Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Mt. 8:2 In the passage above, from the Gospel of Matthew we see record of an encounter between a leper and Jesus. The leper sees in his disease a deeper truth – that in some way it is tied to the history of sin in […]
Among readers of Catholic spiritual books terms like consolation and desolation are often referred to. Consolation is referred to usually as something that keeps beginners interested in the path of seeking God through prayer and contemplation. But, so the story goes, more advanced pray-ers are going to experience more desolation because it is a deeper
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Mindfulness of Breathing In contemporary culture the ancient Buddhist technique of mindfulness of breathing has been mainstreamed in the past 20 years. Secularized versions of it are found in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). These practices are rooted in Buddhist teachings about Right Mindfulness or Sati. Right Mindfulness is the 7th
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Introduction The goal of this commentary is to follow the example of St. Thomas Aquinas who wrote commentaries on Aristotle. There is a dearth of Catholic commentary on Indian, especially Buddhist, philosophical treatises that have sought to create an authentic synthesis of what is true, good, and holy, in these texts. It also means commenting
Catholic Commentary on Bodhicaryāvatāra by Shantideva Read More »
Introduction To approach a discussion about solitude and intimacy it is necessary first to define solitude as something other than loneliness. Loneliness is an experience that can happen when a person is in isolation from others, or with others. Being with others doesn’t necessarily cure loneliness. Loneliness is a painful human experience that also can
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A Closer Examination of the First Cause of the Dark Night, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Stanza 1.2 In a different post, we examined the 3 primary reasons why the journey of the soul to Divine Union is called night. Here we will examine with more precision the first cause which St. John of the Cross
First Cause of the Dark Night Read More »
St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Stanza 1.1
3 Reasons Why the Path to Divine Union is Called a “Dark Night” Read More »
In Chapter 28 of The Way of Perfection St. Teresa of Avila explains the practice of recollection in reference to the 2nd article of the Lord’s prayer, Who art in heaven. It seems that she sees in this article in particular a way in to interior recollection. The method seems such: Dwell on the article,
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As I was scrolling through #CatholicTwitter today I noticed a number of tweets about intrusive thoughts. It seemed that one person’s disclosure of struggling with intrusive thoughts prompted others to identify and come forward with theirs. I take a position that, in general, American Catholic piety is by-and-large focused on exterior acts that promise rewards:
On Thoughts and Porn Read More »
A little context: when I was working for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in Catechesis another peer and I were talking about prayer and I began to speak of meditation as a necessary step to, support for, and component of prayer. She was alarmed to even be speaking of meditation in the context of Christian
On Christian Fear of Meditation Read More »