Christian contemplation thrown into the muddy highways of the world : encouragement : experiences : resources
Introduction To close Earth Month, there is a 50-year-old essay that I want to reproduce in its entirety. The reason for this is that I think the text is a precursor to many of the contemplative and eco-spirituality themes of Pope Francis, and it is found in one of the authors he has remarked to …
Continue reading “Aestheticism vs. Contemplation of Beauty: Arturo Paoli and Pope Francis”
Yesterday, Pope Francis met with members of the Discalced Carmelite nuns and superiors who were gathered together with the purpose of revising their Constitutions. The remarks that he made are worth highlighting, at least in part. The Holy Father opens with a concern to “give greater impetus to the contemplative life” lived in the cloister …
Continue reading “Pope Francis’ Remarks on Contemplation to Discalced Carmelite Nuns”
This past week, all the quotes posted to social media (Facebook, Instagram, X) all spoke of the Christian eco-spirituality for Earth Month, starting with a quote about the Annunciation (celebrated on Monday past) and continuing on to the connection between virtue and social justice with contemplation, as well as the virtues of moderation and contemplative …
Continue reading “Contemplation and Action in Earth Month (Quotes Vol. 36)”
The spiritual writers of the Low Countries of the late Middles Ages are famous for their delicate sense of balance, particularly in contrast with some of the questionable writings that were circulated elsewhere in Europe at that time. Among the gems of the mediaeval Benelux, Blessed John of Ruusbroec has a special place in my …
Continue reading “Ruusbroec on the Non-Equilibrium of the Spiritual Life”
On social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X) this past week, the quotes are not exactly from the usual suspects (though they are not unusual around here either), and after an initial exhortation for last week’s Sunday of the Word of God, the overall focus is the efficacy of contemplation for our active life: Every little word Christ …
Continue reading “More Active Life with Contemplation than Without (Quotes Vol. 25)”
Earlier this week, Vatican News ran a story saying that Pope Francis will, this year and in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee, open up a school of prayer: The Pope himself, during this year, they announced, will set up a “School of Prayer.” “This School,” Archbishop Fisichella explained, “will be a series of moments of …
Last month, in the middle of writing my massive project on Marcel Văn and clerical abuse, I got into a brief exchange on X (formerly Twitter). Now, that is often an unwise thing to do. But in this case, I had to address that persistent slander about the Holy Father that I just can’t stand. …
Continue reading “More Catholic than the Pope, More Contemplative than a Carmelite”
The new apostolic exhortation On the Climate Crisis Laudate Deum is not a document about Christian contemplation. Yet one way to read it is as a consolidation of exactly that. All the themes of Pope Francis’ vision of Christian contemplation, in all its main forms, are represented here, and indeed they serve as the summative …
Continue reading “Christian Contemplation Consolidated: A Contemplative Reading of Laudate Deum”
Below are the quotes posted to Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) this past week: The best antidote against this misuse of our common home is contemplation. — Pope Francis Contemplation is like a pump that pulls up water and makes it pass into canals. If contemplation were to entirely cease, hearts would be soon dried up. — Raïssa …
Most Catholics are familiar with seven spiritual and seven corporal works of mercy. Although none of them is an act of contemplation, no small number of them might flow out of our contemplation, particularly of Christ in our neighbour. Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the …
Contemplative in the Mud 