It’s common to encounter the quote from the scholastic philosophers that “grace builds on nature,” or “grace perfects nature.” Encountering a correct understanding of this adage is less common. In order to accept the teaching of St. John of the Cross regarding the passive nights of the senses and the spirit, we need to understand …
On September 6, Spain’s Congregation for the Faith published a controversial, but very needed, document on authentic Christian prayer. Echoing the CDF’s On Some Aspects of Christian Meditation — which will be 30 years old in October — they called methods of meditation that stem from Buddhism “incompatible with the faith.” A footnote specifically mentions …
Can we legitimately mix Buddhist or Hindu practices with our Catholicism? Many people claim we can. Buddhist themselves believe anyone can practice meditation. Some Catholics take the same viewpoint. Centering Prayer, mindfulness, Yoga, and more have been introduced at parishes as either harmless for Catholics, a good preparation for Catholic prayer and spirituality, or …
What is the relationship between knowledge and contemplation? How much should we concern ourselves with news events? How can we trust God when bad things happen? I have been meditating on all these questions and more lately, and would like to share my musings with you. Growing in knowledge Centering Prayer advocates such as Fr. …
Recently I wrote a two-part series on Yoga, mindfulness, and Centering Prayer. If you haven’t read that, I suggest you do so now. I will try not to repeat myself here. Why am I addressing mindfulness again so soon? “Catholic mindfulness” is currently being marketed vigorously all over the internet. Readers have forwarded unsolicited emails …
In Part I, we established the difference between being scrupulous or rigid and simply urging caution in areas in which the Church Herself urges caution. Today, we’re going into more detail on Yoga, Centering Prayer, and mindfulness. We’ll see how similar they are to one another in origin, technique, and purpose. We’ll also discuss whether …
Yoga, Centering Prayer, and Mindfulness (Part 2) Read More »