Tag Archives: metaphor
The Temple Within
When we open the door and go inside, God is there in the temple of our soul. Continue Reading The Temple Within
An Appreciation for Art
Finding God in the Arts An Appreciation for Art Sunday, August 15, 2021 I’ve always loved beauty and art. When I was on the road and I would have an afternoon off after a conference, I would almost always go to the local art museum. It was a contemplative practice and something I could do… Continue Reading An Appreciation for Art
Offering Your Whole Self
Doorways to Christian Contemplation Offering Your Whole Self Wednesday, July 14, 2021 “The Lord your God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole mind, your whole soul, and your whole strength.” (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27) Beatrice Bruteau (1930–2014), one of the… Continue Reading Offering Your Whole Self
A Tree of Life
Doorways to Christian Contemplation A Tree of Life Sunday, July 11, 2021 Anyone familiar with my writing knows that I believe that immediate, unmediated contact with the moment is the clearest path to divine union. Naked, undefended, and nondual presence has the best chance of encountering the Real Presence. I approach the theme of contemplation… Continue Reading A Tree of Life
Stirring the Imagination, Shaking the Unconscious
Apocalyptic Hope Stirring the Imagination, Shaking the Unconscious Wednesday, April 28, 2021 Let’s further distinguish the character of apocalyptic literature from prophetic literature in the Bible. Since the Western mind is literal and analytic, it usually misunderstood both types of literature. We viewed apocalypse as threatening and prophecy as foretelling, and our understanding of both… Continue Reading Stirring the Imagination, Shaking the Unconscious
The Great Chain of Being
Nature, Cosmos, and Connection The Great Chain of Being Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Francis would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of “brother” or “sister,” because he knew they shared with him the same beginning. —Bonaventure, The Life of Blessed Francis I would like to reclaim an ancient, evolving, and very Franciscan… Continue Reading The Great Chain of Being
The Kingdom as Consciousness
Jesus and the Reign of God The Kingdom as Consciousness Wednesday, November 18, 2020 In his letter to the Philippians, Paul offers a puzzling injunction to the new Christians. He writes, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ” (2:5). CAC faculty member Cynthia Bourgeault explores how developing this kind of… Continue Reading The Kingdom as Consciousness
A Poetic Legacy
Thomas Keating: The Secret Embrace, Part One A Poetic Legacy Monday, October 19, 2020 Can the Creator of all lure poetry out of a stone? Or cause a stirring of Divine Love in a human heart? All is possible for the Creator of all, Who loves to manifest the impossible In endless configurations. —Thomas Keating,… Continue Reading A Poetic Legacy
The Wisdom Within
Order, Disorder, Reorder: Part Three The Wisdom Within Tuesday, August 25, 2020 Author Valarie Kaur is a Sikh activist and civil rights lawyer who writes about social change through the metaphor of childbirth—both acts of “revolutionary love.” In her words I find a powerful description of contemplation and action, of how we endure the pain… Continue Reading The Wisdom Within
Only Emptiness Is Prepared for Fullness
Trinity: Part Two Only Emptiness Is Prepared for Fullness Sunday, May 12, 2019 In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus: His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself. —Philippians 2:5-7 Could this first stanza from one of the earliest hymns of the… Continue Reading Only Emptiness Is Prepared for Fullness