The Center for Contemplative Practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: June 2022
ARE YOU WASTING YOUR GOOD TIME BY BELIEVING IN GOD?
It might seem strange for me to ask a question about wasting my time on putting together a view of reality where God might not exist. Actually, if I don’t ask the opposite of what I hold so tenaciously, then my belief is blind… Continue Reading “ARE YOU WASTING YOUR GOOD TIME BY BELIEVING IN GOD?”
ANOTHER VIEW OF REALITY
I have found a speaker that is compelling, not because of their rhetoric but because of how they view reality with statistics and trends in demography and geography. The speaker is Peter Zeihan and I recommend you consider watching his YouTube. I watch everything… Continue Reading “ANOTHER VIEW OF REALITY”
LECTIO DIVINA: Approaching an awareness of God using a new technique
I must make a disclaimer for this blog. Usually, my interactions with the Holy Spirit have some connection with a life experience or something I read somewhere and maybe forgot. These ideas are entirely outside what I can remember from how long I have… Continue Reading “LECTIO DIVINA: Approaching an awareness of God using a new technique”
Trappist Movie
This is the trailer for the movie and not the movie itself. It is for your information.
INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION: The Stages of Human Fulfillment II
Humans, progressing from animality, contain all those traits, but something more is at work here. Animals don’t have a choice to progress or regress. Nature dictates the laws by which they must abide. We can go against nature and do what we want but… Continue Reading “INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION: The Stages of Human Fulfillment II”
PROPHESIES THAT ARE TRUE, SADLY.
In this blog, just watch theseYoutube videos with no comment from me. It doesn’t need commenting, sadly.
PROBING THE DEPTHS OF “NOW”
All of this started with my asking, “What is time?” I am having difficulty with this idea because, just when I think I have the answer, a new door opens with more challenging questions. I have been in the business of opening doors for… Continue Reading “PROBING THE DEPTHS OF “NOW””
IT IS A WASTE OF GOOD TIME TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
I never know what will present for my examination and reflection during my Lectio Divina. (Philippians 2:5). Today, I am sitting in the bathtub (that is how people who are 81.7 can take a bath), and the thought of how ridiculous it is to… Continue Reading “IT IS A WASTE OF GOOD TIME TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD”
DOCTOR MELLIFLUUS
Two resources for you that I find helpful. First, here is the site where all the Vatican written materials are stored. Doctor Mellifluuus is one such document about Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Also, check out each of the Ecumenical Councils at the top of… Continue Reading “DOCTOR MELLIFLUUS”
SLOW DOWN II
One lesson that I have begun to be aware of as a direct result of Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) is my prayers, even my routine life chores have been noticeably slowing down. Awareness of these little hints at growth is all that I have… Continue Reading “SLOW DOWN II”
USING THE HEGELIAN DIALECTIC TO UNSCRAMBLE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CHRIST PRINCIPLE
Two years ago, this coming month, I made the mistake of sitting down on a park bench in the dead of winter, seeking to be near the heart of Christ and receive energy from the Holy Spirit. All I did was say to the… Continue Reading “USING THE HEGELIAN DIALECTIC TO UNSCRAMBLE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CHRIST PRINCIPLE”
FALSE QUESTIONS: Beware of these five bear traps in seeking God each day as a Lay Cistercian.
I. BEWARE OF THINKING YOU ARE SOMEHOW BETTER AS A LAY CISTERCIAN THAN OTHER LAY OBLATES OF OTHER TYPES OF APPROACHES TO CONTEMPLATION (Dominican, Franciscan, Benedictine, Basilian, or Jesuit approaches to spirituality for the Laity). This trap is one that the Devil can use… Continue Reading “FALSE QUESTIONS: Beware of these five bear traps in seeking God each day as a Lay Cistercian.”
GREGORIAN CHANT: The language of God
Listening is praying. May the music speak to your heart as you sit in silence and solitude contemplating how grateful you are that the Father calls you son or daughter. uiodg
THE SIXTY-SECOND CATHOLIC: Lectio Divina lite
This title does not refer to how many words you can read in sixty seconds, but how many ideas I can put together, linking one to another in rapid branching. No commentary. No opinions on my part. I seem to remember that I used… Continue Reading “THE SIXTY-SECOND CATHOLIC: Lectio Divina lite”
PRIMARY RESOURCES
If you want to explore being a Lay Cistercian, I recommend you read the commentaries of those who existed after Christ and before there was an officially sanctioned list (canon) of books. I use the following resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20180716100726/http://www.churchfathers.org/ https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/ If you try reading these… Continue Reading “PRIMARY RESOURCES”
TEN EXCUSES HUMANS USE WHEN STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE OF THE LAMB
Here are some excuses that people might use when they stand face to face before Jesus in their particular judgment when they die. How do I know what people might say? I don’t. What I do know is what excuses I might make when… Continue Reading “TEN EXCUSES HUMANS USE WHEN STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE OF THE LAMB”
INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION: Is The Christ Principle the Fulfillment of the Gamaliel Prediction?
As much as I am shocked by what comes out of my Lectio Divina sessions with the Holy Spirit, these seemingly unrelated ideas are beginning to make sense, which is scary since I don’t control any of them. I looked back at my life… Continue Reading “INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION: Is The Christ Principle the Fulfillment of the Gamaliel Prediction?”
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