

April 10, 2017

Is it possible to be a “Do It Yourself” Christian Mystic? Evelyn Underhill would say “No” — and I agree with her

Nearly all Christian mystics maintain that an essential characteristic of Christian mysticism is participation in the Body...

April 07, 2017

Compass Points for the Spiritual Life (Video)

How do we orient ourselves in the life of the Spirit? What landmarks, or directions,...

April 05, 2017

Why I Love the Carmina Gadelica (Despite Its Flaws)

You are the joy of all joyous things, You are the light of the beam...

April 03, 2017

Books I Recommend (On Various Topics)

I'll admit — I love lists of books. I find browsing someone's list of recommended...

March 2017

March 31, 2017

A Contemplative Conversation (Video)

Is God hidden? How do we see (or behold) the presence of God? What...

March 29, 2017

Is it possible to “fail” at contemplative prayer?

Anyone who has ever trained with weights knows that form is important. If you lift...

March 27, 2017

Building Contemplative Community Online: An Interview with Jeff Genung

A common complaint I hear from contemplatives — especially people new to contemplative practice —...

March 24, 2017

Exploring Monastic Spirituality (Video)

What is monastic spirituality? Is it just for monks and nuns? Or can it...

March 22, 2017

Ten Books for Learning the Basics of Christian Contemplation

A reader of this blog sent me an email recently that said in part: I...