The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: January 2022
APPROACHING PROFOUND STILLNESS
Each human being has a beginning and an ending. We experience the physical universe of matter, energy, time, space, all that lives on the earth within our lifespan. It is our base of existence, the physical foundation of our humanity. This humanity has characteristics… Continue Reading “APPROACHING PROFOUND STILLNESS”
THE DIVINE EQUATION: THE CORRUPTION OF EVERYDAY LIVING
The focus of my thinking these days has been on Original Sin and how humans must live within its parameters, such as death, pain, emotions, and the ambiguity of choosing either good or bad behaviors that we think will make us satisfied. Saint Augustine… Continue Reading “THE DIVINE EQUATION: THE CORRUPTION OF EVERYDAY LIVING”
VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL CONTEMPLATION
My own experience with Lectio Divina has a twofold dimension. First, a horizontal one is a time I take before, during, and after my Lectio process. This is horizontal Lectio because it has a beginning and an ending, however long that may last. What… Continue Reading “VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL CONTEMPLATION”
ACT YOUR NATURE
My Lectio Divina yesterday provided me with some intriguing thoughts about human nature, admittedly, not your usual morning reading choice. I use the word “nature” as meaning the independent and self-contain category of being. Independent because one is not the other, distinct but joined… Continue Reading “ACT YOUR NATURE”
TOP RESOURCE WEBSITES FOR THE DIVINE EQUATION
There are so many wonderful resources for contemplative practice out there. Here are some of my favorite. https://www.catholicbiblical.org/links http://www.prodigalcatholic.com/freebooks-resources http://www.usccb.org usccb catholic catechism http://www.newadvent.org http://www.divineoffice.org I have a blog on this website. uiodg
THE RULE OF THREES: THE POWER TO CHANGE UNIVERSES
You are capable of living in three realities or universes simultaneously. Think about that statement. If you are human, you automatically live in two universes. Some of us never progress to the third universe, the spiritual plane of existence. The physical universe — all… Continue Reading “THE RULE OF THREES: THE POWER TO CHANGE UNIVERSES”
The Rule of Opposites
This morning, I thought about The Rule of Opposites in my Lectio Divina meditation (Philippians 2:5). You probably have never heard of it. That is because I wrote a book about it called The Three Rules of the Spiritual Universe, and The Rule of… Continue Reading “The Rule of Opposites”
THE PENITENTIAL LAY CISTERCIAN: Reparation for the cost of sin
When reflecting on my experiences with being a Lay Cistercian, I find it amazing that I am so much more aware of what it means to “have in me the mind of Christ Jesus.” This mind of Jesus has remained more of a novelty… Continue Reading “THE PENITENTIAL LAY CISTERCIAN: Reparation for the cost of sin”
CONVERSIO MORAE: ON BEING BAD; BEING EVIL
I sometimes wake up two or three times a night and hear myself say, “Oh, no!” It is not one of those tepid mumbles but a groaning that comes from the depth of the place I do not like to visit often but need… Continue Reading “CONVERSIO MORAE: ON BEING BAD; BEING EVIL”
THE FALSE PROPOSITION THAT JUST WON’T DIE
January 1, 2022, those who gather together to celebrate the death of the Lord until he comes again in glory (Eucharistic Prayer) do so by venerating The Blessed Mother, Mary, Mother of God. Just as the phrase “Mother of God” is misunderstood in its… Continue Reading “THE FALSE PROPOSITION THAT JUST WON’T DIE”
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