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Contemplative

Contemplation

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March 2016

March 02, 2016

Is There a “Contemplative” Personality Type?

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

February 2016

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 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 20, 2016

Is Contemplation Dangerous?

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

December 2015

December 27, 2015

Emptiness and Non-Attachment

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

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...

September 2015

September 23, 2015

Nine Ways to Foster a Contemplative Church

If you are the pastor of a church or parish, this post is for you....

September 11, 2015

Five Things Christian Contemplatives can learn from Buddhists

Last night I attended a Beginner's Meditation Class at the Dharma Jewel Monastery in Atlanta....

August 2015

August 28, 2015

Creative Conversation Begins with Contemplative Compassion

A friend of mine, who is the executive director of a progressive Christian ministry, told me...

July 2015

July 22, 2015

What to Say to the Nay-Sayers: Talking About Contemplation With Its Critics

If you are active in a church or other faith community, and you are drawn...

July 15, 2015

Mindfulness and Contemplation

Recently a reader left the following comment on this blog: I have been reading and...

July 01, 2015

Principles for Contemplative Spirituality (Part One)

A couple of years ago Rob Bell wrote a book with the title What We...

June 2015

June 24, 2015

Artist, Mystic, Pilgrim, Companion: An Interview with Christine Valters Paintner

Recently I had the opportunity to interview author and contemplative artist Christine Valters Paintner of...

June 10, 2015

The Rule, the Discipline, and Spiritual Growth

I bet if I took a poll, almost everyone who reads my blog would agree...

May 2015

May 20, 2015

The Last Instructions of Christ to His Disciples

In the first chapter of The Acts of the Apostles, Jesus gives his disciples their...

May 06, 2015

Contemplative Leadership with Saints Benedict and Ignatius of Loyola

In recent months I have become very interested in the topic of leadership. Which might...

April 2015

April 22, 2015

A Prayer for Contemplatives

O Divine Beloved, you are the source of life and the fountain of all goodness....

April 17, 2015

What To Do When Your Prayer Doesn’t Get ‘In The Zone’

A reader named Kevin wrote the following comment to me on Facebook, in response to...

April 02, 2015

What Good is Religion? A Contemplative Perspective

Bloggers on Patheos have been asked to reflect on the question "What Good is Religion?"...

March 2015

March 28, 2015

You can do it, my friend: you can thrive with a daily practice of silent prayer

In my travels I hear a lot from people who get discouraged regarding silent prayer. Some...

March 25, 2015

Psalm 131: Humility, Silence and Hope

Sometimes I get asked "Where is contemplation in the Bible?" One obvious answer to this...

March 16, 2015

Social Media… and Silence

Hi. My name is Carl and I'm a Facebook addict. ("Hi, Carl!") This past weekend,...

March 06, 2015

Why We Need Contemplation

I am troubled by the idea that it's harder to be a child today than it...

February 2015

February 19, 2015

The Dazzling Darkness

"There is in God (some say) A deep, but dazzling darkness" — Henry Vaughan “Truly,...

February 06, 2015

When Silence Rings

A reader named Nick writes: I am interested in the subject of meditation and...

February 05, 2015

Befriending Silence: My Book on Cistercian Spirituality

Dear friends, I'm excited to announce the title and subject of my forthcoming book. In...

December 2014

December 04, 2014

Silence Today

Today is a wonderful day to be silent. If you have never taken time to...

November 2014

November 17, 2014

Timothy Keller Gets Contemplation Wrong

Timothy Keller, the popular New York City Presbyterian pastor and author of several bestselling books,...