Tag: prayer
Stay in the boat, ride it out
People will often tell me how frustrating it is for them to pray. I understand of course. Some days the inner world is like a placid lake, on other days it is like a storm on the Red Sea. Yet all we need do is stay in the boat and ride it out. Sometimes Jesus… Read More ›
Inner silence (I still struggle with it)
The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance—Faustina’s diary 477 (e) ++++++++++ There is a great deal written about inner silence. Silence is important, to be able to quiet the mind which… Read More ›
Living out of our true image and likeness
“Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father, walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace. That peace which is… Read More ›
Passing of Our Holy Father Benedict
The same year in which he departed this life, he told the day of his holy death to his monks, some of which did live daily with him, and some dwelt far off, willing those that were present to keep it secret, and telling them that were absent by what token they should know that… Read More ›
George Washington: Let me live according to those holy rules …
O most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving father, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins, but so coldly and carelessly, that my prayers are become my sin and stand… Read More ›
The ‘Eternal Moment”
“Pray for all centuries, all peoples, all sinners” (16 January 1941–Para 3) He and I –Pauline Press In all religious traditions there is a sense of connection that deepens if what one professes is lived out from the heart. For Christians there can be a healthy sense of sin, in that it brings to mind… Read More ›
A prayer flowing from a place of deep humility and obedience
Yesterday (2/6/16) I had the honor of talking with those who are beginning their journey as ‘Lay Cistercians’ of our order. We talked about the ‘Rule of St. Benedict”, focusing on obedience and humility. I shared some of my own struggles with these topics in living out my own monastic life. There is never an… Read More ›
Are Your Decisions Born of Fear or Love?
Do we choose the conceited illusion of control, or do we trust in God? Recently, I spent time talking to a man who seems to exist in a permanent state of rage about everything — headlines, the Church, the pope, the presidential campaigns — and it seemed to me that the taproot of all of… Read More ›
The “O” Antiphons
The Roman Church has been singing the “O” Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as… Read More ›
Do Souls in Purgatory Return from the Dead?
We don’t hear a lot about purgatory these days, and that’s a shame, because most of us will be very lucky to slip in there rather than dropping straight into hell. And lest anyone complain that God is mean or judgmental in sending people to hell, it is well to remember that it’s entirely our… Read More ›