In a dark night, With anxious love inflamed, O, happy lot! Forth unobserved I went, My house being now at rest. I have mentioned elsewhere the three reasons why the soul that seeks divine union must go by a way that is called night. Thus, in the dark night of purgation and faith in the infinite […]
Ascent Mt. Carmel – Stanza I Read More »
Part One A. Introduction This essay is a catechetical response to the debate about Centering Prayer that has taken place within some sectors of the Catholic Church, and to some extent in Protestant ecclesial communities. There is a debate as to whether Centering Prayer is orthodox Christian prayer or whether it is New Age or too
Catechetical Essay on Centering Prayer Read More »
I think heaven is above a ceiling like a dome in the sky but for the soul. The will is the engine and the soul is the vehicle. It is not the will that allows passage but grace. Still, to be just below the ceiling means you have passed the demons of gluttony and lust.
In Sacred Scripture we read that we must not let the sun go down while still angry, that to do so gives the devil a foothold (Eph. 4:26-27). The book of James speaks in many places about the virtue of patience and gentleness and warns that anger leads to unrighteousness. The Proverbs are full of
Resentment & Contemplation Read More »
Prophetic: Based in the tradition of the prophets Carmel, and in particular the distinctive way Elijah was prophetic. Being a Carmelite is an opportunity to be prophetic by making the experience of God and relationship with Him the telos of life. It means making actual in this life the restoration in Christ with the Father
Features of Carmelite Spirituality in the Teresian tradition Read More »
This wisdom from Blaise Pascal needs to be read, and re-read. Better yet, re-membered.
Disquiet in the Soul Read More »
In natural meditation and contemplation there is a wonderful opportunity for inter-religious dialogue, mainly because natural contemplation affirms that there is a divine reality that is the infinitely good ground and end of all that exists in the present moment. This point was classically understood as uncontroversial. It was a point that many so many
Natural Contemplation & Inter-Religious Dialogue Read More »
In the Indo-Tibetan philosophical tradition, there is a teaching known as rigpa or knowledge of the ground. This teaching is in particular a feature of the Bon and Nyingma schools of Indo-Tibetan philosophy. Rigpa can be viewed also as a psychological experience, or an experience of mind where there non-duality becomes an experiential reality. Non-duality
རིག་པ་ – Knowledge of the Ground Read More »
I started a new group to study and practice the art and science of contemplation. I was able to choose what participants of the group would be called. I initially chose the term Practitioners. It is a term I picked up from meditation groups I was a part of when I was younger. I liked
From Practitioners to Friends Read More »
More than a few articles have been published in the past few years advising against the use of mindfulness meditation by Catholics. The primary reason for this is because it is a secular adaptation of a common form of Buddhist meditation where one trains awareness to the breath. This is meant to help the meditator
Mindfulness Research and Catholic Teaching Read More »