One of our frequent errors in mental prayer (at least it is for me) is to ambitiously attempt to mediate on long passages, intaking great amounts of spiritual insight to take into mental prayer. As a result, we spend so much time reading and thinking about a lot of concepts on a surface level, instead of going deeper with the Lord by meditating on one simple truth. We jump around to a lot of ideas about God, but we don’t get the time to sit with God and let the Holy Spirit start to move these spiritual truths more deeply into our souls and change our hearts. Continue reading
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Learning to Meditate, Part 1: Recognizing the Simply Profound
Developing the habit of mental prayer (Christian meditation) is vital to Catholic or Christian spirituality, but it is also a challenging practice in our fast-paced, modern lives. I personally can say that I have struggled in developing the habit myself. Aside from setting aside the time for mental prayer, there is also the effort it takes for us to push distractions from our mind in the midst of it. We are not alone — most of the great saints of the Church attest to the challenging “work” of mental prayer. We are also not without resources. Aside from the many saints and Doctors of the Church who have taught us about mental prayer, there are many good current formulas and guides to help us develop a rich life of quiet meditation with our Lord. I recently found a wonderfully helpful guide that I am so happy to share: The Practice of Mental Prayer. Continue reading
Conversion Memoir Entry #8: A Living Apologetic…the Domestic Church
I grew up pretty familiar with faith apologetics. That doesn’t mean I was some wiz at it, able to recite Bible verses and creeds off the cuff or reference philosophical proofs for God on demand. But I understood the mandate to “be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). I participated in my share of debate, mock trial, and worldview camps (yes, I was a cool kid), and I learned some principal ways that Christians can defend their faith and make an argument for its truth to others. Continue reading