The Center for Contemplative Practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: August 2022
TEN PRACTICES THAT BRING FULFILLMENT TO ME AS A CATHOLIC
Remember that Catholic is the name for those individuals who share one faith, one lord, one baptism, Unity in the Body. 1* I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,a 2with all… Continue Reading “TEN PRACTICES THAT BRING FULFILLMENT TO ME AS A CATHOLIC”
10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT HOW TO MOVE FROM SELF TO GOD
My preoccupation for some time has been to move from my false self to my true self. This transition is a transformation (conversio morae) from being human in two universes (physical and mental) to that being fully human in three universes (physical, mental, and… Continue Reading “10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT HOW TO MOVE FROM SELF TO GOD”
I HAVE A GHOST WRITER
I have constantly been upset with myself for claiming that the Holy Spirit is my generator of ideas, not because it is not valid but because it sounds so haughty to claim that. No more. I give credit to the source of my thinking.… Continue Reading “I HAVE A GHOST WRITER”
TOP TEN MOVIE FAVORITES: A life at the movies.
MY TOP TEN FAVORITES: Movies What follows is what came from my Lectio Divina (Phil 2:5) meditations. I need to acknowledge Brother Michael, O.C.S.O. and Father Cassian, O.C.S.O., monks both at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Georgia, for expanding… Continue Reading “TOP TEN MOVIE FAVORITES: A life at the movies.”
TWO TYPES OF CATHOLICISM: A Lay Cistercian looks at the duality of three new approaches to the Sacred.
I must warn you that what I am writing, I do so with the promptings from the Holy Spirit, which are not traditional to my Catholic Faith on the first review but which I consider illuminating, at least. This is just a blog, the… Continue Reading “TWO TYPES OF CATHOLICISM: A Lay Cistercian looks at the duality of three new approaches to the Sacred.”
LECTIO DIVINA FRAGMENTS
The Feeding of the Four Thousand.* 1In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,a he summoned the disciples and said, 2“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days… Continue Reading “LECTIO DIVINA FRAGMENTS”
VISUAL LECTIO DIVINA: PART II
Use these visuals to focus on Christ. With all the blather around issues in the Church, one good way to lose your Faith is to lose your focus on Christ. St. Benedict says, “…prefer nothing to the love of Christ.” (Chapter 4, Rule) WHAT… Continue Reading “VISUAL LECTIO DIVINA: PART II”
VISUAL LECTIO DIVINA: Part 1
I share with you some of the photos I use in my Lectio Divina and other PowerPoint learning events. They make good screensavers. WHAT DO YOU SEE? WHAT DO YOU SEE? Above are the new skins for the new wine (Christ yesterday, today, and… Continue Reading “VISUAL LECTIO DIVINA: Part 1”
WHAT ARE SOME CRITICISMS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
I added these to the website Quora to answer one of their questions. With some of these inane questions, no wonder many countries are going more and more atheistic. I don’t blame them, but I offer some ideas that help me with the insanity… Continue Reading “WHAT ARE SOME CRITICISMS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?”
THE ART OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE: THE SIX QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALTERED HOW I THINK ABOUT THE DIVINE NATURE OF GOD
In my Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) today, I thought about how powerful energy must be to create what we know as the known universe (multiple universes is another discussion). These are just the thoughts of a broken-down, old temple of the Holy Spirit that… Continue Reading “THE ART OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE: THE SIX QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALTERED HOW I THINK ABOUT THE DIVINE NATURE OF GOD”
MY MASCULINE AND FEMININE PRAYER DIMENSIONS
Don’t ask. This topic just popped into my compendium of Lay Cistercian practices for my consideration. Whenever we use words, the user (me) has assumptions that have taken a lifetime to associate with that word, and the receiver uses the same lifetime of assuming… Continue Reading “MY MASCULINE AND FEMININE PRAYER DIMENSIONS”
LAYERS OF LECTIO DIVINA
Humans interact with our outside environment by using our five senses and reason to form thought processes that mean something. Language is such a set of signals that we identify to form ways to communicate with each other. Knowing the language is so crucial… Continue Reading “LAYERS OF LECTIO DIVINA”
IS HEAVEN DIFFERENT FOR EACH HUMAN?
In thinking about my own mortality and how it will be after I die, I usually abandon myself to Christ and fall upon the mercy of God to take care of me. John Chapter 17 is an unusually comforting Scripture that I enjoy reading… Continue Reading “IS HEAVEN DIFFERENT FOR EACH HUMAN?”
THE CHRIST PRINCIPLE: From complexity to simplicity
Based on my contemplation of the Christ Principle (Philippians 2:5), I have conjured up a strange contradiction. All reality from its inception (however that happened) is an intelligent progression from what is simple to the more complex. Yet, to fulfill my nature, I must… Continue Reading “THE CHRIST PRINCIPLE: From complexity to simplicity”
INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION: How time evolves using the Rule of Threes.
Among the more esoteric topics for my Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5), I consider this one on time near the top of the list. In my Lectio Divina this morning (at 2:02 a.m.), the question popped into my mind, “If there is an evolution in… Continue Reading “INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION: How time evolves using the Rule of Threes.”
PRACTICES THAT COME FROM CISTERCIAN MONASTIC PIETY
I asked the question this morning, “What am I doing now that I was not doing five years ago, the caveat being Lay Cistercian practices that come from my observance of monastic charisms at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery (Trappist), Conyers, Georgia?… Continue Reading “PRACTICES THAT COME FROM CISTERCIAN MONASTIC PIETY”
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