Contemplation begins with Wonder.
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Interfaith-Friendly Christianity
Contemplative and mystical spirituality often is comfortable, perhaps even prefers, positive and creative interaction between differing faiths. I think the reason for this is simple: contemplative spirituality tends to cultivate a sense of love and compassion, and looks to find the presence of God in all things.
Teresa of Ávila
One of the most colorful and beloved of mystics comes from sixteenth century Spain: Teresa of Jesus, who was born in Ávila in 1515. She felt that humility and charity are essential virtues that all Christians need to cultivate, but especially so when entering into a serious and intentional life of prayer.
Thomas Merton
Like so many great writers, Merton’s influence and legacy has only grown after his death. Nearly forty years later, most if not all of his books remain in print, and he is widely regarded as the unofficial founder of the Centering Prayer movement as well as of serious interfaith dialogue between contemplatives of different religious traditions.
Lectio Divina
Lectio divina involves reading a passage from the Bible or some other sacred text (such as a work by one of the saints or mystics) as an act of prayer. Rather than a means of gathering information, it is a practice for formation — spiritual formation, in which the reader seeks to be formed by the Spirit of God.
Margery Kempe
Margery Kempe is, without a doubt, medieval England’s most colorful mystic. Martin Thornton, a popular twentieth-century Anglo-Catholic writer, considered Kempe’s book to be more useful to the ordinary Christian than either Julian of Norwich or The Cloud of Unknowing.
The Fruit of the Spirit… and the Fraught Words that Divide Us
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things… if we live by the Spirit,…
Upcoming Events: In New York, Maryland, and Online
Friends, just want to make sure everyone is aware of a few upcoming events I have on the calendar. Join me for a retreat and a book signing in New…
The Relationship Between Meditation, Mysticism and Contemplation
A long-term reader and patron of this blog recently wrote to me this message: Just what is a contemplative person or for that matter tradition? Is a Christian mystic by…
The Pilgrim as Interspiritual Archetype
A little while back I wrote a blog post called “Five Approaches to Interspirituality.” In this post, I compare interspiritual practice to having a relationship with more than one country…
Where to Rest Your Awareness in Centering Prayer
A reader of this blog recently wrote this question to me: I’ve read and listened to Fr. Thomas Keating quite a bit but am still a little confused regarding where…