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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

August 2020

August 28, 2020

Living in the Spirit of Contemplative Prayer

What does it mean to live a contemplative life? Especially for those of us who...

August 17, 2020

In Defense of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a central tenet of Christian faith and practice. But what exactly is it?...

August 07, 2020

Do Christian Mystics Believe in Redemption?

An email came to me today, with this question: Dear Carl, I read your Big Book...

July 2020

July 28, 2020

Questions After a Retreat: What Books to Read, What Steps to Take Next

Shortly after concluding my Praying with the Spanish Mystics Retreat, one of the persons who...

July 25, 2020

Praying with the Spanish Mystics

This week I facilitated my second Zoom retreat hosted by the monks of Holy Cross...

July 23, 2020

Spirit of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses: A New Edition for an “Old Friend”

If you are interested in Celtic mythology — and curious about how to integrate the...

July 09, 2020

Missing Your Favorite Monastery or Retreat House? Here are Some Online Retreat Opportunities

In these extraordinary times that we find ourselves in, I have been profoundly moved at...

June 2020

June 25, 2020

Dreams, Songs, and Sorrow: Three Celtic Poets to Read Now

Ireland is a land shaped by myth, story, and poetry — and her sister countries...

June 18, 2020

A Drop of Water is Not the Ocean (Understanding Christian Mystical Teachings of Union and Nonduality)

A reader named Beth writes: Hi Carl, I started reading "The Big Book of Christian...

June 15, 2020

Evelyn Underhill, Baron Friedrich von Hügel, and the Journey of Spiritual Formation

Today (June 15) is a day for remembering the passing of Evelyn Underhill, who died...

May 2020

May 26, 2020

An Examen of the Senses

Today I want to share with you something I co-wrote with my wife, Fran. For...

May 05, 2020

How to Find the Right Contemplative Community

A reader named Brian writes: Being a Lay Cistercian seems to be an important part...

April 2020

April 20, 2020

Some Thoughts On the Dolphins That Are (Not) in Venice

In March 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders started to show up at local...

April 14, 2020

Twelve Mystics Who Lived Through Epidemics and Pandemics

It's been over a month now since the World Health Organization has acknowledged that COVID-19...

April 08, 2020

“Don’t Call Yourself a Mystic” — How Kenneth Leech’s Challenge Helped Me To Embrace Contemplative Practice

In my book Unteachable Lessons I talk about Kenneth Leech, the Anglican priest who wrote a...

March 2020

March 05, 2020

Celtic Spirituality, Celtic Prayer, and the Promises of the Heart: Three Contemplative Online Courses

It's March, and that means St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away! This...

February 2020

February 21, 2020

What’s the Best Church for Contemplative Christians?

A reader writes: Carl, do you think the Catholic Church has more scope to welcome...

February 17, 2020

Contemplation and Emotional Intensity

One of this blog's readers wrote to me this past Saturday (February 15, 2020) to...

February 03, 2020

Less than 12% of the Catholic Catechism is devoted to spirituality. That, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the church today.

Over the years I have discovered that there are three types of people interested in...

January 2020

January 16, 2020

A Video to Help You Practice the Daily Examen

Dear friends, I'm excited that a new video in which I lead the practice of...

January 14, 2020

“Blessed are the Peacemakers” — Jesus Said It, and It Still Applies Today

A couple of days ago in a dream I was instructed to write about "Blessed...

December 2019

December 27, 2019

The Goodness of Gray, the Holy Innocents, and the Kairos (Time) of God

Today's Guest Post is by Sr. Julia Walsh, FSPA. It’s a gray day, one of...

December 16, 2019

What We Need for Union with God

Recently I posted this quote from Fr. Thomas Keating on Facebook: If you're curious about...

December 08, 2019

Thank you for your support

Please visit www.patreon.com/carlmccolman to discover how you can have early access to my newest writing...

December 06, 2019

Altamont, Auschwitz, Bethlehem, and My Lai — The Challenge of Contemplating the Dark Side

1969 was quite a year, and so in 2019 we've had plenty of "50th Anniversary"...

December 02, 2019

Advice for Contemplatives looking for a Spiritual Community to Call Home

A reader recently wrote this to me on Facebook: I've been on a spiritual journey...

December 02, 2019

Poetry, Meditations, and Contemplative Encouragement (the Perks of Being a Patron)

December 3, 2019 is "Giving Tuesday." It's a day designed to highlight the many worthy...

December 01, 2019

A Question for Your Advent Reflection: What Do We Need to Do to Make Mysticism Mainstream?

It's the first Sunday of Advent. So liturgically speaking, it's a new church year. Happy...

November 2019

November 28, 2019

My Christmas Recommendations for 2019: Books to Give to the Contemplatives You Love

Here's a list of books published in the last eighteen months on a variety of...

November 26, 2019

Revisiting Grace: Wisdom and Photography from a Trappist Monk

If you are looking for a wonderful Christmas gift idea, I've got a suggestion for...