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August 2024

August 24, 2024

I Believe Prayer Changes Things. Here’s a Few Thoughts Why.

I posted this on Facebook not long ago... A couple of people posted comments to...

August 02, 2021

Two Types of Healing Prayer Every Christian Should Know

N.B. Today's guest post is by podcaster and physician Donna Chacko, author of Pilgrimage: A...

November 2020

November 28, 2020

Heart to Heart, Simple Awareness of Love

Recently I received this message from a new reader of this blog... Hi Carl, I...

November 24, 2020

The Prayer of Recollection: A Classic Mystical Practice as Taught by Evelyn Underhill

Contemplative spirituality has its own jargon, and this "language of prayer" evolves over time....

October 2020

October 26, 2020

Nine Books for Exploring Franciscan Spirituality

This weekend I conducted a retreat on Franciscan spirituality for the Rock Hill Oratory Center...

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...

February 2020

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...

September 2019

September 27, 2019

Practice, Practice, Practice

Today’s post is by a guest author, Dr. David Rensberger, author of Johannine Faith and Liberating...

June 2019

June 13, 2019

Spirituality and Technology: How Can New Ways of Communicating and Learning Support Our Ancient Practices of Prayer?

A few months ago I wrote about smartphone apps that are designed to support a...

April 2019

April 29, 2019

Persevering Through the Dry Times of Prayer

In response to a post I wrote last year — "What to Do When Prayer...

April 01, 2019

Two Contemplative Events in Asheville, NC (April 26 and 27)

Asheville, NC is one of my favorite places in the world. Beautiful mountains, a thriving...

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...

October 2018

October 20, 2018

The Heart Symphony: Another Perspective on a Contemplative Prayer Word

In response to my post Can Christians Use a (Non-Christian) Mantra?, a reader posted this comment...

September 2018

September 08, 2018

Contemplation and Ecstatic Experience

A reader named Kevin wrote and asked me: What's your view on the phenomenon of...

July 2018

July 19, 2018

Saying Yes to “Prayer Without Ceasing”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Saint Paul throws down the spiritual gauntlet. He instructs his readers...

June 2018

June 25, 2018

Prayer of the Heart is the Heart of Prayer

Scripture very bluntly tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory...

May 2018

May 26, 2018

Learning to Love the “Habit” of Spirituality

We human beings are creatures of habit. We brush our teeth in the same direction,...

May 16, 2018

Just What is Contemplation, Anyway? And Why Should I Care?

A Jesuit priest, a Trappist monk, and a Tibetan buddhist walked into a bar. (No,...

March 2018

March 20, 2018

What to Do When Prayer Gets Dull

A reader writes: Hi Carl, hope you're well. Just wanted to pick your brain again!...

January 2018

January 29, 2018

Praying with Evelyn Underhill — and the Celtic Saints

Believe it or not, Lent is just over two weeks away. Which means it is...

January 18, 2018

How to Pray Every Day — Without Confusing Prayer with God

In response to my recent post about Contemplative Prayer and the Holy Trinity, a reader...

December 2017

December 28, 2017

Holding Spiritual Experience Gently

The other day I received this message from a reader who contacted me via Facebook......

December 15, 2017

Seven Lessons on Prayer I learned from Julian of Norwich

The great medieval mystic Julian of Norwich is renowned for her theological optimism ("All shall...

September 2017

September 10, 2017

Waiting for the Storm

“There’s a storm coming, and it’s not a storm of our making.” — Neil Gaiman,...

August 2017

August 08, 2017

Can We Measure the Scientific Benefits of Christian Contemplation?

A recent article on the UK-based website Christian Today (not to be confused with Christianity Today) poses the...

May 2017

May 23, 2017

What Is the Relationship Between Christian Prayer and Meditation?

Christian spirituality is dedicated to growing in intimacy with God. Both the prayer of silence...

March 2017

March 06, 2017

A Prayer for Observing a Holy Lent

Let us pray... God, we ask for your blessing during this Holy Season of Lent....

January 2017

January 11, 2017

“Constantly Seek His Face”

Today’s Mass Readings (Hebrews 2:14–18, Psalm 105:1–9, and Mark 1:29–39) offer an interesting insight into the role...

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 04, 2016

Remembering the Three Dimensions of Prayer at Every Mass

Do you know why Catholics make three small crosses with their thumb — on their...