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Tag Archives: solitude

Engaged Contemplation

The contemplative life is not, and cannot be, a mere withdrawal. Continue Reading Engaged Contemplation

Self-Emptying: Weekly Summary

Self-Emptying Saturday, December 19, 2020 Summary: Sunday, December 13—Friday, December 18, 2020 In our consumer culture, even religion and spirituality have very often become a matter of addition: earning points with God, attaining enlightenment, producing moral behavior. Yet authentic spirituality is much more about letting go. (Sunday) In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus struggled and… Continue Reading Self-Emptying: Weekly Summary

Joy and Sadness: A Lesson from Merton’s Hermitage

Thomas Merton: Contemplation and Action Joy and Sadness: A Lesson from Merton’s Hermitage Sunday, November 22, 2020 In 1985 my Franciscan “guardians” (as Francis called our superiors) gave me a year’s leave to spend in contemplation. It was a major turning point in my life, and ultimately led to the formation of the Center for… Continue Reading Joy and Sadness: A Lesson from Merton’s Hermitage

The World Carried Inside

Action and Contemplation: Part Three The World Carried Inside
 Thursday, January 23, 2020  When so much of our world is focused on making us feel like human “doings” instead of human beings, moving into solitude and silence is both a gift and a burden. Once we have overcome the external pressure to perform, we are left with… Continue Reading The World Carried Inside

A Practical Twofold Process

Action and Contemplation: Part Three A Practical Twofold Process 
 Wednesday, January 22, 2020 As in the early church, the desert Christians were deeply committed to Jesus’ teachings and lived practice. Their chosen solitude and silence were not anti-social but a way to become better at seeing clearly and at loving deeply. Withdrawal was for the sake of… Continue Reading A Practical Twofold Process

The Prayer of Quiet

Action and Contemplation: Part Three The Prayer of Quiet
 Tuesday, January 21, 2020 The Desert Fathers and Mothers withdrew from cities to the desert to live freely, apart from the economic, cultural, and political structure of the Roman Empire. At first, the empire persecuted the church, but in 313 CE, Constantine gave Christianity a privileged status, not out of enlightenment or goodwill but in service of uniformity and… Continue Reading The Prayer of Quiet

Vocation: Weekly Summary

Vocation Summary: Sunday, May 27-Friday, June 1, 2018 Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent. —Parker Palmer (Sunday) As conscious human beings, our life purpose is to be a visible expression of both… Continue Reading Vocation: Weekly Summary

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