Dear Father John, in the first part of your book, The Better Part, you mention something about preparing for tomorrow’s meditation the night before. I
At the end of his treatise on contemplation (also known as his treatise On Consideration), Saint Bernard of Clairvaux observes the dimensions of Christian mental
Dear Saint Teresa, I have read a number of books on prayer that advocate methods of suppressing, shutting down, or eliminating thinking altogether during prayer.
MENTAL PRAYER: The form of prayer in which the sentiments expressed are one’s own and not those of another person, and the expression of these
MEDITATION: Reflective prayer. It is that form of mental prayer in which the mind, in God’s presence, thinks about God and divine things. While the
…a reader asks: Dear Father John, I’ve heard that the prayer of simplicity is a kind of a bridge from meditation to contemplation. Can you
Prayer of Simplicity: What is it? (Part I of III) Dear Father John, I’ve heard that the prayer of simplicity is a kind of a
“Behold, I am with you always unto the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20) These last words of the Risen Christ to the Apostles before He
Recently, Dan received an interesting question and after we talked about it, I asked whether I might respond. Here is the question: “Is the terminology
The Cross of Christ brings His glorious grace into the focus of contemplation. It is a difficult mystery to dwell on. The heart sometimes finds
