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Journaling
Journaling is a way of paying attention to our lives from our hearts rather than our judging and accusing intellect and will. In our culture, we have all been trained to use our intellect and will as a way of forcing ourselves into patterns of living. Journaling is a way of letting our person express itself, of tapping into our true self of which God is the source and taking a nurturing, supportive, and unconditionally loving stance toward our experience of ourselves. There are different methods of journaling you can use. There are techniques within each method that can help you get more out of journaling. For more on journaling as a spiritual tool click here.
Focusing Focusing helps us become more present for others by providing a practice through which we become more available to ourselves. This crucial capacity of self-holding is an essential skill for loving relationships and an authentic spiritual life. By holding our own feelings in a gentle, caring way, we stay close to ourselves. We develop equanimity. We are emotionally and spiritually available to respond compassionately and connect with others as we develop this safe refuge within ourselves. For more on focusing as a spiritual tool click here. or check out the focusing institute at http://www.focusing.org/spirituality.html
Meditation Meditation, or Centering Prayer, is a method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence. It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God’s presence and action within. It furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God’s presence. Centering Prayer facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer — verbal, mental or affective prayer — into a receptive prayer of resting in God. It emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God. At the same time, it is a discipline to foster and serve this relationship by a regular, daily practice of prayer. It is Trinitarian in its source, Christ-centered in its focus, and ecclesial in its effects; that is, it builds communities of faith. Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, Lectio Divina, (praying the scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila.. It was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at the Trappist Abbey, St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. For more on meditation as a spiritual tool click here. or check out the Contemplatinve Outreach Ltd. at http://www.centeringprayer.com/ Prayer
The Catholic Catechism defines Prayer as "Prayer is the raising up of our minds and hearts to God, either to praise Him, or to thank Him, or to beg His grace; and therefore it is divided into Prayer of Praise, Prayer of Thanksgiving, and Prayer of Petition." Check out our Helpful Links page for more on Prayer. SCRIPTURE STUDY: THE GOSPEL STORIES OF JESUS AND OUR LIVES The Gospels are filled with stories about Jesus and stories told by Jesus. These stories are meant to draw us into an intimate relationship with Jesus and the God he tells us to call “Father.” For a process that will help you relate to these stories click here. For the Gospels of Advent and a brief Commentary click here. For background on the stories of Jesus and our lives, click here. | |
Pathways
