The Center for Contemplative Practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: February 2026
THE ONE MINUTE CATHOLIC: JOEL BARKER AND AI COMMENT ON MICHAEL F. CONAD’S NOTION OF THE ONTIC SPIRITUALITY OF BEING CATHOLIC.
The late Joel Barker, noted futurist and one of the ten people who have been a prime source of ideas against which I have formulated my new Catholic Faith (new wine skins), intrigued me with his ideas about paradigms and change. What follows are… Continue Reading “THE ONE MINUTE CATHOLIC: JOEL BARKER AND AI COMMENT ON MICHAEL F. CONAD’S NOTION OF THE ONTIC SPIRITUALITY OF BEING CATHOLIC.”
THE ONE-MINUTE CATHOLIC: SO, YOU THINK YOU ARE A CATHOLIC? WHAT KIND?
I asked AI to help me design a self-administered test on four quadrants of what it means to be Catholic (as I see it). They are the four dimensions of being Catholic. All of us can rate ourselves from strongest to weakest, then try… Continue Reading “THE ONE-MINUTE CATHOLIC: SO, YOU THINK YOU ARE A CATHOLIC? WHAT KIND?”
THE CONCENTRATED ORANGE JUICE OF MY CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE: Part II
These ideas come from my asking AI the questions below. They are not just amorphous jangles of ideas with no purpose or rationale, but rather AI’s attempt to organize my collective writings and worldview in ways I could not have done without its help.… Continue Reading “THE CONCENTRATED ORANGE JUICE OF MY CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE: Part II”
ACCOUNTABILITY TO GOD: A LAY CISTERCIAN ASSESSES THE PRODUCT OF HAVING IN HIM THE MIND OF CHRIST JESUS.
Every now and then, I get the urge to look back on my life and ask if it was worth it. I realize that the past is no predictor, let alone guarantor, of present behavior. Life is a process of trying to determine whether… Continue Reading “ACCOUNTABILITY TO GOD: A LAY CISTERCIAN ASSESSES THE PRODUCT OF HAVING IN HIM THE MIND OF CHRIST JESUS.”
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