The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: February 2023
ALL THE ROWERS IN THE WORLD WON’T HELP YOU IF YOUR BOAT HAS A HOLE IN IT.
This Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) yesterday was an unexpected voyage into the syncretic world of looking at Lent through the lenses of a totally different venue. In this case, the profile of a sinking boat came to mind. Here are some of my ideas… Continue Reading “ALL THE ROWERS IN THE WORLD WON’T HELP YOU IF YOUR BOAT HAS A HOLE IN IT.”
SPIRITUAL READING
Without commentary, here are the words from the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI on Divine Revelation. I found it quite inspiring. DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATIONDEI VERBUMSOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESSPOPE PAUL VION NOVEMBER 18, 1965 PREFACE 1. Hearing the word of God with… Continue Reading “SPIRITUAL READING”
CRAZY ANSWERS TO EVEN CRAZIER QUESTIONS
What follows are some answers I gave to the website Quora.com. I must not have enough to do in my old age. Profile Most recent Michael Conrad Worked at Professed Lay Cistercian3m What is the best way for a pope to say goodbye without causing controversy?… Continue Reading “CRAZY ANSWERS TO EVEN CRAZIER QUESTIONS”
ANTHROPOMORPHIC REPRESENTATION: What does God look like?
I read this article from USCCB about what humans create about God to be able to grasp what is beyond the capability or capacity to comprehend with human intelligence. If you notice, and I am not sure I even notice, I don’t synthesize or… Continue Reading “ANTHROPOMORPHIC REPRESENTATION: What does God look like?”
THE SAINTS: Martyrs
Here is a resource that I discovered that lists Saints and their accomplishments and when they lived. Sometimes we forget that these people actually existed way back when. https://devotiontoourlady.com/january-martyrs.html
THE SAINTS: The Church’s Hall of Fame
When you think about football, as an example of only one sporting venue, of all the college players, very few get selected to play Professional Football. Still, fewer are selected by the football press to be in the Football Hall of Fame. You can… Continue Reading “THE SAINTS: The Church’s Hall of Fame”
THE TRUTH: The weight of my daily cross
Here is a blog I wrote a few weeks ago detailing what are the criticisms of the Catholic Church. I turned it around and wrote what I thought the strengths are. Having some additional thoughts on the matter in a recent Lectio Divina, I… Continue Reading “THE TRUTH: The weight of my daily cross”
THE VULNERABLE LAY CISTERCIAN: The Achilles Heel
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Achilles%27%20heel#citations “When the hero Achilles was an infant, his sea-nymph mother dipped him into the river Styx to make him immortal. But since she held him by one heel, this spot did not touch the water and so remained mortal and vulnerable, and it… Continue Reading “THE VULNERABLE LAY CISTERCIAN: The Achilles Heel”
FAITH AND BELIEF: Fragments from Lectio Divina meditations
If you have Faith, do you need proof? There are two different kinds of proofs: one to measure the visible universe primarily and emotions and the human condition, as a backup; then there is a proof that is the opposite of all of that… Continue Reading “FAITH AND BELIEF: Fragments from Lectio Divina meditations”
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