The other day, I posted this tweet: The Desert Father Abbot Pastor said, "Any trial whatever that comes to you can be conquered by silence." — Carl McColman (@CarlMcColman) July…
Category: Contemplation
Mystery of the Missing Silence
To you, silence is praise, O God in Zion: and unto You shall the vow be fulfilled. ~ Psalm 65; Stone/Artscroll Translation Everyone knows that nuances and shades of meaning…
Thoughts are to Contemplative Silence like a Monstrance is to the Host
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines contemplation like this: A form of wordless prayer in which mind and heart focus on God’s greatness and goodness in affective, loving adoration;…
Instructions on Prayer from a Trappist Monk
“I’m speechless,” remarked Brother Elias Marechal, OCSO, after a congregation of several hundred young evangelicals vigorously applauded his visit to their worship service last month. But then he quipped, “We don’t talk in…
Who's Your Favorite Christian Mystic?
I’m happy to announce that my latest book — Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages — has been published. The first printing has been delivered to my publisher’s warehouse, and…
John Cassian: The Leap Year Contemplative
February 29 is the feast day of St. John Cassian — who, in addition to being a “leap year saint” is also one of the most important early contemplatives in…
Books and a Film: All About Silence
I would love to attend the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin next month — if for no other reason than to be at the North American premiere of the…
My Wonderful Book Covers
As an author (especially as a spiritual author), I always have to walk a fine line: the nature of marketing means I need to be promoting my books, but the nature of humility…
How Saint Benedict Can Help Us Grow Spiritually
How can the wisdom of the monastery help folks like you and me — who are not monks or nuns — to grow spiritually? To answer that question, we can…
What to Say to the Nay-Sayers: Talking About Contemplation With Its Critics
If you are active in a church or other faith community, and you are drawn to (or practicing) silent prayer, if you talk about it with others you will likely,…
Desert Island Discs (and DVDs)
If you were stranded on a desert island, what music would you want to accompany you? The BBC has a long-running program called Desert Island Discs which began airing in 1942 and…
What Do Contemplatives Want?
First a disclaimer about my headline. I’m answering this question (What do contemplatives want?) based on the results from my 2015 readers’ poll. If you aren’t interested in the survey results, scroll…