In July, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Constitution on women’s contemplative life, called Vultum Dei quarere. Although aimed at orders of cloistered women religious, this document can also teach lay people how to enter into a more authentic relationship with Christ. Vultum Dei quarere is Latin for “Seeking the Face of God.” The phrase comes from Psalm …
Meditations on Vultum Dei quaerere for lay people Read More »
Since starting my new website Is Centering Prayer Catholic?, I’ve been pondering why certain errors about prayer are so common. I think I’ve hit on a root misunderstanding that’s at the bottom of many of these errors: ignoring the distinction between the natural and the supernatural in prayer. The Catechism quotes St. John Damascene in …
Guest post by Jessica Fahy of At His Feet. Praying for our children is important. And praying with our children is important too. Yet, if they are not taught how to pray, they may either fall away from the faith as they grow older or, if they don’t, they will sit in spiritual mediocrity and lukewarmness. As …
5 ways to cultivate a love for prayer in children Read More »
Guest Post by Dr. Peter Howard Healthy families lead to solid vocations and a stronger and more fruitful sacramental life of the Church, which is its life-blood. If we want to know the needs of the Church, we need to know the needs of the family. And the greatest need of the human …
Moving from Monotony to Magnificent: Three Ways You Can Inspire a More Prayerful Family Read More »
I’d like to return to pondering the spirituality of St. John of the Cross, looking at the themes found in The Ascent of Mt. Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul. Let’s begin considering detachment. What does John mean by detachment? I see two common errors concerning detachment. The first views detachment as nearly impossible …
So, you have set aside a certain time every day to converse with God. You are reading short passages of Scripture as a basis for your conversation. You recognize that dryness is a normal part of prayer that even the saints experience. Meditation on Sacred Scripture is just the beginning. God has much more in …