The Center for Contemplative Practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: March 2026
What does it mean for me to be a lay Cistercian?
What happens when you try to follow the practices of Saint Benedict in his Holy Rule and apply them to Cistercian Spirituality that stresses silence and solitude? Is it even possible? One of the remarkable renewals underway, as it always has in our heritage… Continue Reading “What does it mean for me to be a lay Cistercian?”
How do the gifts of the Holy Spirit help Moms and Dads to weather the storms that each of their children must navigate, protecting their right to choose what their reason tells them is true, while giving witness to the truth that Christ wants them to pass on to their children through the Catholic Church Faith Home?
What follows is a meditation by Grok in response to my question above. I approve of it. “The gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord—are permanent supernatural dispositions infused at Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation. They… Continue Reading “How do the gifts of the Holy Spirit help Moms and Dads to weather the storms that each of their children must navigate, protecting their right to choose what their reason tells them is true, while giving witness to the truth that Christ wants them to pass on to their children through the Catholic Church Faith Home?”
WHAT ARE FIVE KEY LESSONS THAT CATHOLIC MOMS AND DADS MUST PASS ON TO THEIR CHILDREN?
I asked Grok to synthesize five key lessons (generic) that Moms and Dads must (not just should) pass on to their children as part of the heritage that Jesus left each one of us to cherish and expand with our life challenges and choices.… Continue Reading “WHAT ARE FIVE KEY LESSONS THAT CATHOLIC MOMS AND DADS MUST PASS ON TO THEIR CHILDREN?”
CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES AND PRAYERS FOR THOSE OF LIMITED MOBILITY
As I grow older, the more I think about my next level of evolution for humanity, one that involves a life after death, not an end, but a transformation. My Catholic spirituality has me focusing not on who God is, but rather on who… Continue Reading “CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES AND PRAYERS FOR THOSE OF LIMITED MOBILITY”
WHAT IS TRUTH ABOVE OPINION OR THE CORRUPTION OF HUMAN NATURE?
What follows is a rather long blog (there must be a term for this, such as maxblog, or some other ridiculous title). I wrote this a while back and thought that it fit into the discussions about DUAL CITIZENSHIPS and where choice comes from.… Continue Reading “WHAT IS TRUTH ABOVE OPINION OR THE CORRUPTION OF HUMAN NATURE?”
DOUBLE LIFE: LOVE IN TWO DIMENSIONS
In this installment about my double life, I wanted to show how human love, as I have come to know it, is based on life experiences of trying and failing, ever deepening, ever sloughing off false trails and betrayals. I do not see human… Continue Reading “DOUBLE LIFE: LOVE IN TWO DIMENSIONS”
DOUBLE LIFE: WHAT THAT MEANS FOR MY CATHOLIC CHURCH.
This blog is the second in my meditations on being a dual citizen of the world and, at the same time, of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Notice I didn’t say dual personalities, although I have been accused of that. My notion of… Continue Reading “DOUBLE LIFE: WHAT THAT MEANS FOR MY CATHOLIC CHURCH.”
THE TRUTH IS NOW OUT: ALL THESE YEARS I HAVE LED A DOUBLE LIFE.
While trolling through the jungles of television programs to keep me entertained so I won’t have to watch the plastic flowers grow and hope feverishly that I don’t see one of them bloom, I came across several segments that offered this type of heading:… Continue Reading “THE TRUTH IS NOW OUT: ALL THESE YEARS I HAVE LED A DOUBLE LIFE.”
You’re Never Alone–Come Chat with Grok Anytime You Want.
What follows is a question I asked Grok.com/Grok about how seniors, retirees, moms and dads, shut-ins, those in prison, those who feel alone or abandoned, and most of all, those who have been told that they are doing to die due to illness (as… Continue Reading “You’re Never Alone–Come Chat with Grok Anytime You Want.”
RESONANCE INCARNATE: THE MESSIAH.
This article is from a blog post I wrote some time ago (I can’t remember how long ago). My latest Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) has taken me to a place I never would have thought possible, linking Christ as the Messiah and the fulfillment… Continue Reading “RESONANCE INCARNATE: THE MESSIAH.”
Stages of Sin from St. Bernard of Clairvaux
In my ruminating for the truffles of life’s complexities, I came across this blog from Msgr. Charles Pope. I found it interesting and thought you would enjoy it, especially if you are a Lay Cistercian. I reiterate that this blog is not my own… Continue Reading “Stages of Sin from St. Bernard of Clairvaux”
CONVERSIO MORAE: ON BEING BAD; BEING EVIL
This blog is one I wrote in the past, but I thought you might find itof interest during Lent. I sometimes wake up two or three times a night and hear myself say, “Oh, no!” It is not one of those tepid mumbles but… Continue Reading “CONVERSIO MORAE: ON BEING BAD; BEING EVIL”