Who can stay awake in this night of God? Who will not be as if paralyzed by it? Jesus' friends were protected from its terrors by a profound sleep. Luke, the doctor, and other witnesses speak of a "bloody sweat" which fell on the ground from the wakeful, imploring...
Advent is like the hush in a theatre just before the curtain rises. It is like the hazy ring around the winter moon that means the coming of snow which will turn the night to silver.
The dawn is an awakening to a deepening realization of who we really are in and with God and the world, and of what has been going on within us in the night. Always, and most important, the dawn is an awakening in love. Contemplatives of all traditions agree on one...
Prayer is first and foremost the active presence of the Holy Spirit in our personal and communal lives. Through the disciplines of solitude and community we try to remove—slowly, gently, yet persistently—the many obstacles which prevent us from listening to God’s...
All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. Creation has a pattern of wisdom; and we dare not shield ourselves from it, or we literally will lose our soul. We can obey commandments, believe doctrines, and attend church services all our lives and still...
Each year, as winter takes hold and covers our days with its silent wonder, we are called to reflection. As the shadows grow longer and the nights deepen, we gather in our chapels of faith seeking [comfort and assurance from God]. We light our candles…we sing our...