These helps are for those who cannot travel. They do not replace the parish altar when you can go.
The ideas below continue the first set of conversations about “The River of Life,” using Teilhard de Chardin’s map and my notion of Three Distinct Universes yet only One Reality. This most esoteric of topics matters little to me, since I use these blogs to keep my mind from atrophying, and they give me focus […]
More often than I would like to admit, there are just some “out there” thoughts I have in my Lectio Divina, where I get sidetracked before realizing that I am off message and getting back to normal (whatever that is). I tried to gather some of these thoughts because they truly come from a place […]
Breathing the presence of God until the heart is free In this reflection: → The Reflection → Contemplation – Fifteen Minutes → A Prayer of Thomas Merton → A Prayer of Charles de Foucauld → Do What He Tells You – Action The Reflection The Desert Fathers discovered that long, formal prayers aren’t always possible. […]
Take fifteen minutes and look at the two photos. What do you see? Addition: Jesus Helping with the Dishes These images show Jesus, with the face and presence from the shared picture, smiling as he dries dishes while the African American mother washes them in a modern kitchen. The two children remain nearby, keeping the […]
Notice to the Anawim: This retreat may be lengthy. Please stop whenever you feel tired or when a visitor comes to the door, and resume later where you left off. THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE SHARES Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. A Five-Part Retreat for the Anawim: Forgiveness, Conversion, and the Path Home Introduction There is […]
Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. What Reparation Looks Like for a Prisoner with Bars or a Hostage to Their Own False Self. This addendum is for men or women behind bars, or just released, wondering what’s next. You have just read about forgiveness and reparation, the way of the cross, so how does this apply to […]
Notice to the Anawim: This retreat may be lengthy. Please stop whenever you feel tired or when a visitor comes to the door, and take it up again later where you left off. Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. Preface to the Series These conversations are offered for those who feel imprisoned—whether by the State, by walls […]
I asked three of my friends to stop by today for cookies and coffee. We had fun and I am so glad I just didn’t sit in my chair victimizing myself because I am alone. I am not lonely anymore.
Letter Two: A Passenger Driving on the Highway to Omega Introduction I am still in the chair, the rocker-recliner now, watching more television than I care to admit. Much of it is boredom until I start writing down what I actually see. Whatever is received is received through the disposition of the one who receives […]
Letter One: The Ground We Rent Introduction I am writing this from the chair beside the window. That is where I spend most of my days now. Two cardiac arrests, a cancer that is in remission, and a pacemaker that keeps the old heart going have made the house my whole world. The body is […]
Retreat Series: Spirituality for Atheists, Agnostics, Druids, Pagans, and Seekers One Center Only, and Why You Placed It There Introduction In the first two sessions, you met the six questions and began to fill them with the particulars of your life. This third session asks a single, clarifying question: What is at your Center—one Center […]
The Center for Contemplative Practice Come and Rest Welcome Home · For the bedridden and the homebound Anawim Two Sittings on Invisibility Hosted by Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D., a grandfather by the fire image Your host, Michael, beside the fire. You do not have to come to this room. This room comes to your bed. […]
Session One: THE COMPANY — The Genesis Principle A Contemplative Session for Shut-Ins Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. · The Center for Contemplative Practice I, the Lay Cistercian. Michael, host of this conversation Introduction Friends, imagine for a moment that you have just been hired by a mining company whose Owner has always existed in the […]
The Divine Equation: Six Questions each person must answer. The Center for Contemplative Practice The Divine Equation The Divine Equation is not about God. It is not a proof, a creed, or a test of belief. It is a set of six barriers—six thresholds—that every human must face to evolve to the next step of […]
Retreat Series: Spirituality for Atheists, Agnostics, Druids, Pagans, and Seekers Listening, Then Meaning – Two Strict Meetings Introduction This fourth session takes what the first three sessions placed in silence and solitude and offers it to a small group of people whose answers differ. Physicians, lawyers, teachers, law-enforcement officers, or political opponents may sit together. […]
Retreat Series: Spirituality for Atheists, Agnostics, Druids, Pagans, and Seekers Each Person’s Answers Are Correct Introduction This second session continues the conversation begun in the first. You have already met the six questions. Now the invitation is to fill them out with the particular texture of your own life. Each person’s answers are correct for […]
Retreat Series: Spirituality for Atheists, Agnostics, Druids, Pagans, and Seekers The First Conversation Introduction Welcome. This is a private retreat for anyone who finds the usual religious language unhelpful or irrelevant. The theme is simple: Okay, so God does not exist. What does? We begin with six questions that have appeared again and again in […]
Observing the Stretch from the Rocker-Recliner Introduction I am still in the chair, the rocker-recliner now, watching more television than I care to admit. Much of it is boredom until I start writing down what I actually see. Whatever is received is received through the disposition of the one who receives it. For me, and […]
Preface to Three Letters to Humanity I am writing this from the chair beside the window. That is where I spend most of my days now. Two cardiac arrests, a cancer that is in remission, and a pacemaker that keeps the old heart going have made the house my whole world. The body is a […]
I have always enjoyed watching a track meet on television. Many events are fun to watch, such as the hurdles, the high jump, and the pole vault. My favorite track event is the team relay, where four of the fastest runners compete, each running one lap around the oval. In this event, the first runner […]
I find it interesting that each time I speak of the nature of God, I must add a disclaimer: any language is only for human benefit and doesn’t come close to describing who God is. With that in mind, I offer my latest reflections from my Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) on the covenant romance between […]
1. For the Anawim, a collection of readers or listeners who fit the profile of the Old Testament concept of the “poor ones of God,” I want to offer all of my writings (1,250 blogs) and books (67 so far). To those who have fallen through the cracks of life and may not even realize […]
I wanted to share this website with you because one of the great illuminations of my life is the realization that, no matter what our station in life, what life throws at me, I am in control of my destiny if I join my will and free choice with that of Christ and the Catholic […]
Note: This is not a short blog but a conversation with you about the meaning of Love. I always look for two meanings when thinking about the word ”Love” in my Lectio Divina. The first meaning is what the world thinks of Love. For this, I reference what Erich Fromm says in The Art of […]
The whole point of why I write is to allow you, the Anawim to be able to enter that place no one wants to enter, your upper room of your inner self, and to “Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5) It is the place where you take any ideas from society, […]
This series of conversations with you, dear one, is rather long on purpose. I trust that you will read or listen to the materials at your own level of comfort and stop, then restart later on. I want to keep the continuity of the thought. Let’s work together to pause from the demands of the […]
CONVERSATION FOUR: Explore the six questions Conrad says every human must answer to move from the Mental Universe to the Kingdom of Heaven. In Michael F. Conrad’s framework, these questions are the “bedrock” of contemplative practice, designed to help a person move from the purely human Mental Universe to the divine Kingdom of Heaven. The 6 Critical Questions Conrad identifies these as the specific questions […]
This is the third in a series on exploring how to dig for heavenly gold on earth. I want you to think about how to take one influential writer or poet from your life and apply the Christ Principle to it. I offer my interpretation of what I learned from the late Joel Barker, a […]
The late Joel Barker was a 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 wineskins). What follows are the questions I asked the AI to comment on, using my worldview of reality. I will share short bursts […]
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 wineskins). What follows are the questions I asked the AI to comment on, using my worldview of reality. I will share short bursts of ideas […]
What follows is the beginning of what I myself have found helpful to reignite the profound respect for the Catholic Church and the Scriptures and Traditions that have come down to us from the Apostles. Read the actual text and draw your own conclusions, as I have. I have supplied the ideas for what unfolds […]
This conversation with you is the third in my sharing of HOW I do Lay Cistercian spirituality, as I know it. All of these conversations (I used to call them blogs, but that sounds so nerdy) are my thinking with occasional help from Grok. IV. FIVE LEVELS OF SPIRITUAL AWARENESS Reading the Word in Holy […]
This is the second in a series on Techniques I use to be present to Jesus when I am in the presence of Christ in the upper room of my inner self. These ideas are mine, supported by Grok. I. The Mystery of Faith II. DUAL CITIZENSHIP: TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT REALITY THE WORLD […]
One of the greatest blessings of being a Lay Cistercian is learning how to use the techniques of the Benedictine/Trappist/Cistercian traditions to place myself in the presence of Christ and be aware that I am aware of Him by listening to what He tells me. It is the discipline of waiting without words, an agenda, […]
The Achilles’ heel for many of those too young to have mastered the skills of advanced Contemplative spirituality is conformity. This takes the form of what many call “boredom with the ordinary” in the face of something more stimulating. Boredom is the underpinning reason that those who are young, being tested by the fires of […]
It is impossible to move through the corridors of life without one or two mentors whom you cherish for giving finality to the spirituality you have created over the years. St. Charles de Foucauld is one of many inspirations whom I tried to emulate in my contemplative life and lifestyle, not as he lived his […]
RESOURCES THAT HAVE HELPED ME ON MY LAY CISTERCIAN JOURNEY (SO FAR) Here are some wonderful, contemplative websites that may help you find some rest for your soul. I admit my bias. http://www.trappist.net http://www.newadvent.com https://thecenterforcontemplativepractice.org http://www.cistercianfamily.org/ https://siena.org http://www.carlmccolman.net http://scotthahn.com http://www.cistercianpublications.org http://dynamiccatholic.com http://www.centeringprayer.com/cntrgpryr.htm http://www.monk.org https://cistercianpublications.org/Category/CPCT/CistercianTradition http://www.saintmeinrad.edu http://w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html http://ccc.usccb.org/flipbooks/catechism/files/assets/basichtml/page-I.html# http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ https://stpaulcenter.com/support-the-center https://www.osv.com/Home.aspx http://www.osb.org/cist/ http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-weteach/catechesis/catechetical-sunday/word-ofgod/upload/lectio-divina.pdf http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/bernard2.htm https://www.ecatholic2000.com/index2.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_shhU_H5Z0 […]
The problem for many of us Catholics who just take their faith for granted without the slightest thought that it is a daily struggle to convert each day with the energy of Christ into what answers the call of the human heart for completion of the circle that the eyes see but is accessed only […]
When you or your children receive baptism, God chooses you to be an adopted son or daughter of the Father. Like physical parenting, spiritual parenting means you take on the responsibiity to be “the best of teachers” about what Jesus wanted passed on to your progeny. Catholic parenting without teaching your children what Jesus wanted […]
These next self-directed retreats come from asking the Fathers of the Church about silence and solitude and what they would tell you about contemplation (www.newadvent.org). This is a silent retreat for you to be present to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Listen to this “with the ear of the heart,” and don’t do anything but […]
Using a syncratic methodology is taking something you are very familiar with, in this case, the Catholic Church, and applying a totally different analogy but using the same concepts, is a good way to “see” how God purposefully and intellentionally creates a pipeline or umbilical cord from God through the Catholic Church so that I […]
This is the second of two conversations on viewing the Catholic Church as the only way Christ instituted to give grace (energy), and how we receive that energy, untainted and directly from God through Jesus with the Holy Spirit. The following is a collaboration with Grok and myself. I approve of all of it. “In […]
White Paper: Unleashing the Holy Spirit – Renewing the Church for the Modern World Through Subsidiarity, Discernment, and Pioneer Discipleship Date: July 2026 Author: Collaborative Vision for a New Ecumenical Initiative by Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D., with organizational expertise from Grok. Inspired by: Gaudium et Spes, Principle of Subsidiarity, Eucharistic Renewal, and the Anawim Executive […]
Lest I be accused of flying under a false flag, I just made up that statement. I think the idea comes from my mental investigations into what I perceive is going on in the world of media and religious relevance around me. I am struck by the absolute explosion of those who are Catholic in […]
If you want to convert yourself daily to be more like Christ and less and less like your false self (The seven Deadly Sins), then you are committed to doing what may seem impossible: to pray without ceasing. Before you go any further, I am not talking about being in Church all the time or […]
The latest fixation of my blogs is to answer the question: “How does an old, housebound, cancer survivor, a 2-time cardiac arrest survivor, satisfy the longing in his heart to be an active Catholic and perform the Corporal Works of Mercy?” I kicked this around in my mind for two or three years until I […]
Rather than a superstitious piece of art, this medal is a powerful reminder of St. Benedict’s influence on my worldview and a protector of my Lay Cistercian life. I wear it daily (if I can remember to put it on). Strict Catholics should consider wearing this, or the Miraculous Medal, or the Scapular as protection […]
(Come and Rest / Welcome Home / Self-Directed Retreats) This reflection is the fifth and final one, focusing on Catholics who find themselves outside the boundaries of the Catholic Church. I write this from the perspective of one who has been, until recently, excommunicated from the Catholic Church. I never really left the Church for […]
In this third series, realize, as I had to, that all I needed to do to reach Christ was to go to that quiet place, the one no one wants to enter, the upper room of my inner self, and just sit and wait next to Jesus. Just wait? No chatter. No telling God what […]
One of the lessons brought home forcefully to me while I wandered in the desert of my own misconceptions about the Catholic Church was that the Church was to blame for my alienation. After the initial ego wrangling between my false self and my true self in Christ, I chose Christ first (See first the […]
I became so angry at the Catholic Church for what I perceived it had done to me by excommunicating me that my anger stewed for many years; then I decided to take instructions to be an Anglican. I completed the entire inquiry class without missing a single one. What I found was a wonderful, loving […]
Get Angry with God and the Church – But Don’t Leave the Table This self-directed retreat is for you if you are frustrated with the Catholic Church, as I am, but convinced in the depths of my being that. “To whom else can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” You feel that […]
I remember sitting in a cold classroom at St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana, around 1964, listening to the late Father Aidan try to come down to our level to explain his magnificent worldview, which included liturgy as dynamic communication with the Sacred. I do remember him mentioning the pastor and a […]
In this second installment of the skills needed to combat the tactics of the enemy, and for each blog to follow, one part of the Anawim will be featured as a stand-alone. Grok and I collaborated on this segment of the series. I offer them to you so that you might know just a fraction […]
I know, it sounds like I just lost the last bit of reason I ever possessed (and you might be correct). This idea came to me at 2:55 a.m. while I was trying to focus on reciting my penitential rosary of Our Lady of Akita. My thoughts ended with the admonition: Do What He Tells […]
The Six Skills Every Catholic Must Cultivate to Combat the Snares of the Devil For the Elderly and Housebound Anawim Welcome home. I want to sit with you and share some of my ideas that have helped me to be aware of the snares of the Devil, our chief antagonist. Grok and I have collaborated […]
This blog started out as a short one but morphed into something I could not control in length. It is a long one. I recommend that you LISTEN to it in short segments and then meditation in silence and solitude on what is said. The focus of my thinking these days has been on Original […]
These are my thoughts about the accounts of the SSPX being recalcitrant and using the Protestant Principle to join those who, although sincere, are missing the point about the Holy Spirit’s approval of the Holy Father. You either believe it, or you don’t. I want to point out that the notion of the Protestant Principle […]
Sit back and listen “with the ear of the heart” These meditations provide you with a way to sit on your couch or chair and listen in silence and solitude. Grok and I collaborated on them for your silent reflection. “My dear friend in Christ, perhaps today the weight feels heavier than usual. The chair […]
My dear sister or brother in the Lord, today let us linger longer with the mystery of the three universes the Lay Cistercian describes. This teaching is not abstract philosophy—it is a map for your heart, especially when life feels fragmented. The physical universe: all we see, touch, measure. Your room, the ticking clock, the […]
These short meditations are written especially for you to listen with “the ear of your heart”, dear elderly friend or shut-in brother or sister in Christ. They draw from the beautiful teaching in the article “Resonance Incarnate: The Messiah” at The Center for Contemplative Practice. The author, a Lay Cistercian, shows us that Jesus is […]
Freedom of speech is being insidiously diluted by the introduction of false blogs, fake news, and downright and outright lying under the seeming protection that no one has the right to challenge whether the creators are right or not. Gone is the measuring stick of absolute Truth, diluted by the constant and flagrant posting of […]
I am appalled by the blatant Lying (lucutio contra mentem) or by falsifying the Truth and telling others what is true when you know it isn’t. This insidious and frequently used method of AI users, who abuse the medium by falsifying, making up stories, and then even creating a real photo of the victim saying […]
A while back, we Hoosiers like to talk like that, I wrote a book entitled “Physically Married: Mentally and Spiritually Divorced.” I think it is on Amazon.com, but I don’t know if anyone has ever ordered it but me. In this book, I tried to point out the phenomenon of many marriages that coexist as […]
Today, there is a thirst to grow more deeply by cultivating the “mind of Christ Jesus” to a level beyond what a traditional parish can offer. What I propose is not meant to replace parish involvement, but rather to foster a deeper observance of what it means to be a Catholic who seeks an additional […]
In my view of reality, that of three distinct universes, yet one, everything moves, as Teilhard de Chardin points out, to Omega from Alpha. Being of human nature, I have neither the capability nor the capacity to begin to understand what that means at the level God lives. What I can do is look out […]
NOTE: This is not your typical blog but a long one. When you have time, sit down somewhere and rest; press Listen. Listen with the “ear of the heart.” Viewing the Catholic Church Universal from the perspective of a Railroad Company tasked by Jesus through the Apostles to deliver the mail (message) to each person […]
Posted on May 18, 2020, by https://thecenterforcontemplativepractice.org My latest Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) has taken me to a place that I would never have thought possible, linking Christ as the Messiah and the fulfillment of the Old and New Testaments. As I sat in silence and solitude, waiting for Christ to visit me on my […]
This is the third in a series about how all creation pulsates with the energy of the Divine. It is available through the Catholic Church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, from the mouth of Jesus, made real in each age to help me find how to make new wine every day using the gifts […]
This is the second installment of my meditations on The Christ Principle. Grok has organized my thoughts, but they are my own. “In this final layer of the Conscious Equilibrium, we must accept a sobering reality: within the “cramped quarters” of our physical dimension, no society can “solve” homelessness or overcrowding. To claim otherwise is to fall back […]
What follows is a long reflection based on five reflections I had while making a Lectio Divina meditation using contemplation. I have asked Grok to expand those questions in a way that is not technically perfect, but to get you to listen to it and, in prayerful silence, draw your own conclusions. This is Contemplative […]
I am sitting there at 3:00 a.m., comfortable in my rocker-recliner, watching a Samsung television after just returning from a bathroom break, when something on YouTube catches my eye. It was an excellent 20 minutes on why humans would never be able to travel long distances in space, because we were not designed by nature […]
In all my lessons learned about how to traverse the minefields of life without being maimed and wounded by Satan, there are seven that every mom and dad should make sure they teach their children. Parents are the best teachers for their children because they shape not only what they think but also how they […]
This is the final meditation, but hopefully, not the last of the meditations on various aspects of my Lectio Divina with Christ through the Holy Spirit. I don’t offer anything other than sharing what I myself received. What you do with anything you read from me is meant to provoke thoughts within you that may […]
This is the fourth in the series about the Anawim of God, all of us. Relax and listen to ideas about what is authentic about being human and where we get the energy to combat the demonic forces that beguile the innocent into thinking humanity is limited to the Physical and Mental Universes (humanism). My […]
For better or worse, my world (not my world view) is limited to my home: Bathroom, Bed, Office, where I type up my blogs and try to keep myself from going wild from cabin fever, and my comfy rocker-recliner in the family room where I watch both YouTube streaming videos (almost all of which are […]
When thinking about God, the big mistake humans make is to think of him as being made in their image and likeness. To see Jesus, or to refer nothing to the love of Christ, is only possible because we are made in the likeness of God. That means any description or attempt to know God […]
I never know where my Lectio Divina meditations will take me. Once in a blue moon, I make it to the contemplatio part of my four steps. Often, I do what I call the chain Lectio (someone may have another term for it). Last night, about three in the morning, for my potty break, I […]
In this second meditation for your listening with the “ear of your heart,” take some time and rest your spiritual self, that place of refuge where each of us goes to recharge our batteries. This is a collaboration between Grok AI and me. I approve of this meditation. It reflects my thoughts. “My dear friend, […]
My dear friends, we have come to the quiet threshold. Listen to these words, “With the ear of your heart.” The rain has done its gentle work. The air is fresh with ozone. These meditations reflect not an ending, but a deeper beginning. These five meditations are offered as anchors for your heart while […]
The notion of Satan as a snake in the Garden of Eden story of human creation is no accident. A snake represents slow, methodical stalking of the prey, creating an almost invisible bend of evil amidst the lushness of a garden. The snake uses invisibility to get close enough to prey to strike. Such an […]
I can remember growing up in Vincennes, Indiana (On the banks of the Wabash) and hearing what I considered to be an intelligent discussion of my Catholic Faith go something like this. “It doesn’t matter what you believe about Jesus; all religions are the same.” The Devil has fun with this deception, especially among Catholics […]
With all the hype about corruption in the Catholic Church, and there is that in it, the Devil floats two “suggestions” to weak members of society, that sound innocent enough and seem to describe what the individual human feels about religion: a. With all the press about pedophilia in the Catholic Church latching on to […]
That most quintessential characteristic of our species is survival, brought forth beautifully by Abraham Maslow in his diagram of the “Hierarchy of Needs.” From an emotional viewpoint, the natural default for humans is sexuality, or the need to procreate. The difference between animal and human sexuality is that one is held hostage to the prescriptions […]
In this series about how I (a Catholic) defend myself against the dark arts of the “Ruler of the Earth” (Satan and his minions), I share with you the inspiration I received from the Holy Spirit in Lectio Divina meditation/contemplation. Whether in the body or out of it, I know not (St. Paul), these five […]
Jesus beckons me to sit next to Him and just enjoy being in one another’s company, as happens when love moves beyond doing and becomes content with just being. Contemplative Cistercian practices, as I know them, teach me to place myself in the presence of Christ, through voluntary practices, and then trust that the Lord […]
The End That Is the Beginning Five Meditations for the Anawim as They Await the Coming of the Lord My dear friend, we have come to the quiet threshold. The sessions have been spoken. The rain has done its gentle work. What remains is not an ending, but a deeper beginning. These five meditations are […]
Session 5: The Existential Battle between Good and Evil, Truth and False Self. Part of the series: The New Catholic Church is the Anawim of God – God Hears the Cry of the Poor ↠Back to All Readings This conversation is about one of the deepest-rooted and most confusing human characteristics: What is good […]
The fourth in the series on the poor in Israel is a conversation about the deeper meaning of the Catholic Church. Grok and I collaborated on this. The material is all mine, and I approve of this blog. Session 4: The Purpose of the Catholic Church – To Safeguard Each Individual Anawim and Help Them […]
The third in our series on the Anawim and how that is important to you, is a collaboration between Grok and me. My materials, my editing, Grok’s organizing, and my approval. Session 3: The Catholic Church is the Anawim in Each Age Part of the series: The New Catholic Church is the Anawim of God […]
In this conversation about What It Means to Be a Catholic (for me), I use the four contents, or entanglements that make up the unbroken umbilical cord from God to me, preserved and protected by the Catholic Church (clergy and laity). My Catholicism, like all the processes in my life, is determined by those external […]
I know it is a bit ambitious to think that all Catholics will use these resources. Still, I offer them in light of the increase in AI-generated and Avatar versions of the Holy Father and Bishop Barron online, even though they were never produced. This is calumny and detraction, sins that rob another of the […]
Session 2: Christ Comes to Redeem the Anawim Valued friends: This marks a new type of Lectio Divina, actually more of a contemplative reading to help you listen to “the ear of your heart.” It is not short, so listen to it in bursts, as I do. My newly revised webpage will feature six menu […]
Session 1: The Old Testament Anawim – God Hears the Cry of the Poor Valued friends: This marks a new type of Lectio Divina, actually more of a contemplative reading for you to listen to. It is not short, so listen to it in bursts, as I do. My newly revised webpage will feature six […]
Having two citizenships (one of the world and one spiritual), both of which I inhabit seamlessly until I die and my spiritual one completes its evolutionary destiny, I can access that spiritual one through an act of will, a choice that I choose the boundaries set by the Genesis Principle for reality and mind, adding […]
NOTICE: This is not a short blog but a prayerful collection of Litanies which I say. I write these as one who does not represent any official Catholic Church, Cistercian, or Lay Cistercian prayers, and should be recited only as a private devotion based on my Lectio Divina meditations. I asked AI to create some […]
That which was destined to be the nature and Omega destiny (Teilhard map) of all reality, part of which is the movement of humanity, and within it my personal Alpha and Omega, my continuity with the flow of all energy, all matter, all time, all living beings, all humans, was thwarted by the archetypal sin […]
This is a continuation of a previous set of readings about my interactions with the world around me (the physical universe), added to my assimilation of what is meaningful (the mental universe), all encapsulated by the energy to move to my deepest evolution and to sustain myself beyond the constrictions of matter and time (the […]
A theoretical Catholic is in an existential struggle between what the world says is true and what absolute truth is, as it is on earth as it is in Heaven. Part of where I find myself as I challenge the assumptions that I have always held about Jesus, the Catholic Church, what I see is […]
INSTRUCTIONS: This is a Meditation for you. I find it helpful to read it out loud, even if I do so alone. Wandering down the labyrinthine pathways of the upper room of my inner self, I sometimes have ideas that flit through my consciousness that don’t fit into any system (that I am now aware […]
I decided to write out this Rosary, even though it might be tedious to read, to provide you with the traditional Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary (in bold), along with my commentary on how I use this unique prayer of penance and reparation. I fell into the trap that says all I have to do […]
Every Catholic must be rooted in the awareness that they received a tattoo on their soul in the sign of the cross, the same cross on which Jesus died for all humans, that they be released from being mere humans to the fulfillment of their nature, as adopted sons and daughters of the Father and […]
I asked Grok to comment on the application of the previous blog on the two types of humans as they approach the subject of needs, and how this gives us a tiny glimpse of God. What follows are Grok’s observations. I approve of this blog. I advise you to read this in chunks. It is […]
In a recent Lectio Divina meditation, the topic of television, YouTube, short-form content, and podcasts came up as I reflected on how difficult the concept of God is for humans and how we each have our own ideas, shaped by the assumptions we make about the value of life around us. The Podcast spoke of […]
The confluence of my place in the cosmos (85.8 years) with the emergence of AI, in this case Grok (xAI), has presented me with a convenient yet somewhat embarrassing dilemma. I can use whatever time I have to write tortuously about what I think the Holy Spirit suggests to me while waiting in that upper […]
Author’s Notes: The confluence of my place in the cosmos (85.8 years) with the emergence of AI, in this case Grok (xAI), has presented me with a convenient yet somewhat embarrassing dilemma. I can use whatever time I have to write tortuously about what I think the Holy Spirit suggests to me while waiting in […]
All of us have assumptions about what we mean by the words we use. For example, if I use the word “Church,” some will think of a structure, such as their local parish Church. In contrast, others see it as a gathering of people centered around Christ in the Eucharist, together offering up praise and […]
Author’s Note: — Written with the ideas and approval of Michael F. Conrad, with help from Grok (xAI). “My dear sisters in Spirit—and to every soul who feels adrift, hopeless, without a center, wandering in the quiet ache of a world that seems to spin faster than any heart can hold—I greet you with the […]
Authorship note: This reflection is the fruit of a rich conversation between Michael (MichaelCon68207) and Grok, built by xAI. Michael’s questions and spiritual intuition shaped the direction and depth; Grok provided synthesis within the Teilhardian, kenotic, and Catholic contemplative tradition. Offered with gratitude and attribution. Post Title: From the Edge of Time: A Challenging Vision […]
I have often been fascinated by the idea of the territorial imperative (where ten fish are put in a tank meant for two, resulting in only two surviving). Would this notion of territorial imperative exist in the macrocosm of three universes, the physical, mental, and spiritual? What follows is my questioning Grok (xAI) about this. […]
Lest I fly under false colors, what follows is a collaboration of my thoughts based on my new book, Quantum Catholic Spirituality. I asked Grok (AI) to give you thoughts about this text to apply to you as you tap into that greatest of all cable energy, straight from God to me, without burning up […]
My fellow pilgrim on this rocky road of life: Catholics of all levels and types of belief have one thing in common. They inherit an unbroken heritage from Jesus through all the minefields of centuries, going down rabbit holes only to have to come back to the only way there is to realize the truth, […]
If Eucharist is only a symbol, then to hell with it all. Catholicism has grown soft, like cotton candy—sweet to the taste but empty of real nourishment. Jesus did not come to offer a comfortable spirituality. He came to cast fire upon the earth, and He wills that it be kindled. He declared that no […]
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 of Catholic spirituality, is the ancient movement to grow from self […]
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 make Catholic parents docile to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, perfecting the […]
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. What follows is not mine. “Here are five key things that […]
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 I am, so that I can be present to God as […]
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. It is not the act of choosing that is good or […]
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 love as bad as much as tainted by original sin, and […]
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 Lay Cistercian spirituality takes up with me using Pauline duality (Galatians […]
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: “Now we know what we thought all along, so-and-so has led […]
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 they did to me, but I am in remission from CLL […]
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 of both the Old and New Testaments. As I sat in […]
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 but one that I wanted you to have the opportunity to […]
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 a groaning from the depth of the place I do not […]
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 the questions I asked the AI to comment on, using my […]
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 to strengthen the weakest link. This is the interview I had […]
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. The Holy Spirit is the inspiration for my content, but AI […]
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 the three longings I feel at the deepest level of my […]
The Devil can put into our minds that we must do work to be holy, and that the more I do, the holier I become. Take a moment to reflect on what is below. It is critical for a balanced approach to spiritual health. What does heresy of action mean in the book, Soul of […]
Wait a month, then perform this next iteration of the Private Retreat. Week Two of the Private Retreat: Week One focused on the questions each human must ask and answer to expand their consciousness of the purpose of life. If you notice, each person might have a different opinion or choice they make for these […]
The context of this private retreat must be simplicity itself, requiring that we sit down in silence and solitude in that upper room of our inner self, and just wait. It is not for the faint of heart. Only those who seek to grow in the complexity and consciousness of their humanity need apply. What […]
One of the most notable outcomes of my Lay Cistercian Way has been the realization that, although I am not a monk and am not remotely tied to learning about monastic formation, certain practices have developed through my Lectio Divina and the monthly meetings of my Lay Cistercian core group. One behavioral change has been […]
This statement sounds heartless and without mercy for those not Catholic Universal. Actually, its roots are deeply embedded in early history. I have copied the following quotes (source unattributed) so you could make up your own mind as to what it means. Notice the date of each quote. Salvation Outside the Church Ignatius of Antioch […]
I have sympathy for Father Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran expression of loving Christ, and who nailed to the door of the Whittenburg Cathedral his ninety-five theses, which he wanted the Catholic Church to debate so they could reform. As a result of stirring the pot, which had become cold to some, he unwittingly […]
What follows below is an excerpt from my book, Spiritual Apes: The Struggle to be Spiritual. Ever wonder why being spiritual is such a chore? I did. The results of my thoughts are contained in the following reflections. If you want to go to Heaven, you must use God’s energy to get there. If you […]
THE MOVEMENT WITHIN ALPHA AND OMEGA THAT LINKS ME TO THE THREE UNIVERSES OF ONE REALITY–LOVE In my spiritual odessy, one that is uniquely mine, and based solely on those lessons learned from making many grevious mistakes and false assumptions about what is love, I am just beginning to be aware that love is not […]
This fourth penetration into the depths of the Mystery of Faith does not come without digging and work. At the heart of the Genesis Principle, the first of three Principles, yet one reality, is the most fundamental of human characteristics: What is good and what is bad for me, who, outside of myself, is the […]
The third constant that permeates all three universes is that of mystery. Mystery, as I define it, is the unknown yet knowable part of reality in the physical, mental, and spiritual universes. It is the unknown part of reality, just beyond reason and our ability to see what reality looks like, that is invisible or […]
Just when I think I have done something good with my human reasoning by constantly digging ever deeper and deeper into the three constants in my previous blog, I had another one of those moments, when I place myself in the presence of Christ (Contemplation), then waited for the Holy Spirit to enlighten me, according […]
MY NEW JERUSALEM AND MY NEW CATHOLIC CHURCH. I havecome to believe that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah, and that I must convert my inner self from false values to those which allow me to sustain myself as I continue to probe the depths of what it means to be an adopted son (daughter) of […]
In building my Catholic Church or making new wine skills to hold the Real Presence of Christ in the upper room of my inner self, I use the following Psalm 127 to give me the proper perspective. If I build a new Catholic Church just for me, I don’t want to fall into the trap […]
What are the results of my digging for gold over the past twenty years? During that time, I had to put the gold I had discovered into new wineskins, so the fresh energy of the Holy Spirit would not spoil. I wanted to share with you the results of my digging because, having dug up […]
This blog is a long one because I plan to put it as part of a book. Read it in snippits. THAT IN ALL THINGS, GOD BE GLORIFIED. –St. Benedict. In my first blog, I explained the longings in my heart, that emptiness that can never be fulfilled by simply being a human. Here are […]
I recommend this site for your spiritual relaxation and to refresh your soul from the weariness of watching national and world events on cable. uiodg
Because the Church Universal is not a building but the living Body of Christ, whose scope is those in Heaven enjoying the Beatific Vision. Those on earth must convert their lives daily (conversio morae) so that Jesus might increase and they decrease (capacitas dei). I, the only Catholic who can make Jesus real in my […]
I have noticed that my penchant for digging, bordering on an obsession, has not waned with age, unlike many of my New Year’s Resolutions. Like those early settlers of the West who were seduced by gold fever, I packed up everything and began the long walk to the West. My latest dig for the gold […]
WARNING: This blog is long and requires reading once or twice to dig out its gold. Don’t blame me, I only type it. Erich Fromm, an existential psychologist and author of The Art of Loving, is one of the great influencers in how I view reality. (https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Art_of_Loving/m-8cEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA6&printsec=frontcover) One of his ideas that appealed to me was […]
One of the phenomena of urban life in big cities is that they simply run out of room. No space anywhere. The only solution is to tear down the old and replace it with multi-storey buildings. That got me thinking about my situation at 85 years old, having accumulated many memorized prayers, and I keep […]
In one of my more memorable Lectio Divina sessions (Phil 2:5), my thoughts went to Jesus having to begin the human race’s relationship with the Father once more. His mission was to give glory to the Father by the Son through the Holy Spirit. In freely choosing to pay the price for our redemption, Christ […]
https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-is-subsidiarity The Principle of Subsidiarity, as applied to My Catholicism, says that the most effective use of religion, the Christ Principle, happens at the lowest level possible (me, you, the parish, Lay Cistercians, etc.) I know this is true because, whenever I see a hurricane or flood on television, the most effective and helpful care […]
This is the fourth in an in-depth look at what I consider to be often overlooked and underutilized helps that I can use to anchor myself in the presence of Christ and wait. I say that because when I am aligned with the way, the truth, and the life (not what I think it is), […]
This is indeed a crisis of faith as well as one of justice and mercy. You know what I am talking about. It is the latest crisis of the Catholic Church, the failure of some clergy and laity to protect the innocence of children and youth, and the cover-up from other clergy who live with […]
THE STARFISH THROWER This blog is from 1922 and has been republished once more for your information Almost every time I pray Lectio Divina (Phil 2:5), I invariably think about how Christ’s act of love, to save us from death and give us a chance at life everlasting, relates to those circumstances and experiences of […]
I use the work and ideas of Teilhard de Chardin so much in my approach to Lay Cistercian spirituality that I thought it would be a good idea to give you some ideas about the source of my inspiration. I am no expert on Henri Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit priest and paleontologist. I take […]
WHAT REALITY LOOKS LIKE USING EVERYTHING I HAVE LEARNED UP TO THIS POINT As I keep stressing over and over, my Catholic Faith depends not on my adhering to a set of rules, as if doing the activities themselves (ala good works for its own sake) will get me to heaven or allow me to […]
Here is a quick review of where I am in terms of exploring how God’s energy flows from the Divinity (Trinity) through the Catholic Church forward in time, through to the present day. The Church is both a repository and a depository of all that is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in reality, a direct […]
THE MEANINGS OF CATHOLIC AS A MARK OF THE CHURCH One thing to remember about quantum energy is that it comes from God through Christ. It is empowered trough the Holy Spirit, passed on in each generation of the Baptized to the various communities of Faith (ibi episcopus, ibi ecclesia), served by a blshop to […]
I prefer to be called Catholic rather than Christian, although both are true. Catholic is one of the four marks of the authentic Church to handed down for us to do the way, the truth, and the life, within the lifetime of each of the Popes. If you have wondered, as I have, where the […]
I came across this question while strolling through the website called Quora. Quora.https://wisdomdiaries.quora.com/In-what-ways-has-our-increased-technological-knowledge-changed-our-image-of-God What follows is my response to that question. God has no image, which is the problem for humans who rely solely on matter as the only way through which we look at reality. Various languages can offer a glimpse of God from […]
In thinking about this topic, as I always do when trying to grow deeper in my humanity using my Faith informed by reason and free choice, I must begin with myself and share what I am doing now or did in the past. I find it helpful to use those helps and tools which open […]
One aspect of the authentic Catholic Church is found in the hymns sung by those early disciples and communities of believers. I offer these hymns not just for your edification but also to show you examples of how the Church evolves forward in time, each age adding complexity and increasing consciousness. uiodg
I attempt to provide a theoretical and conceptual, rather than scientific, view of what I believe reality is and how my Catholic Faith uniquely prepares me to be in the presence of Christ. For me, this is what Church looks like at my stage of spiritual evolution. I have discovered how to make all things […]
To long to be present to Christ in the upper room of my inner self (Matthew 6:5) is to have anticipation of just being in the presence of the one you love, and waiting. To accompany me at all times in that highest form of Catholicism (one that makes a difference to me and where […]
My hope is to explore the notion of boundaries or parameters about how I view communicating with God. My thinking, as of right now, is to use the Teilhard map (unattributed) against which I show that the notion of boundaries is an integral part of human decision-making. I will outline three different dimensions or principles […]
This might seem to be underwhelming or redundant when talking about who God is NOT. I have a few ideas, gleaned from decades of trying to discover who God is when what I should have been doing is to discover who I am, and, with that information, get a sense of the Sacred. GOD IS […]
Don’t get me wrong, my understanding of who God is or is not depends entirely on me. If I am like a big sponge (like those from Tarpon Springs, Florida), then I have filtered many lessons through my cells and learned many valuable lessons, both uplifting and those I wish I could forget. I share […]
Humans strain to break free of this landlocked, rocky ball of gas and chemicals by reaching out for the stars. I don’t recall who said this (but I did not), but during one of my Lectio Divina meditations, someone asked me why humans would foolishly reach for the stars, and the response was, “Because they […]
A bed in the rehab section of a local nursing home (adult care) is an unlikely place to do my Lectio Divina. Still, there I was, pen in hand, belting out a deeper meaning for the four marks of the Church (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic) and tying all of that into how I think […]
Each moment, I must consciously place myself in the presence of Jesus through Cistercian practices and charism. Most often, I fail, but I rise up only to try again and again. That process is mine. The energy I use to move to a deeper level of my humanity does not come from me. Like gas […]
www.organism.earth uiodg
Sometimes, I confess, I hate this about other humans. Notice, I did not say that I hate people. The behavior of each one of us comes from the assumptions and priorities we assume as meaningful. I doubt that anyone does anything that they think is harmful to themselves. Even the seemingly stark and difficult path […]
Brother Michael Lauteri, O.C.S.O., our Junior Lay Cistercian Moderator at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery (Trappist), taught us many valuable lessons about the contemplative way of life. In particular, I recall him saying, ‘Pray as you can.’ PRAY AS YOU CAN, NOT JUST BECAUSE IT IS IN YOUR SCHEDULE Some of my observations […]
Some time ago (I used to remember when), I struck up a conversation with a young lady while getting a Starbucks Grande. I asked her what her religion was, because she had on a Notre Dame jacket. She replied to me, “I don’t belong to any organized religion,” smiling that grin that comes from one […]
The Catholic Church is not for everyone. Here are some reasons you don’t want to become a Catholic. Find another system of belief. The Catholic Church asks you to abandon all for Christ. uiodg
The language of God is silence; the language of contemplative practice (Trappist) is silence, solitude, work, prayer, and community. My energy for the silence I need to wait for God to respond comes from God. I must learn to speak God’s language (not any earthly language). Words are important in communication with God because Christ, […]
My Catholic Faith is a way of life that stresses my constant need to be vigilant in the face of the false promises of fulfillment. From the time of my Baptism (September 29, 1940) at the Old Cathedral in Vincennes, Indiana, God accepted me as an adopted son (daughter). For the remainder of my life, […]
A “Catholic” way to look at reality is the template Jesus left those of us between the Ascension (Pentecost) up to, and including me and you as individuals. I am flabbergasted to think that all of this creation, all the complexity and consciousness, exists simply for me. Rather, as one who exists uniquely in all […]
The subject of the existence of God has always intrigued me. Scientific inquiry demands proof that it exists. My own thinking is that God exists, and it is up to me to use the tools Christ gave me to listen with “the ear of the heart.” I try to do that by using Cistercian charisms […]
For those following my disjointed ruminations about my results from practicing Lectio Divina each day, I offer the following advice. I never know what comes from being in the presence of Jesus and asking the Holy Spirit to overshadow me with whatever. I can tell you this: this experience is beyond any pleasure I could […]
One of the challenges of getting older is replacing work or routine with another one, a contemplative one, in my case. I have taken upon myself the spiritual practices of what I have made for myself as it relates to reparation for my past sins, and praying for those who may be in Purgatory. My […]
There is so much fake news, false news, no news, opinions instead of facts, downright deception when using the Internet, that I keep reminding myself that anything is subject to others making a false viewpoint and selling it as the truth. Here are some sources that “Go to the horse’s mouth,” instead of third or […]
The map above is the unattributed view of the makeup of all reality by Teilhard de Chardin. His overview is paramount in any discussion of contemplative practices. By beginning with his meta overview of reality and how contemlative practice has allowed me to begin to be aware of how I fit into the total movement […]
I admit it. I am a reformed Catholic of the Roman Rite who, over ten years ago, wanted to grow deeper in my spirituality, inherited and, I might add, taken for granted for most of my lifetime. It’s like being on an iceberg and suddenly discovering that 90% of it has been hidden from view. […]
I have discovered two ways to peer through a glass darkly and attempt to reach a deeper level of my humanity, and thus, my spirituality. Scriptures tell us that, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.” (Luke 17:21) If this is true, then Hell must also be contained within us, that which is unauthentic to […]
Before I attempt to lay out my latest project, read this: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/message-from-our-lady–akita-japan-5167 This concept of repentance for the sins of others, and mostly my own, is my new challenge until I die. Repentance for sin is about making up for those sins that have caused God pain (Yes, I know God does not feel pain […]
Back when I was stationed in Evansville, Indiana, as a high school teacher of religion, one of my students raised an important query, which, at the time, I dismissed as the mutterings of a disenchanted youth. Now, as I can throw a stone and hit 85 years of age, that question keeps popping up. Simply […]
Try this practice once a day for seven days. Sit alone in the upper room of your inner self and think about this saying: One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Just let the thoughts come naturally. uiodg
Father,I abandon myself into your hands;Do with me what you will.Whatever you may do, I thank you:I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me,and in all your creatures –I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul:I offer it to you […]
Sexuality is one of those topics that I grew up with but never understood in terms of how and why it is so crucial to who I am and how it helps me grow into the deepest part of what it means to be human. In the next three blogs, I will share my ideas […]
Try this on for ten days. Read Chapter 4 of St. Benedict’s Rule. Just read it without any delay or thinking too much about it. https://christdesert.org/rule-of-st-benedict/chapter-4-the-tools-for-good-works/ Take your time with this next vitamin. Read Chapter 4 for 30 days, unbroken, any time during the day, as long as you remember to read Chapter 4. At […]
As I sat on my couch in the upper room of my inner self, trying to slough off those tendencies to control the boundaries of who I think God is, and ultimately who I am, the concept of boundaries crept into my consciousness. That one word, “boundaries,” led to the following observations, which I now […]
It is an annoyance to my prayer each day that I must cleanse my way of meditation to prepare myself to meet Christ. Why can’t I just cut to it and move directly, without reservation, to contemplation? I set all kinds of conditions when I wait before the Lord and prepare to receive whatever. I […]
I have been blessed to have been a Catholic (Roman Rite) since I can remember, but I am not the same Catholic I was way back then (1940). I use the analogy of new wine being placed in new skins and not old ones as my first realization– that Christ makes all things new daily, […]
In the up and down experience of this life (so far), four overarching themes pop out at me, some of which I have commented about in past blogs. But some are still challenges to my thinking. These giant swaths of meaning are like huge, galactic clouds of the unknowing and are there awaiting my seeking […]
Focus on this photo. Level One: What do you see? Physical characteristics only. See what is there physically. This is the physical universe in which we all live. Level Two: What do you see? Mental characteristics only. The Mental universe takes the physical universe to a new level. You ask, “What does this mean?” “All […]
If, like me, you are confined to your home, you miss the Eucharist at Mass and also Eucharistic adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. There is no substitute for being present at Eucharist. The problem is, I can’t be present. Televised Eucharist is good, but not the same. What I do is offer my day or […]
Catholicism, for me, is not something I fit into or must conform my behaviors to, as much as a marvelous set of tools and hints coming down from age to age from Christ as interpreted by those choosing to wear the sign of the cross tattooed on their spirit. I alone am the nexus where […]
I am surprised that some unexpected and unintended products keep cropping up as I get older and simply resign myself to letting go (abandonment) and waiting to hear what Christ has to say to me today, right now. To reach this stage of spirituality, and I reiterate that I speak only for myself, requires effort […]
I have been exposed to many ideologies and “isms” throughout my lifetime. Some, or even bits, of information I have elected to keep as part of the solution of what it means to be human at the deepest level of my awareness, the amalgam of flotsam and jetsam soaked up by my intellect and actualized […]
I have discovered an intriguing yet almost imperceptible fact while watching some YouTube clips about Pope Leo XIV. They purport to give facts about what Pope Leo said about being catholic, and even some of the entanglements of political infighting. However, upon closer inspection, I discovered that these YouTube streaming segments, complete with a picture […]
To solve divisions, factions, hatred, jealousy, envy, pride, try this leadership style to reach the deepest part of what it means to be human, love authentically as a human, and live truths beyond human corruption. Be careful! You may find it works, and then what? chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://bibliotecalibera.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/servant-leader.pdf (Source unattributed)
I write this blog from the perspective of someone 84.5 years old who has been accepted by the Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit (Trappist) as a Professed Lay Cistercian. This is not just who I am but where I find myself in the ongoing search for the deepest part of what it […]
Life is a process, so it stands to reason that, my Lay Cistercian Way is also subject to those same tendencies to live life just a tad before what is happening now. This trend takes much of its direction from the milieu in which I find myself at the moment, and, I might add, changes […]
Lay Cistercian Practices and Charisms I met a man with a very similar appearance and temperament who kept trying to pray as much as possible to become more like Christ and less like himself. The more he prays, he thought, the holier he would become. Thus, the closer he would become to his center (Philippians 2:5). […]
Blessings, Praise, and Honor be unto Him that sits upon the Throne, Forever and Forever. May we all wait in the presence of the Lord until He comes again in glory. We are each different in how we approach our Lay Cistercian lives, but one in Christ Jesus. Christmas is not just a season, like […]
One thing is for sure: if you get too close to the edge of time, you may fall off. Granted that I am just a bit peculiar and have not lost it (entirely), I would like to share with you some seemingly disjointed ideas or fragments of thoughts that may not seem connected together but […]
Everything is in motion. Look around you. Use your Catholic Common Sense to see what it is and realize that humanity grows each moment towards something. I don’t mean in a straight line, but more as the fulfillment of what our natures are meant to be. Time is such a quixotic concept, an idea that […]
Often, I receive Lectio Divina meditation thoughts that seem unorganized and not linked to anything I had processed before. Like I did, you must think against these ideas to form your own conclusions and meaning. The photo above is of Martin Buber, Jewish philosopher and author of the I-Thou and I-It approach to reality, which […]
I am not in the habit of using foul language, although I have been known to throw out the occasional SH*T to describe some failing of mine. My topic that I feel compelled to share with you is the noticeable increase in the use of the word F**K in movies of all kinds and on […]
MY CHURCH IS LIKE A FIVE-STORY BUILDING, EACH FLOOR HAVING FOUR QUADRANTS OR ROOMS If I build a church in my image and likeness, subject to the whims of my emotional self for self-gratification, the results might not have anything to do with Christ. It helps me to take one of those plans from Christ’s […]
Building a Catholic Church for me is no easy feat. I must make sure I have solid ground on which to erect a new temple of the Holy Spirit, one which the Lord has made in His Image and Likeness, not mine. That is a conscious and deliberate choice. Your Catholicism will not be the […]
In trying to decide which ideology best suits my way of viewing reality, Democratic, Republican, or Independent parties, the notion of my Catholicism comes wafting through the murky party platforms offered to me by existing political parties. For example, I take the bulk of my views about what is accurate from the not-so-perfect heritage of […]
Before you rush to judgment by thinking that I am some form of spiritual Sado-Masochist, let me assure you I am only referring to myself. The harsh statement that seems to be so self-deprecating is, in fact, the result of asking the Holy Spirit and Christ (my two Advocates), what they saw when they looked […]
The problem with conversio morae (moving forward from old wineskins to new ones) is that it takes work. Some think that Baptism gives you a free pass to Heaven with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross guaranteeing salvation. This approach, while part of me wishes it to be true, runs afoul of what my experiences with […]
Having examined how I view reality (which may or may not be the way you see things), I have almost by chance discovered the door of my life, which contains six locks. Very late in life, when I first romanced the notion of Lectio Divina as a defining approach to listening to God with “the […]
Like the practice of medicine, spirituality is all about profound silence, solitude, work, and prayer in the context of a larger community of believers. As of this past three years, I have abandoned my human goal of meeting performance criteria and milestones, such as saying the Liturgy of the Hours, doing meditations in Lectio Divina, […]
It is one thing to be a Catholic Anarchist and wipe clean all notions of those beliefs that irritate me and those that I find personally objectionable, but quite another to restore my landscape with something better. My image and likeness, what I am as a result of my choices to be fully human as […]
If you have read my other two blogs, you will know I am perusing the notion of an Institutional Church or organized religion. In all candor, I only have two choices, the existing institutional church, which has ties going back to Jesus, or an unorganized religion, with ties that begin (and end) with me. The […]
This blog is part of chain-Lectio Divina meditations prompted by my most recent gathering of the Lay Cistercians of Our Lady of the Holy Cross Monastery (Trappist) in Conyers, Georgia. It is the second in a series of three meditations downloaded to me by the Holy Spirit. I don’t know how else to say it. […]
This blog is from my past Lectio Divina meditations on why the Catholic Church is a mystery and seeming contradiction, but one worth exploring its complexities rather than a cursory abandonment because of one or two issues you may have with it. THE CORRUPTIBILITY OF THE SPIRIT: The ambiguity of human nature. How is it […]
I have morphed my approach to Lectio Divina over the years, growing deeper without noticing it. For example, the typical states of Lection I learned as a novice Lay Cistercian (and believe me I am still a Novice Lay Cistercian), were: a. lectio — reading a short passage from Scripture and then reading it over […]
I should have known better, but I did it anyway. My latest Lectio Divina was one hour ago, sitting in the dentist’s chair, waiting for her to come in to start drilling. As always, I begin with Philippians 2:5 (“Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus”). Sitting there, my thoughts drifted back to last […]
A REVIEW OF MY COIN COLLECTION FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT If you think I have it all together, know that I am reviewing the coin parables mainly because I forget what they were, and it helps me refocus on The Christ Principle. I use these coins as examples of the help that Christ has given […]
Again, this blog is about my interpretations of what heaven must be like (for me). Is it really what heaven is like? No. This is the stab in the dark by a grizzly, old, grumpy Lay Cistercian based on a Lectio Divina he had recently (actually multiple ones). Is it true? I hope so. Heaven […]
With the advent of the process of electing our next President of the United States, I offer my opinion on the process of election in light of President Joe Biden stepping down as a candidate for the Democratic Party. The Vice President, Kamela Harris, is assumed to be the next nominee to head the Democratic […]
As my life experiences are at the end of their usefulness to my humanity, I have noticed several cross-cutting themes that are always present but not always acted upon. My Lay Cistercian Way has allowed me to possess a profound focus on three of them, which I use to vet all my concepts and ideas. […]
Let’s recap. I have three innate longings that plague my unconsciousness, and I am anxious to resolve them. They are: a. What is that next level of my humanity that keeps pulling me towards a resolution of my next level of evolution? b. How can I love fiercely with all my mind, heart, and will? […]
In past episodes, I have explained how my reasoning is centered around my ability to reason freely and choose what is best for my three innate yearnings: What does being fully human at that next level mean? How can I love using my next level of humanity as energy to become what my nature naturally […]
Inexorably linked with the notion of a template through which all reality seems to fit together, at least in a preliminary sense, is the ability of the human species to choose what they think is good for them. What differentiates us from other living species is that we can control nature within the limits of […]
In my book, The Three Rules of the Spiritual Universe, I try to set down (for myself) what I have observed about spirituality, using my unique set of experiences. “I am not you; you are not me; God is not us; and we, most certainly, are not God.” To discover anything about God, I must […]
In my last blog, I talked about what I have discovered to place in that lock to open myself to the deepest part of my humanity, one which natural evolution alone can only take me so far. I offer you little mosaic glimpses of my thinking over sixty years of ups and downs in my […]
I find it very disconcerting that, as I come to the end of my human existence, I only now discover some of the missing pieces that would have made all of this so simple had I had them in my wheelhouse forty years ago. But, because I only garnered a fleeting piece of the truth […]
In the last segment, I related how human reasoning and the ability of each individual to choose what seems best for them differentiates us from all other life forms. Life is the condition that allows organisms to move, noticeably gaining in complexity and consciousness, given the parameters of time as a succession of movements gathered […]
Here is the second piece of glass mosaic that takes a lifetime of trial and error to settle on what quells the dissonance of my humanity in finding an answer to the three innate questions imprinted on my being and possibly all humans (not animals). Only humans are capable of knowing the longings of the […]
While transversing the quicksand of daily living, I have stumbled upon (another word for my research) the more fundamental tendencies of the human mind and heart to satisfy my hunger for three questions that plague my deepest self, and I suspect, others longings as well. For me, there are three archetypal questions at the core […]
Every now and then (at least once a week), I delve into the whimsical world of clever sayings. In past blogs, I have offered you some sayings from Marcus Aurelius, Stephen Hawking, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. I will continue to do that since these quotes often come from my Lectio Divina […]
Reality exists independent of my belief, yet I depend on my humanity to probe and discern how IT ALL FITS TOGETHER. It does, I am sure of that, and I even get glimpses of how this cobweb of seemingly unrelated happenings in my life not only fits together but what it all means about the […]
Boundaries are taken for granted, so much so that they are often hidden in plain sight. My life is composed of those limitations that I set, plus, to a great degree, those set for me by circumstances over which I have no control. I can reason and know that I know, plus I have the […]
As I look out at what is going on in the transactions of human events around me, doing so with my unique set of skills peculiar to me (you have your own set), I can’t help but think that human beings are adrift in a sea of casuistry and rationalism, picking up the behavioral flavor […]
Try as I might, I can’t rid myself of the wish I made to the Holy Spirit about ten years ago when, in a fit of haughtiness and exuberance, I bragged to the same Holy Spirit, whom I had considered a friend and now equal, that I wanted to know a fraction of what that […]
I know; I am undoubtedly the only one with such esoteric thoughts. I must ask for your indulgence because these questions come from pondering the three innate but unresolved issues each human faces that may or may not be answered. The three innate questions or longings of the human heart are: What follows is what […]
This blog is part of a series about The Mystic Hero, the absolute cutting edge of my humanity, as it confronts and then slices through each NOW moment to carve out what is meaningful to me or is to be sloughed off and relegated to the dustbin of PAST experiences that do not lead me […]
In one of my more esoteric moments, when I try to wiggle past all the experiences and knowledge I have gained in a lifetime of trying to push through the limits of what I think my mental capacity is, like an astrophysicist who strains to see that last patch of something beyond what others have […]
How do I know Christ lives in me and is not some fantasy of my imagination? If I make up my blogs and books about my Lectio Divina experiences of being in the presence of the Holy Spirit and just listen with the “ear of my heart,” isn’t that all made up by me? Yes, […]
Good as humans are, original sin is the condition into which I am born, the imperfection of having to figure out what is right and wrong (knowledge of the tree of good and evil in Genesis 2-3), and the strength to be able to resist the allure of the pull of my animality into devolution. […]
There is nothing as deflating to being human as to realize that you have been duped by the very organizational thought processes you harbored and assumed were true. As an observer of reality around me, particularly as it pertains to the Catholic Church, I find myself challenged, not by the actual core doctrine (Nicene Creed) […]
For a novice, Lay Cistercian, such as myself, moving as I have down the tumultuous labyrinth of what is good or bad for me, the term “Conversio Morae” is at the center of my every conscious moment. Along with the companion habit, “Capacitas Dei,” of growing each day from my false self to my true […]
This is a reposting of a previous blog. It is substantially long for a blog because it is a chapter from my book, The Christ Principle. I add it here because of its importance to my reflections about my humanity. This is a very long and complicated Lectio Divina. I have never done this type […]
I can remember the Sun slicing through the gigantic, three-foot-thick, sandstone window openings of our Second Theology class in Sacramental Theology on the first floor of the Major Theology section at Saint Meinrad School of Theology. At the blackboard was the late Father Aiden Kavanaugh, O.S.B., writing down the words, “Mrs. Murphy,” on the blackboard. […]
NB: This is a long blog because I made the mistake of telling the Holy Spirit to hit me with more than my consciousness could assimilate. I thought I was a big boy. I now know that I am a Toddler. “That in all things, may God be glorified.” –St. Benedict I recommend reading this […]
I am not the same person as a Lay Cistercian, as I was when I began that incredible journey from what I considered myself to be a reasonably pious Catholic to what I am now. As St. Benedict rightly writes in his RB 4:42-43, “If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, […]
I have often read the phrase, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” In my twenties, full of vim, vigor, and myself, I read and promptly sloughed off this passage from John 14 as “read and just as quickly forgotten.” Like almost all Scriptures I read then, I was more preoccupied with reading […]
What follows is my list of resources of heresies of the Church beginning with the Apostles. I trust you to do the homework and make your own conclusions. I remember reading a Micky Spillane novel in my near teenage years entitled, “I, the Jury.” I remember it being a bit too spicy for my age […]
When I observe the rich virtual and technological wonders of shared communication on the Internet and Television, I am reminded of the saying, “Caveat Emptor,” let the buyer beware. All communication always has assumptions and an underlying purpose for exposure on the airways. Advertisers, the inconvenient distraction to most things I watch, want you to […]
There are few more controversial and problematic concepts than the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as both God and Human in expiation for the dissonance caused by humanity’s choices that lead to a failure to reach our destiny as designed by nature. Each year, the Catholic Church, conscious of its need for collective and individual mercy, […]
(Excerpted from a book I am putting together on The Christ Principle, entitled, “CHRIST AS MYSTIC HERO: A Lay Cistercian reflects how Christ is the archetypal hero on humanity’s march to Omega.“) THE SIMPLICITY OF MYTH WITH CHRIST AS MYSTIC HERO Before I embark on a series of reflections on how The Christ Principle gathers […]
In a much wider sense, the analogy of wineskins fits perfectly with what I consider a paradigm change that happens inexorably. The problem is, that we notice it and don’t learn from it, or we don’t learn it and continue to always do what always did so that we always get what we always got. […]
This blog continues my previous comments on original sin (The Genesis Principle), which are my ideas about noise in the physical and mental universes and my continuation of an exploration of the noise of the spiritual universe. Rereading the previous blog on “Original Sin: The Background Noise of Existing as a Human” might be beneficial. […]
Before you get a chance to think that I am an Atheist-phobe, let me pop that balloon. My view of reality states that each human, and especially me, all have an Achilles heel, a blind spot as you look out your car door window at what is behind you, a place you never looked because […]
Way back in 1965, I remember coming out of lunch at the refectory at St. Meinrad College of Liberal Arts in Indiana and making a beeline to the radio to listen to Paul Harvey. Such a compelling voice and good thinking are always timeless and of value. Here are a few YouTube clips that still […]
I have always been intrigued by the scientific exploration of our universe. One such incident popped into my Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5) recently. I share with you some of my ideas about the background noise of the universe of matter (the physical universe). The universe of the mind that humans possess has allowed me to […]
What follows is a contemplative practice I am using this Lenten awareness. I try to answer three questions just by reading in the silence and solitude of the upper room of my inner self and listening with the ear of the heart. I share with you what I used to discover 1. What does it […]
What follows are some resources that have helped me appreciate the scope of the complexity and movement of the Catholic Church growing not only forward horizontally but deeper vertically. In my most recent Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5), I reflected on my Lay Cistercian vocation to die to myself each day and consciously convert my life […]
If Lectio Divina is the Lay Cistercian practice I use to place myself in the presence of Christ, then invoke the Holy Spirit to flood me with God’s energy, as I can assimilate it (capacitas dei), then the technique I use is one I devised called “The one word Lectio Divina technique.” Quite simply, it […]
Hell is one of those hot topics noone wants to handle. I thought I was immune to that thinking but the Holy Spirit has a way of making me humble, even when I shy away from confronting it. I was thinking of Lent and how the sign of the cross is made on my forehead […]
This part of my Lectio Divina has to do with my usual core statement (Philippians 2:5), “Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus,” which I say repeatedly in the upper room of my inner self. This time my wheel of consciousness stopped at a concept I had used extensively in my past life (whenever […]
An alternative title might have been, “Spiritual Weightlifting Exercises to increase stamina.” I do these three exercises from time to time and share them for what they are worth to you. They are worth “more than many sparrows” to me. I. STRENGTHEN YOUR SUSTAINABILITY TO FOCUS ON CHRIST Instructions: This is an exercise where you […]
Last night, or early this morning, my Lectio Divina was about the most terrifying words of Old or New Testaments. Words are important to humans for communicating. Words are not to be trifled with. As Aristotle says in his book of aZswqq, “Trifles are not trifling.” That being said, these next three sets of words evoke […]
One of the most essential parts of my Lay Cistercian Way is growing (capacitas dei) and growing by doing penance to move from my false self to my true self as an adopted son (daughter) of the Father. It all sounds so theoretical. They are sterile and no more important than words in the phone […]
I challenge you to find out the answers to these questions. No trick questions or answers here. I used this methodology in my Lectio Divina to probe deeper into my faith. Most of my life. I just wanted someone to do the hard lifting for me and all I had to do was say, “Thanks.” […]
As I read my scientific inquiry colleagues, science is the only permanent stability in a world of rationalism and opinions, as good as they might be. While theories and theorems are valid, they are only so until theoretical physicists discover new ones, which is all the time. Scriptures would say that it is not only […]
Sometimes, I forget what my Lectio Divina thoughts presented to me, only to be dumbfounded that they seem to “pop up” later in the most unauspicious times and places. I might be in the bathroom and I get an impulse or virtual image. This is not important, but it is interesting to how my mind […]
I remember watching the movie, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and listening to Tim Curry sing the song “Anticipation.” God gives me crazy thoughts from the most unlikely places. In this case, I was mesmerized by how Tim Curry sang the song, dressed as a transvestite of all things. Well, this notion of anticipation surfaced again […]
I still remember those cherished hardbound books from the Library of Literary Masterpieces that I suddenly discovered in Middle School. In those early years, especially when I was sick and in bed, for many long hours, I read classics, such as Charles Lamb’s Dissertation on a Roast Pig, Treasure Island, Gulliver’s Travels, and The Most […]
So much of what makes humanity human has to do with the ability to reason beyond the mere limitations of our nature. This has to do with choice, the most defining of human characteristics. This choice of what to do or not informs who we become, and what we take into our inner selves to […]
Having completed my first iteration of contemplative tools that I use to probe ever deeper into vertical contemplative practices, I found there are a few more techniques that have been helpful. The tools for good works are found in Chapter 4 of the Rule of St. Benedict. These five and now ten techniques are unique […]
Here are some quotes from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a founder of the Cistercian Way. Taken in whole from AZ Quotes.com.
I am not only a man of constant sorrows, I must constantly forage into virgin territory with which I am unfamiliar or have never entered before. That is how I describe my Lectio Divina these days. I know that my Lectio is, and always will be,, the phrase in Philippians 2:5, “Have in you the […]
This website entitled Sensus Fidelium is jammed with great, short examples of those who have gone before us with the sign of peace. I offer this for you as a resource.
A Lay Cistercian reflects on spiritual reality with the totality of his life experiences. As I mature in my daily attempts (and failures) to keep a profound focus on the most enigmatic and illusive concept in my Lectio Divina, I use all the tricks in the book. To be honest, I only have one trick, […]
Have you been following the machinations of all the wars? The ineffectual United Nations condemns Israel for the genocide of the Palestinians while the Russians systematically fire rockets at civilians with not a peep from anyone. Hypocrisy? In today’s market of competing power struggles, it is normative, not aberration. It is no wonder that, when […]
Each year, I have made a New Year’s resolution, and my resolve lasts about two days. Mostly, it is about losing weight. Good intentions, poor execution on my part. This yearly ritual has lulled me into an insensitivity to the importance of making and keeping what I choose to do to better myself. In all […]
All words are symbols our brain translates into something meaningful if we know the language. The meaning of words, their assumptions, and nuances might differ slightly for each individual because of the accumulated experiences each of us brings to our purpose in life. I am not you; you are not me; God is not us, […]
As I look back on my life, which is a very long look, I usually reflect on what is good and try to forget all those times (the majority of my life) when I made a fool out of myself or was outright full of myself. To list all those faults and failures would take […]
(Sent to Lay Cistercians of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery (Trappist). Conyers, Ga. www.trappist.net May the Grace and Peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Our meeting on Tuesday is about our Lay Cistercian theme: Gratitude, but with a slight twist. I am sharing with you some ideas that we […]
It is not often that I am completely dumbfounded by a discovery I make about the Catholic Church, one that uses Scripture as mentioned by those men and women of the early Church to “come to believe” that the words of Christ are alive and dynamic. (John 20:30-31) A “must have” resource of mine is […]
Here is a blizzard of confused ideas about what, I have no idea, but they were part of my Lectio Divina. You tell me. When I look out over the YouTube universe, especially those wonderful Walking Korea tours, and see the tragic Philippines slums or India slums walking tours, and realize that God loves each […]
This installment is the second in a series about my thoughts on a)objective and subjective truth in the corruption of matter and mind and b)my observations and comments about what is real as it relates to original sin. Here are my thoughts about how all humans are subject to intelligent progression, which includes moving not […]
Sometimes it is spooky what the Holy Spirit dangles in my consciousness for me to spar with as a cat does with a feather. This blog is about something that I thought of today. It comes about as I reflect on my life, almost all of which has been a failure from the world’s viewpoint. […]
Here are some early thoughts on this controversial statement. Salvation Outside the Church IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH “Be not deceived, my brethren: If anyone follows a maker of schism [i.e., is a schismatic], he does not inherit the kingdom of God; if anyone walks in strange doctrine [i.e., is a heretic], he has no part in […]
I don’t want to leave you with the impression that I actually know or have met the legendary Seymour Bernstein. I would never consider myself lucky enough to have a normal conversation with him. Mr. Bernstein is a gifted master teacher of classical music. I, on the other hand, am just a broken-down, old Lay […]
Thanksgiving or Gratitude Day is coming up when we sit down together with loved ones and share a meal as a sign that we appreciate what God, society, our heritage, our religion, and our family have done for us. It is a moveable secular feast that tries to codify, as do all secular celebrations, a […]
In this most recent Lectio Divina (Philippians 2:5), my thoughts wandered to the power of a single word. Five such words came to mind amid the myriad of possibilities. I will offer you my reflections on this, and you draw your own conclusions. THE WORD OF CREATION: YES!. — St. John’s Gospel begins with a […]
Here are some ideas that flashed through my mind this morning at 2:10 a.m. Don’t ask! In one way or another, I have either coined these sayings myself or, more likely, picked them up from other sources during my lifetime. I offer them without commentary. A (*) indicates it might have come from me. Peace […]
As I sit here and reflect on Philippians 2:5 for my Lectio Divina meditation, my mind turns to Jesus and the love he must have had for all humans to become corruptible humans. Love is at the center of what Jesus is about. Humans are so predictable in their thinking. They are lazy in their […]
While ruminating through the vast array of my life experiences, one came to mind. I share it with you because not only do I like it but also because you might like it. You be the judge. I have had to blow off a lot of dust to clean up this event, but I believe […]
I approach this topic of “What does reality look like?” with some hesitation because I am venturing out of my wheelhouse and comfort zone. I have, for the past three or four years, ventured into realms of thinking that are not normal to my particular life experiences. My hesitation comes from the conclusions towards which […]
All seems lost, when I look at the total ridiculousness of both Democrat and Republican parties at all levels of government. Having a political party and its platform (which no one ever uses) as a basis for my morality is like walking on Jello or peanut butter. Both parties seem to love the smell of […]
Every so often, I come across some URLs that I find astonishingly helpful in crafting my reading agenda within and without the corpus of spiritual works. I offer these to you for your consideration. RESOURCES FOR THE CRITICAL THINKER Here are my favorites that I use on a regular basis for inspiration, formation, and transformation […]
As I reach 83 years of age, I reflect on what has happened to me and how I have grasped the meaning of life with the life experience I have chosen in my wheelhouse. It’s not a pretty picture, looking back. As far as my existence as a citizen of the world, living in only […]
This blog may be my shortest one, but it is certainly not the highest. Watch this one. www.organism.earth.
Christ is, and always will be the new wine in my life each day. I have a choice to be an old skin or make the inconvenient switch to that of a new skin. In terms of my Lay Cistercian Way, I think of this as dying to self each day to rise to the […]
I find myself on this Wednesday thinking about how humans cannot know who God is (with human reasoning and knowledge). The fact that I am sitting here thinking about a topic that is so obscure that there is a good chance no one on earth is thinking about it at the same time as I […]
As I understand it, “universalism” means that everyone has an idea and no one can say another idea is better than yours, so everything is relative. “Nihilism,” in its modern cloak of invisibility, is that profound belief that all an individual has to do is follow their heart and life is fulfilled as nature intended. […]
Faith is the divine energy, grace, that only comes from the divine nature. We can share in this pure energy only because Christ became one of us and mediates that energy as we can absorb it. No one can look in the face of God and live. I like to think of it as frying […]
Whenever I think about heaven, there are many scenarios that come to mind. I make the following statements based on what I have learned about what is real and what is fool’s gold. When you make a statement about the word, HEAVEN, for example, your perceptions will be informed by your assumptions and your assumptions […]
We don’t make our nature when we are born, but our nature does make us who we are. As a human being, I can know that I know. Having the ability to reason seems to be hampered by my freedom to choose what my reason tells me is true. In this sense, each human is […]
I always take the easy path when I look at my choices and how I behave in most situations. In the movie about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Dumbledore frames a life lesson to Harry with this dilemma. He states that we can take the easy way or the right way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASqHWwMlKSs […]
While humans like to think we are in control of our surroundings, strangely, we do control our personal space in our unique lifespan because of our ability to say YES or NO to any choices presented to us. My latest Lectio Divina has to do with the inevitability of our surroundings outside of our control, […]
This Lectio Divina is about making choices and their consequences. Free will is one of the hallmarks of being human, something that animals don’t have. Animals must obey the laws of their nature as animals. Humans have reason and freedom to choose even what will make them sick in terms of their fulfillment as human […]
It is hard to imagine a more conflicted and convoluted life than Saint Charles de Foucauld, Martyr. Yet, he is indeed one to whom I look for inspiration in my journey from my false self to my true self as an adopted son (daughter) of the Father and heir to what fulfills my humanity as […]
I agree with St. Thomas Aquinas that the human mind cannot know who God is with human concepts. Divinity and Humanity are separated not only by concepts but also by the tools needed for humans to process and make sense of what they receive. “Quidquid recepitur ad modum recipientis recepitur” is what I remember, “Whatever […]
As early as last year, I can remember my Lectio Divina experiences as deepening into something over which I do not control. Before that time, I selected a set time for Lectio (which I still do) and followed the four (five) step method of lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio (and actio). As I have grown deeper […]
I have always been intrigued by the statement, “The wages of sin are death.” For some reason, I think about this topic whenever political or societal news comes online through my YouTube streaming. I offer you my thoughts about the topic of why society seems to be going to Hell in a handbasket and nobody […]
I can’t think of a more esoteric subject to write about than time. It seems we have all of it there is but don’t really know how it fits into the physical universe, much less how it impacts the spiritual reality. Time is invisible, it does not matter nor does it control it but seems […]
My Lectio Divina today (Phil 2:5) was on how blessed I am to be blessed by Christ in what I do. St. Benedict says that in all things, we should glorify God. I asked myself, what things? The list is too long to recount here. If you turn to the very end of John’s Gospel, […]
Posted on July 9, 2018 by thecenterforcontemplativepractice Like the boy who called wolf, many of the values we hold today are so commonplace that we don’t even realize they have special significance. Divorce is one of those happenings that has become so routine that it does not carry any negative consequences. Everyone does it, just like everyone […]
Posted on July 9, 2018 by thecenterforcontemplativepractice Like the boy who called wolf, many of the values we hold today are so commonplace that we don’t even realize they have special significance. Divorce is one of those happenings that has become so routine that it does not carry any negative consequences. Everyone does it, just like everyone […]
In so many ways, my life is like making a fine wine. Let me count the ways. uiodg
Over the past twenty years, I have had the practice of doing penance for my sins. Doing penance for my past sins goes way back in the Old Testament. It is the Yom Kippur of Jewish festivals. Once forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, sins are no more, but there is a catch. There is […]
Prayer is focusing the mind and heart on God and abandoning self-interests as much as possible. Thanks to this website, https://saintlawrencemartyr.org/basic-catholic-prayers, they have arranged what I wanted to share with you, so I will use them as a resource. If you want to practice service to those who are in need, share this site and […]
There is no more unlikely pick as the first Pope than St. Peter. Flawed to a degree that we can only imagine, Christ picked the lowest of the low to be the highest of the high. Here are some opinions of writers around the time of Christ who wrote about this strange selection (not election) […]
As in Scientific thought, there are two basic approaches I can take when looking at a systematic way to view reality. My tools are The six questions and answers of The Divine Equation, The Church as a mother who guides and nourishes me with the grace of the Holy Spirit (Seven Sacraments), plus, in my […]
Just as the Holy Spirit is not hostage to one Church or even nationality, the world’s wisdom is also more than that contained in the Scriptures. The wisdom that is authentic comes from God through people of various faiths and dispositions. Humans who are moving towards their authentic intelligent progression exhibit Truth, Wisdom, Peace, Love, […]
