Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Contemplative

Archives

--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

March 2016

March 23, 2016

This Silent Blog is Going Silent (But Only Until Pentecost)

I hope you have had a wonderful and prayerful Lent, and that your Holy Week...

March 23, 2016

This Silent Blog is Going Silent

I hope you have had a wonderful and prayerful Lent, and that your Holy Week...

March 22, 2016

Is Easter Dangerous? (Should it be?)

Many years ago, when God was a boy and I was an Episcopalian, I heard...

March 16, 2016

Do Contemplatives Need the Church?

A post on this blog received the following comment yesterday: Having been with the Catholic...

March 10, 2016

Dear Pope Francis… (or as they say in Ireland, A Phápa Proinsias, a chara…)

Did you know that when Pope Francis was a little boy, he wanted to be...

March 09, 2016

Three Approaches to Prayer When the Dry Times Come

A friend of mine posed the following question recently on Facebook: You may have written...

March 04, 2016

In Pursuit of Silence: A Quiet Movie with Much to Say

"Silence is where we speak something deeper than our words..." "Silence returns us to what...

March 02, 2016

Is There a “Contemplative” Personality Type?

I once heard Richard Rohr tell a charming story of giving a retreat at the...

March 01, 2016

A Memoir with a Message

As part of the Patheos Book Club, I've recently read Operating on Faith: A Painfully...

February 2016

February 29, 2016

John Cassian: The Leap Year Contemplative

February 29 is the feast day of St. John Cassian — who, in addition to...

February 25, 2016

Is America No Longer a “Christian Nation”?

Norman Wirzba, who teaches Christian theology at Duke Divinity School, has written a sobering article...

February 24, 2016

Five Essential Dimensions of Christian Prayer

I talk a lot about silent prayer in this blog, which is understandable considering that...

February 17, 2016

Seven Blessings of Silent Prayer

Silent prayer — contemplative prayer, what the Catholic Catechism calls "wordless prayer in which mind...

February 12, 2016

Faith, Doubt and Perseverance

A couple of years ago, Bart Ehrman's book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a...

February 10, 2016

Books and a Film: All About Silence

I would love to attend the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin next month —...

February 03, 2016

“The Process of Being in Relationship with God”

Okay: to summarize... Spirituality: the process of being in relationship with God. Belief and Wonder:...

January 2016

January 28, 2016

The 2016 Presidential Candidate Prayer Challenge: Are You In?

As a blogger, I tend to avoid politics like it's radioactive. Not because I don't have...

January 27, 2016

Relational Contemplation

The Christian faith stands on the recognition that God is Love. Therefore, love is the heart...

January 22, 2016

Preliminary Practices for Christian Contemplatives

Tibetan Buddhists have a series of spiritual exercises that are seen as foundational to their spiritual...

January 20, 2016

Is Contemplation Dangerous?

Is contemplation dangerous? Some people think so. This past weekend I read a book that...

January 13, 2016

Philippians 2 and the Heart Sūtra

One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is the hymn found in Philippians...

January 12, 2016

Busting the “Goody Two Shoes” Stereotype of Saints

One of the perks of being a Patheos blogger is the opportunity to review books...

January 08, 2016

Is Mysticism Genetic?

A reader of this blog named Chris writes: I have been studying the German medieval...

January 06, 2016

Seven Reasons to Pray the Divine Office

Everyone knows that monks devote their lives to silence, but also to daily prayer and...

January 01, 2016

Pentecost and Ecstasy

A reader of my blog named Paul emailed me the following question: I realize this...

December 2015

December 30, 2015

What Are We Afraid Of?

I've been reading Bill Bryson's charming and delightful book on the English language, The Mother...

December 27, 2015

Emptiness and Non-Attachment

Last week I wrote about the difference between how Catholics understand meditation and contemplation, based...

December 23, 2015

The Three Advents

Advent is almost over. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the season of Christmas begin the day...

December 18, 2015

Catholic Meditation and Contemplative Prayer: What’s the Difference?

A reader of my blog wrote to me and asked this question: What do you...

December 16, 2015

How to Find a Contemplative-Friendly Church

Spirituality is all about love, and love only exists in relationship. Therefore, spirituality is healthiest...