Create something [for Lent]. You don’t even need formal materials for this. Gather what’s near at hand, give thanks for these supplies, and wait for them to present themselves to you in new, combined forms. This kind of prayer allows us to celebrate the goodness of the created world and get a glimpse into the divine imagination...
The MMOC Contemplative Core team invites you to an exploration of the foundations of Christian life:
Living the Trinitarian Life -
A Dance of Love
presented by Deacon Bob Smerek
Join together with Deacon Bob as we examine the meaning of the life of the Trinity, and discuss practical applications of the Trinitarian dynamic for daily living.
Two sessions will be held:
A Lenten "Dance" on March 29, 2025, 10-11:30 AM...
Laura Stephens Reed of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship offers more suggestions for entering into contemplation during Lent:
Move your body. Sometimes I am most amenable to the Spirit’s whisperings when I am moving just enough to quiet my mind. Walking or repetitive motions often ...
Laura Stephens Reed of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship offers these suggestions for entering into contemplation during Lent (and reminds us that the Spirit’s wisdom can be found in many places)!
Pray with your eyes open. Celebrate beauty of all kinds. Ask for God’s help where you see struggle. This prayer could be as you are...
One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. the heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith. –CCC 2710
The role of place and time in contemplative practice is ...
… One makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up [prayer], no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. -CCC 2710
As part of their Daily Meditations, the Center for Action and Contemplation recently shared an excerpt from theologian Beverly Lanzetta’s book Path of the Heart which...
The choice of the time and duration of the prayer [practice] arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. -CCC 2710
Contemplation itself is a pure grace, a gift of God freely and generously given. It may seem...
Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves (Song of Songs 1:7). It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him… -CCC 2709...
Though Catholic and Christiam institutions have gone through periods where contemplative prayer has not been emphasized, contemplation nevertheless forms part of the bedrock of a traditional Catholic understanding of prayer. Consider this excerpt from...
One of the central tenets of Christian spirituality (and indeed much non-Christian spirituality, too) is the necessity of dying to self -- that is, the false self that culture, our own egos, and other people claim us to ...
The New Testament makes roughly 40 references to Jesus praying. Have you ever wondered what the prayer time of Jesus looked like, or considered in what this prayer consisted? Some of these prayers of Jesus were...
Any true mission or vocation must arise from and be anchored in a keen awareness of who we are. Understanding our own belovedness and the particular ways in which we are graced by God ensures that we are undertaking the right mission for the right reasons, and sustains us through the inevitable sacrifices. Moreover, a...
Any “scope” through which we view the Mystery of God is always too narrow, as there will always be some aspect of creation left outside of the scope. The people of ancient Israel occasionally fell into a narrow notion of God, declaring, for instance, thar God had “not dealt thus with other nations, not taught them hi...
In his book Mary Today, Trappist monk M. Basil Pennington, O.S.C.O., reflects on how Mary’s contemplative openness shaped her Divine Motherhood, and how she challenges us to likewise be transformed:
Mary had the courage to be ...
For your reflection and prayer, our Christmas gift to you is the text of this hymn composed by Third Order Franciscan Ted Whitam, sung to the music of “Sussex Caril.” Merry Christmas from the MMOC Contemplative Core Team ([email protected])!
When God’s creation first began,
the planets sing, in orbits go,...
Paul Schulte brings us the final installment in our series of Advent reflections by the MMOC Contemplative Core Team on Pope Francis’s September 5, 2021 Angelus address. If you feel called, read the whole article from Pope Francis at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer and send an email to [email protected] with your thoughts:
Pope Francis presented a reflection in St Pet...
Steve Krieger brings us the third in our series of Advent reflections on Pope Francis’s September 5, 2021 Angelus address. You can read the whole article from Pope Francis at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer:
In light of the Gospel for that day...
This week, Carolyn Hebenstreit looks to the upcoming Advent Season with the first in a series of reflections by the MMOC Contemplative Core Team on Pope Francis’s September 5 2021 Angelus address. A link to the full address can be found on our webpage at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer:
Listening for the Hope of Advent
During the Angelus in September of...
Thanks to assistance from our community members, all are invited to join us in the practice of Centering Prayer!
Third Tuesday of the month beginning
November 19 / 10:30 to 11:30am / Classrooms 1 & 2 at MMOC
Margaret Poirrier will facilitate these sessions. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up using SignupGenius...