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Is There a “Contemplative” Personality Type?
Introverts, Extroverts, and the Prayer of Silence Silent prayer is for all personality types. I once heard Richard Rohr tell a charming story of giving a retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, where...
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Three Approaches to Prayer When the Dry Times Come
Spiritual Aridity Requires Patience and Perseverance — and More St. Catherine’s, one of the oldest Christian monasteries, is in the Sinai desert where monks have prayed for some 1500 years. A friend of...
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Do Contemplatives Need the Church?
And while we're at it: does the Church need contemplatives? A post on this blog received the following comment yesterday: Having been with the Catholic Church and seminary trained for all my 71 years...
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This Silent Blog is Going Silent
(But Only Until Pentecost) I hope you have had a wonderful and prayerful Lent, and that your Holy Week is likewise a time for reflection and contemplative waiting. Here’s looking forward to Easter —...
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“We have been given the Holy Spirit”
A Sermon Preached for the Worker Sisters and Brothers of the Holy Spirit Annual Retreat, May 13, 2016 Jesus returned to Nazareth, the town where he had been brought up. And on the Sabbath day, he went...
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Coming in the Fall of 2016
A Book to Celebrate the Greatest Christian Mystics Christian Mystics Friends, I’m so excited to announce my forthcoming book, due in October 2016 from Hampton Roads Publishing Company: Christian...
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Mystagogy: the Heart of Spiritual Formation
Catechesis as a Template for the Contemplative Life The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults — the Catholic process by which adults enter the Church — suggests that there are four stages or steps in...
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Charismatic Mysticism
What is the Relationship Between Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Contemplative Prayer? “Do Gifts of the Spirit, especially those like tongues, have any connection with mysticism? Historically,...
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Georgia Author of the Year!
"Befriending Silence" wins in the Inspirational/Religious Category This past Saturday evening I received a lovely honor. The Georgia Writers’ Association selected me as a “Georgia Author of the Year”...
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What is Contemplation?
It's Hard to Put a Wordless Spiritual Practice Into Words What is contemplation? Unfortunately, answering this question is tricky — for contemplation is like some other words in the English language,...
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Contemplation and Peace
A Few Thoughts for Our Troubled Times A Facebook friend shared with me that she has been “thinking about contemplative prayer as a resource for peacemaking or for community building.” Especially given...
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Reviving an old page from my first blog
Warning: If you love spiritual books, this could be hazardous to your wallet... Check out the Christian Mystics Bibliography Reading books about the spiritual life can be a substitute for actually...
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The Place of Joy in Christian Spirituality
Is it Okay to Enjoy a Deeper Prayer Life? What is the relationship between prayer and joy? If we enjoy our prayer, does that mean we are avoiding the hard work of spirituality (which, at least in...
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Recommended Reading for Spiritual Accompaniment
Books for the Ministry of Spiritual Direction and Soul Friendship Spiritual direction, also known as spiritual accompaniment, is an essential ministry for anyone seeking to embrace contemplative...
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Joyful Sanctity
If you think holiness is dreary, remember that melancholy is not a fruit of the Spirit! What is the relationship between holiness and joy? A reader named Gordon writes, in response to my concerns about...
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The Mystical Body
Contemplative Spirituality Is More Than Just a 'Head Trip' How do we embody the contemplative life? And how does the contemplative life make a difference in our bodies (both as individuals and...
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Books for Beginning the Spiritual Journey
Recommended Reading for Anyone Working Work a Spiritual Director Here is a list of several books I recommend for spiritual seekers — especially those who are working with a spiritual director or...
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Know Who You Are: When God Gazes At You, Who Does God See?
A Contemplative Approach to Self-Awareness Know your path In Delphi, in ancient Greece, at a famous pagan temple these words were carved above the entrance: γνῶθι σεαυτόν (Gnothi Seauton), which in...
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Who’s Your Favorite Christian Mystic?
Here's a Book to Help You Find Out I’m happy to announce that my latest book — Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages — has been published. The first printing has been delivered to my...
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The Flicker of the Screen
Is the Biggest Threat to Contemplation Hiding in Our Pockets? For if there is no dark night of the soul anymore that isn’t lit with the flicker of the screen, then there is no morning of hopefulness...
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