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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...

August 2018

August 27, 2018

Between Shambhala and the Catholic Church: On Being a Contemplative in Imperfect Institutions

I sure know how to pick them (he says, ruefully). The two organizations that I...

September 2017

September 24, 2017

Is It Okay for Catholics to Read Richard Rohr?

A reader of this blog, who is currently the member of a Protestant church but is...

August 2017

August 30, 2017

The Church Says One Thing. My Conscience Disagrees. So What Do I Do?

For anyone who is trying to discern whether or not to become a Catholic, the...

August 15, 2017

How Should A Christian Respond When a Friend Becomes Interested in Witchcraft and Magic?

As long-standing readers of this blog know, I have not always been a Catholic; I...

March 2017

March 17, 2017

A Closer Look at the Scrutinies: How an Ancient Rite Remains Relevant Today

On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent, Catholic Churches with adults preparing to be...

December 2016

December 01, 2016

“You Wrote Books About Paganism?!?”

The late Kenneth Leech used to tell the story about giving a lecture at a...

July 2016

July 22, 2016

St. Benedict and the Prosperity Gospel

This past Tuesday night my wife and I went with some 19,000 other folks to hear...

March 2016

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...

February 2016

February 17, 2016

Seven Blessings of Silent Prayer

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

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 22, 2016

Preliminary Practices for Christian Contemplatives

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

November 2015

November 09, 2015

Why Trappists Make Great Spiritual Guides

If you want access to a living Catholic contemplative tradition, look to the Trappists. In...

September 2015

September 04, 2015

The Contemplative Story of Dear Prudence

I love the Beatles, and like many Beatles fans, I think The White Album is...

May 2015

May 15, 2015

The Intelligent Person’s Guide to Prayer

Like so many folks in the blogosphere, I was fascinated by the story of Leah...

June 2014

June 01, 2014

“That God’s Love Might Live in Us” — A Few Lovely Words from Thomas Merton

I've been re-reading Thomas Merton's The Waters of Siloe for a class I'm teaching at the...

February 2014

February 18, 2014

Concerning Contemplative Prayer and Spiritual Xenophobia

Contemplative spirituality is a spirituality in which, in the words of Richard Rohr, "everything belongs."...