Tag Archives: Contemplation
Thisness: Weekly Summary
Thisness Summary: Sunday, March 18-Friday, March 23, 2018 Each creature is not merely one member of a genus and species, but a unique aspect of the infinite Mystery of God. God is continuously choosing each created thing specifically to exist, moment by moment. (Sunday) Without truly seeing and valuing individual lives, war and violence become… Continue Reading Thisness: Weekly Summary
Irreplaceable “Thisness”
Thisness Irreplaceable “Thisness” Sunday, March 18, 2018 Each mortal thing does one thing and the same; Deals out that being indoors each one dwells; Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells, Crying what I do is me: for that I came. —Gerard Manley Hopkins [1] Franciscan philosopher-theologian Blessed John Duns Scotus (1266-1308) taught extensively on… Continue Reading Irreplaceable “Thisness”
Nature as a Mirror of God
The Natural World: Week 2 Nature as a Mirror of God Monday, March 12, 2018 Long ago, St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), named a Doctor of the Church in 2012, communicated creation spirituality through music, art, poetry, medicine, gardening, and reflections on nature. She wrote in her famous book, Scivias: You understand so little of what… Continue Reading Nature as a Mirror of God
Participating in Creation
Evolution Participating in Creation Thursday, March 1, 2018 In her book, God’s Ecstasy: The Creation of a Self-Creating World, the little- known but outstanding theologian Beatrice Bruteau (1930-2014) makes some excellent points about why contemplatives ought to embrace evolution: People who identify themselves as contemplatives may shy away from science for a number of reasons.… Continue Reading Participating in Creation
Evolutionary Thinking
Evolution Evolutionary Thinking Wednesday, February 28, 2018 The debate about evolution took center stage in the United States during the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial (The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes). With typical dualistic thinking, science was simplistically pitted against religion, and people took one side or the other, with little clarification of… Continue Reading Evolutionary Thinking
Contemplative Consciousness: Weekly Summary
Contemplative Consciousness Summary: Sunday, January 7-Friday, January 12, 2018 We must discover and accept what unique part of the divine mystery is ours to reflect. The most courageous thing we will ever do is to bear humbly the mystery of our own reality, to trust our divine image and grow in God’s likeness. (Sunday) Contemplation… Continue Reading Contemplative Consciousness: Weekly Summary
Learning to See
Contemplative Consciousness Learning to See Wednesday, January 10, 2017 If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to [us] as it is, infinite. —William Blake [1] Contemplation is about seeing, but a kind of seeing that is much more than mere looking because it also includes recognizing and thus appreciating. The contemplative… Continue Reading Learning to See
The Second Gaze
Contemplative Consciousness The Second Gaze Sunday, January 7, 2018 Contemplation helps us to actually experience our experiences so that they can become transformational. Contemplation exposes our small self so that we can be open to our Big Self, which many of us call “God.” This week we will explore what the contemplative mind is and… Continue Reading The Second Gaze
Introduction: Image and Likeness: Weekly Summary
Introduction: Image and Likeness Summary: Sunday, December 31, 2017-Friday, January 5, 2018 Epiphany The “image” described in Genesis refers to our eternal essence in God which cannot be increased or decreased. “Likeness” refers to our personal and unique embodiment of that inner divine image. It is our gradual realization of this gift. (Sunday) My goal in the… Continue Reading Introduction: Image and Likeness: Weekly Summary
Living in the Now: Weekly Summary
Living in the Now Summary: Sunday, November 19-Friday, November 24, 2017 Of all the things I have learned and taught over the years, I can think of nothing that could be of more help to you than living in the now. (Sunday) I could tell you that God is not elsewhere and heaven is not… Continue Reading Living in the Now: Weekly Summary
