The Center for Contemplative Practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: April 2023
THE WAY: Four Inscrutibles
In this series of blogs on Chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, I will share with you what I received from my Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) meditations on the significance of THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. Each of these three elements of my… Continue Reading “THE WAY: Four Inscrutibles”
THE GOLDEN THREAD: Spiritual Kinship through The Christ Principle.
Jesus called those he loved and who loved him back as friends. Read this most eloquent of texts in their entirety, so you get the context. Note that Jesus calls us friends, in this passage. He has chosen us, we have not chosen Him.… Continue Reading “THE GOLDEN THREAD: Spiritual Kinship through The Christ Principle.”
THE IMPROBABLE POWER OF THE INCARNATION: The divine archetype.
You can’t make this stuff up, even in Hollywood. The Incarnation Moment is so beyond the ability of humans to put it out of that hat that is so improbable that such an event could occur within normal limits of human experiences. Where does… Continue Reading “THE IMPROBABLE POWER OF THE INCARNATION: The divine archetype.”
A LAY CISTERCIAN’S BEATITUDES
As a result of my Lection Divina, and having reflected on where I am in the process of believing in The Christ Principle, here are some Beatitudes that come to my mind. If you are a Catholic, practicing your faith may not always be… Continue Reading “A LAY CISTERCIAN’S BEATITUDES”
THE UNIMAGINABLE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION
This Easter Sunday, some will hunt Easter eggs, some will eat a wonderful Easter meal with their families, and some will disavow Easter altogether as a conspiracy of Jesus’ followers to justify his death by making up a fantasy story about rising from the… Continue Reading “THE UNIMAGINABLE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION”
WONDERFUL RESOURCES
And just when you thought the world was going to Hell… here are resources to give Hope. https://www.scotthahn.com/about-dr-hahn https://www.youtube.com/@word-on-fire
HERESY OF THE INDIVIDUAL: NEO-IDOLATRY
To be clear, this is not a heresy as defined by the Catholic Church, but rather one that I observe to be so insidiously pervasive in society that whole nations and their Judeo-Christian moral compasses have been recalibrated based on a new North. It… Continue Reading “HERESY OF THE INDIVIDUAL: NEO-IDOLATRY”
YOUR CHURCH: The Kingdom of Heaven on earth
What follows is inspirational reading about the notion of the Church. Your heritage has been won by the blood of the Lamb. Your own blood is the price you pay to die to yourself each day and reaffirm God’s will be done on earth… Continue Reading “YOUR CHURCH: The Kingdom of Heaven on earth”
SEEING JESUS
In this recent Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5), I asked myself, “How can I see Jesus daily?” Here are some thoughts. When I go to Church, I see Jesus: There are many more ways to see Jesus in Church, but I am running out of… Continue Reading “SEEING JESUS”
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