The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
TEN CONTEMPLATIVE WEBSISTES THAT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF
When I have my Lectio Divina prayer, I usually have follow up homework to do. The Holy Spirit leaves me so much material on my plate that I am full time trying to digest all the ideas the come from just being in the presence of God. For the past seven or eight months, I have been trying to write down my thought lest I forget them and to share them with you. Sometimes, I like to look up what I think are deeper insights into my ideas so I use the Internet, particularly website that contain information I don’t have.
Here are ten contemplation websites I use most of the time to gain a deeper knowledge of my faith and the Church. They are in no order of importance or frequency of use.
- NEW ADVENT. www.newadvent.org I like this website because it provides a core of primary source materials and encyclopedia entries. If you look at the webpage in the top right corner, there are entries for Scripture, Encyclopedia, Summa Theologica, and Fathers.
- Exercise: Under Fathers (upper right hand corner), look up Eucebius of Caeserea (c. 265- c. 340) and read part of his Letter on the Council of Nicea.
- Exercise: Under Fathers, look up Justin Martyr and read his Martyrdom of Justin et al. What sentence did Rusticus pronounce on Justin and his companions?
- Exercise: John Cassian (c. 360- c. 435) Read Chapter 1 of the Institutes. What are the eight principle faults monks struggle to overcome?
- Exercise: Look up Apocrapha in the Fathers section. This is a great place to read early writings not selected by the Church for inclusion in the Canon of Authentic Books (Scriptures).
2. VATICAN. http://www.vatican.va/archive/index.htm. Here are sources for increasing your knowledge about Catholicism.
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
[Albanian, Byelorussian, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, Ukrainian,Vietnamese]
Exercise: Where would you look up the addresses given by Pope Saint John Paul II at his
3. e-Catholic 2000: http://www.ecatholic2000.com/saints/clist.shtml This is a very useful site for me. I can look up Catholic authors, Fathers and Mothers of the Church, and various lives of the Saints.
4. US CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS: http://www.usccb.org/bible/index.cfm Bishops are the official teachers of the Faith and shepherds of local churches. They are our link with our apostolic heritage and we trust them as keepers of what is true. Here is the important part for you. The collective leadership of the Catholic Church in the US addresses current issues faced by this age, such as diversity, marriage and family issues, social just issues. You may or may not agree with their teaching (this is not dogma) but we all do well to take it seriously and heed their collective counsel. There is also a Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops (http://www.cccb.ca/) which has jurisdiction for the Catholic Church in Canada.
Exercise: You want to find out about the latest teachings on marriage and family from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Where would you look?
Exercise: Someone asks you to recommend a translation of the Bible that is approved by the Catholic Church. Where would you go to look up what is approved and what is not approved. Why care about this?
Exercise: You want to explore the thinking of Pope Saint John Paul II on The Theology of the Body given at his audiences. Where would you look it up in the USCCB?
5. ABBAYE CITEAUX: http://www.citeaux-abbaye.com/en/the-cistercians-yesterday-today-tomorrow/premier-article-anglais. This is an important website, especially if you read French.
Exercise: Who are the four evangelists of Citeaux? http://www.citeaux-abbaye.com/en/the-cistercians-yesterday-today-tomorrow/spirit/the-auteurs-cisterciens
6. RULE OF ST. BENEDICT: http://www.ben.edu/center-for-mission-and-identity/resources/rule-of-st-benedict.cfm
Exercise: Find Chapter 4 of the Rule of St. Benedict and read it daily for 30 days. You become what you read and assimilate and it is true for reading Scripture as well.
7. THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: https://www.kofc.org/en/catechism/index.html A catechism is a book containing all the dogmas (things you must believe) and teachings through heritage and tradition (things you should believe). The outline is:
I. THE LIFE OF MAN – TO KNOW AND LOVE GOD
II. HANDING ON THE FAITH: CATECHESIS
III. THE AIM AND INTENDED READERSHIP OF THE CATECHISM\
IV. STRUCTURE OF THIS CATECHISM
Part One: The Profession of Faith
Part Two: The Sacraments of Faith
Part Three: The Life of Faith
Part Four: Prayer in the Life of Faith
V. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR USING THIS CATECHISM
VI. NECESSARY ADAPTATIONS
Above All – Charity
Exercise: Look up the Seven Sacraments that Christ uses to give us grace and communicate with us through Faith. Why are there seven of them and not two?
8. CATHOLIC EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER: https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/
This is an informative website that I use from time to time as a contemporary snapshot of what is happening in the Church.
Exercise: Where would you go to read an article on:
The Center for contemplative practice 