For St. John of the Cross, the mystical path meant living with an all-consuming desire to know and love God, completely and fully, abandoning everything that didn’t move him toward that goal.He believed that God illuminates the individual—who, because of that illumination, then has the desire and power to shed the illusions of this world. These illusions include the messages of the senses, which distort the reality of union with God.In his poem Dark Night, St. John of the Cross extol...

One of the New Testament’s best pieces of advice, written by Saint Paul to help the small community in Thessalonika, was to “pray without ceasing.”Through the centuries since that letter was written, the Church has taken the advice very much to heart, and the result was what we might call the Church’s prayer schedule, sometimes referred to as the daily office (from the Latin officium divinum or divine service), the opus dei (work of God), the liturgy of the hours, or the ...

A farmer once attended a conference on Christian life. The group was asked to consider a moment in life when they had an experience of self-transcendence. The farmer became very interested when he recounted that during the harvest he would stand in a field of wheat and hold a grain of new wheat in his hand. This experience was overwhelming and moved him to tears; but he never told anyone as he didn’t think they would understand. As the farmer continued, he came to realize that up until now...

Often people attempt to launch into prayer without any preparation. Getting ready to pray is like an artist preparing a canvas, stretching and priming it to receive the inspired work of art. God is the artist who stretches and primes our hearts to receive His Word in prayer. Prayer is first of all God’s work in us and secondarily our work of cooperating with his gift. We begin our preparation by examining our attitude toward prayer. Have you ever held your breath under water until you had ...

I have been amazed at how deeply concerned people are about "discovering the will of God." When we are young we want to find out God's plan for us. When we raising a family and pursuing a career, we want to know if we are doing God's will. And in mid-life and beyond we want assurance that we spent our life doing what God had in mind for us when he created us.On this first anniversary of the canonization of Mother Teresa, I thought it would be helpful if we asked Mother Teresa h...

When I receive unexpected devastating news my heart stops, my breathing stops, my mind stops. I turn numb and cold inside and I feel as though I were outside my own body. Nothing can prepare us for such heart-stopping information, particularly about or from those we love. I have stood beside women who have shared with me through tears the news that was breaking their heart. There was no way to make sense of what was happening, of how lives and relationships were being torn apart by decisions mad...

For many of us, icons—religious portraits of people and scenes from Scripture painted on specially prepared wood using prescribed materials and techniques—seem primitive and dark, sad and austere. Yet their tradition is rich, steeped in centuries of a complex and profound spirituality, and to dismiss it is to close the door on one of the most ancient and enduring ways of experiencing God: through the use of icons in prayer.The word “icon” means image, and images are power...

"I, Clare, little plant of our Father Francis..."Most stories of daughters fleeing arranged marriages involve a boyfriend, a trellis, and possibly even a fast horse. Clare Scifi was different:On Palm Sunday Clare, arrayed in all her finery, attended high Mass at the cathedral, but when the others pressed forward to the altar-rail to receive a branch of palm, she remained in her place as if rapt in a dream. All eyes were upon the young girl as the bishop descended from the sanctuary and...

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ancient practice honoring Christ as the Merciful One who is Love. More than just a way of prayer, this devotion is based on the essence of the Gospel: to take on the heart of Jesus so as to live in his love and bring it to others. No matter what stage of spiritual growth you are experiencing, this book can help you grow more deeply in love with Jesus and experience the love of his Sacred Heart in your life.The Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayer Book covers a...

What’s the point of coloring? How does that draw me closer to God?The mindful practice of coloring books specifically for prayer and meditation is something we’ve been talking about here for a while. We’ve looked at how coloring can help you de-stress and take a step back from the busyness of your life. We’ve shown how coloring can play a similar role in your interior life to the ancient practice of walking or following a labyrinth.There’s another practice that the ...