RECOMMENDED CONTEMPLATIVE, SPIRITUAL READING LIST FOR LAY CISTERCIANS

I share with you what I myself use. All of these sources are online and are of no cost to you. I offer them in no order of importance, they are all important. When I use the term “spiritual reading,” I always include Holy Scriptures are the core reading. Next level is the early writers after the death of Christ, termed Fathers of the Church; next are all those wonderful writers who reflected on what it means to have Jesus as their core center, and happily wrote down these ideas. Last, of all, there is me (or you), who lives right now and proclaims the death of the Lord until he comes again in glory. https://thecenterforcontemplativepractice.org

THE VATICAN — The Vatican, the administrative hub of the Catholic Church, worldwide, is a treasure trove of knowledge and historical documentation.

• http://www.vatican.va/
• http://w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/it.html
• http://www.vatican.va/
• http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
• http://www.photogallery.va/
• https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/it.html

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH –– A most astonishing find is our own Catechism, which I use as spiritual reading, rather than to look up the what and why of my Catholic Faith. I am humbled and edified by its portrayal of Jesus, Son of God, Savior. https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church

LITURGY OF THE HOURS –– The Prayer of the Church. http://www.divineoffice.org

Meditation on the Psalms — https://www.assumptionabbey.org/the-psalms

ANYTHING ON THE WEBSITE OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS – What a wonderful, one-stop shop for all things Catholic. The entire Scriptures is here. In particular, I use the Penitential Psalms to help me become sensitized to the desensitization of cotton candy morality of the World, especially social media and YouTube. http://www.usccb.org If you click on the green topic, it will take you to the USCCB topic or Prayer and Worship. I recommend Liturgy of the Hours and Books of the Bible. I don’t use all these tips each day. That would be impossible. Brother Michael Lauteri, O.C.S.O., a monk of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery, http://www.trappist.net., told our group of Juniors to “pray as you can.” Wise words.

TIPS FROM AN OLD, LAY CISTERCIAN

• Get into a daily habit of prayer, the mindset where you long to be in the presence of Christ.
• Pray Chapter 4 of St. Benedict’s Rule each day. Each day means each day. https://christdesert.org/rule-of-st-benedict/
• Pray a morning offering each day in the first sixty seconds after you get up. Just think about being with the one you love at the center of your life, Jesus. Dedicate your whole day to Christ in reparation for your sins, asking for God’s mercy on you and all the intentions in your Book of Life.
• Say the Liturgy of the Hours daily (at least morning and evening prayers). See USCCB under Liturgy of the Hours.
• Be the prayer you pray. (Not as easy as it sounds.)
• Do Lectio Divina each day to grow in the capacity of Christ (capasitas dei) and conversion of heart (conversio morae) from your false self (Seven Deadly Sins) to your true self as an adopted son or daughter of the Father (Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit).
• If you want love in your life, you must put it there. Just make sure it is the love of Christ and not what fickle society thinks it is.
• Love and hatred can’t stand each other or exist in the same room in your heart. You must choose each day to abandon your will to that of the Father, to be able to become fully human. That is counterintuitive to human reasoning. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone and it is wonderful in our eyes.
• Go to that room in your inner sanctuary (Matthew 6:5), lock the door, sit down on the couch, and just wait for Christ (you are actually waiting for your mind and heart to sync to the heartbeat of Christ, next to you.)
• Meditation is lifting the mind and heart to God through words. Contemplation is keeping those impressions but being in their presence with words or thoughts or lack of focus. Contemplation is God speaking to you in the silence of your inner Arc of the Covenant. If you talk or think or try to manipulate the conversation, you block out what Christ might be saying to you.
• Use a photo as a gateway for your mind to knock at the door of your heart and always grow deeper in Christ Jesus. See a separate blog for twenty photos I use as focal points for my Lectio Divina.

USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) http://www.usccb.org

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Penitential Psalms — Below is a list of the Penitential Psalms found on the USCCB site. You can listen to them via audio, too. I read one of these Psalms BEFORE, then after I go to Confession, then the same one AFTER. Don’t hurry.

The Seven Penitential Psalms and the Songs of the Suffering Servant

The Seven Penitential Psalms

During times when we wish to express repentance and especially during Lent, it is customary to pray the seven penitential psalms.  The penitential designation of these psalms dates from the seventh century.  Prayerfully reciting these psalms will help us to recognize our sinfulness, express our sorrow and ask for God’s forgiveness.

The Songs of the Suffering Servant

Within the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we encounter four poetic sections known as the Songs of the Suffering Servant. The specific identity of this Servant of the Lord remains the topic of scholarly debate. Perhaps it refers to the prophet Isaiah himself, perhaps the entire nation of Israel, or possibly the promised Messiah. Christian faith sees these prophetic utterances fulfilled in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Lord.
In brief:

• The first song introduces God’s Servant who will establish justice on the earth
• The second song, spoken in the Servant’s own voice, tells of being selected from the womb to become God’s mouthpiece and help renew the nation
• In the third song, we learn of the abuse and derision the Servant endured at the hands of his enemies
• The fourth song proclaims the salvific value of the Servant’s innocent suffering that will justify many and blot out their offenses. 

Because of the Christian identification of the Suffering Servant with Jesus, the four Servant Songs become a way of encountering the Lord during this Lenten Season. Not only do they give us a sense of the commitment and endurance that characterized his messianic ministry, but they become a way of touching the bruised face of the Messiah, of hearing the resolute determination that sustained him in the midst of trial, and of rejoicing with him in God’s ultimate vindication of his calling and service.