Tag Archives: Contemplation

Images of God: Weekly Summary

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on December 4, 2021

Images of God Saturday, December 4, 2021 Week Forty-Eight Summary and Practice Sunday, November 28—Friday, December 3, 2021 Sunday There is an absolute connection between how we see God and how we see ourselves and the universe. —Richard Rohr Monday Our DNA is divine, and the divine indwelling is never earned by any behavior or… Continue Reading Images of God: Weekly Summary

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged CONSPIRE, God, image, Intimacy, Love, practice, seeing, Trinity

Inner Authority

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on November 21, 2021

Carl Jung Inner Authority Sunday, November 21, 2021 Father Richard often credits the Swiss psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) as one of his primary teachers, who greatly influenced his understanding of the human psyche, religion, and theology. I first read Jung’s work in college, and again and again he would offer concepts that I knew… Continue Reading Inner Authority

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged authority, awareness, Carl Gustav Jung, God, honesty, trust

Practicing Awareness

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on November 11, 2021

Christianity and Buddhism Practicing Awareness Thursday, November 11, 2021 Father Richard offers his understanding of how Christian contemplation and Buddhist meditation share a common goal. Both seek to de-center the thinking mind to allow a deeper experience of truth, love, and compassion to emerge: The word Buddha means “I am awake.” Jesus told us in… Continue Reading Practicing Awareness

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged awareness, Buddhism, consciousness, focus, meditation, Mind

Contemplation Creates Compassion

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on September 26, 2021

Compassion Contemplation Creates Compassion Sunday, September 26, 2021 A practice of contemplation is one of the surest ways to develop the virtue of compassion—for both ourselves and others. Father Richard speaks to how this loving gaze is developed between ourselves and God. Much of the early work of contemplation is discovering a way to observe… Continue Reading Contemplation Creates Compassion

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged acceptance, Compassion, God, Grace, Matthew Fox, Mercy

Simple Trust in God’s Presence

Written by Cynthia Bourgeault on September 3, 2021

Living Inside God’s Great Story Simple Trust in God’s Presence Friday, September 3, 2021 Living School emeritus teacher Cynthia Bourgeault shares how her early exposure to a simple form of quiet prayer impacted her spiritual journey. “Prayer is talking to God”: with these words nearly all of us receive our first religious instruction. Certainly I… Continue Reading Simple Trust in God’s Presence

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged anecdote, Cynthia Bourgeault, God, listening, prayer, Quaker, story, trust

The Artistry of the Blues

Written by Barbara Holmes on August 17, 2021

Finding God in the Arts The Artistry of the Blues Tuesday, August 17, 2021 My friend Barbara Holmes describes the creation of blues music as an act of radical critique that can bring its listeners into a contemplative and holy space, far closer to God than we might be otherwise: Some sacred spaces bear none… Continue Reading The Artistry of the Blues

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged art, Barbara Holmes, critique, God, music, spirituality

Crisis Contemplation

Written by Barbara Holmes on July 26, 2021

Crisis Contemplation Crisis Contemplation Monday, July 26, 2021 CAC faculty member Barbara Holmes brilliantly teaches about contemplation but not in the way we typically think about it. She understands contemplation as the soul’s arising even in the midst of the most challenging crises humanity faces. Her new book Crisis Contemplation describes how this is the… Continue Reading Crisis Contemplation

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged Barbara Holmes, crisis, crisis contemplation, Disruption, God, renewal, response

Doorways to Christian Contemplation: Weekly Summary

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on July 17, 2021

Doorways to Christian Contemplation Saturday, July 17, 2021 Week Twenty-Eight Summary and Practice Sunday, July 11—Friday, July 16, 2021 Sunday The diverse methods of contemplation are the many varied, fruitful, and life-giving practices and ways of praying that are nourished from the same root—the Sacred Presence. Monday Jesus said, “Judge not and you shall not… Continue Reading Doorways to Christian Contemplation: Weekly Summary

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged desire, Gospel, imagination, Jesus, Margaret Silf, meditation, practice, prayer, response

A Superior Lens

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on July 16, 2021

Doorways to Christian Contemplation A Superior Lens Friday, July 16, 2021 Today the unnecessary suffering on this earth is great for people who could have “known better” and should have been taught better by their religions. In the West, religion became preoccupied with telling people what to know more than how to know, telling people… Continue Reading A Superior Lens

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged change, focus, Heart, Mind, prayer, reflection, seeing

Practicing the Presence of God

Written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on July 15, 2021

Doorways to Christian Contemplation Practicing the Presence of God Thursday, July 15, 2021 Prayer is the orientation of all the attention of which the soul is capable toward God. —Simone Weil, Waiting for God One of the simplest methods of contemplation is “to practice the presence of God” as described by Brother Lawrence (1614–1691), a… Continue Reading Practicing the Presence of God

Posted in Daily Meditations | Also tagged attention, Brother Lawrence, focus, prayer, Presence, present, Zen