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November 2023

November 16, 2023

LSD, Anxiety, and Contemplation: Can Psychedelic Therapy Support Spiritual Growth? (and Vice Versa)

Today (November 16, 2023) is the 85th anniversary of the discovery of LSD, by the...

November 17, 2020

Finding Your Perfect Prayer Posture

A question that sometimes comes up when people are first learning a practice like Centering...

December 2019

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...

September 2019

September 04, 2019

A Reason Why Liturgy Matters: “Like Staring Out Into Eternity”

So often, it seems to me, that people who are drawn to the Christian tradition...

March 2019

March 04, 2019

“Kindle No Fire” — A Detail Missing From Recent Ways We Talk About Observing the Sabbath

Today's guest post is by Jon M. Sweeney, author of numerous books including The Pope's...

February 2019

February 11, 2019

The Easy Way to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

I believe that anyone who is serious about embracing the Christian contemplative path needs some form...

February 05, 2019

Contemplation, Atheism, and Amputees

N.B. I wrote the first draft of this post about a year ago, at a...

February 02, 2019

On the Feast of the Presentation (Candlemas) — Let’s Practice “Presenting” Christ to One Another

Today is the feast of the presentation. It’s also traditionally known as Candlemas; it was...

January 2019

January 30, 2019

A Contemplative Perspective on Tithing (At Church… and Beyond)

A friend on Facebook named Stephanie posed this question to me: Hello Carl, I am...

January 21, 2019

Seven Contemplative New Year’s Resolutions (That Are Worth Adopting Any Time of the Year)

I know, I know — a blog post about new years' resolutions several weeks after...

August 2018

August 05, 2018

Discerning the Difference Between Healthy Self-Esteem and Toxic Selfishness

In response to my article The Self, Self-Esteem, and Dying to Self, one reader posted...

March 2018

March 15, 2018

God’s Guidance, Engraved on Our Hearts (Lectio Divina Diligens for the Fifth Sunday of Lent)

Our Lenten journey continues with a twist on Lectio Divina I'm calling Lectio Divina Diligens. Click...

February 2018

February 26, 2018

Hospitality, Heart-to-Heart

What is Christian hospitality? What does it mean to receive guests, strangers, travelers, pilgrims, refugees,...

February 05, 2018

Will You Join Me for A Prayerful “Experiment” this Lent?

We're just over a week away from Ash Wednesday! Which means it is time to...

May 2017

May 07, 2017

Following the Good Shepherd

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

April 2017

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,...

March 2017

March 13, 2017

How to Cultivate Your “Contemplative Ecosystem”

Recently I had a wonderful conversation with Kevin Johnson, who contributes to the Inner Room blog...

March 01, 2017

Three Essential Elements of Christian Conversion

What is Christian conversion? In other words, what does it mean to truly respond to...

February 2017

February 22, 2017

One Step Christians Must Take To Receive the Gift of Illumination

In his wonderful book about the present and future of Christian mysticism, "Arise, My Love...", author...

February 08, 2017

Seven Tips for Returning to Church (After Being Away for Awhile)

Have you been away from parish life for a while, but now feel like returning?...

January 2017

January 06, 2017

Encountering Jesus through Questions in the Gospels

Saint Teresa of Ávila, one of the greatest of Christian mystics, understood clearly that the...

January 02, 2017

Seven Ideas for a Contemplative New Year’s Resolution

Happy new year! 'Tis the season for making a resolution for a positive change in...

September 2016

September 21, 2016

The Flicker of the Screen

For if there is no dark night of the soul anymore that isn’t lit with...

August 2016

August 24, 2016

Know Who You Are: When God Gazes At You, Who Does God See?

In Delphi, in ancient Greece, at a famous pagan temple these words were carved above...

August 16, 2016

Books for Beginning the Spiritual Journey

Here is a list of several books I recommend for spiritual seekers — especially those...

August 10, 2016

The Mystical Body

How do we embody the contemplative life? And how does the contemplative life make a...

August 03, 2016

Joyful Sanctity

What is the relationship between holiness and joy? A reader named Gordon writes, in response...

July 2016

July 20, 2016

Spiritual direction, also known as spiritual accompaniment, is an essential ministry for anyone seeking to embrace...

July 14, 2016

The Place of Joy in Christian Spirituality

What is the relationship between prayer and joy? If we enjoy our prayer, does that...

June 2016

June 15, 2016

Contemplation and Peace

A Facebook friend shared with me that she has been "thinking about contemplative prayer as a...