“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God,” Jesus said. But how can we be makers of authentic peace in a world so riven by conflict and violence? Author, priest and long-time meditator, Dr Sarah Bachelard*, considers one of the most urgent questions of our time in the light of a new book, Practicing[1] Peace: Theology, Contemplation, and Action, by Michael Wood.
Doubt, death and the Dark Night - a personal journey
Since childhood, retired Anglican priest Ron Browning OAM has lived with hidden doubts about an afterlife. But two years ago these doubts were brought into sharp focus when he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. His journey into the Dark Night of the Soul has been a journey of naked trust which has brought pain and loss, but also profound insight into how Christ’s mystical love can be a bridge into the next life.
The time for uncommon courage is now, says Joan Chittister
The times are such that they demand that each of us find our inner prophet, says one of the great prophets of our age, Benedictine nun Joan Chittister. In her recent book, The Time is Now – A Call to Uncommon Courage, she quotes the late Jesuit priest and prophet Daniel Berrigan, who spoke out against the Vietnam War: “The prophet is one who speaks the truth to a culture of lies.”
Election campaign underlines the urgent need for contemplative wisdom
As Australia heads towards a federal election on 21 May, I am daily reminded of western culture’s urgent need for a deep wisdom arising out of a contemplative consciousness. During this election campaign, as in previous campaigns, the political discourse has largely been reduced to slogans and sound bites, shaped by advertising/PR agencies and focus groups, and there has been very little discussion of some of the underlying challenges facing Australians, and indeed humanity globally.
Safeguarding the soul in a time of evil
Finding our place of resurrection
As we celebrate Easter day, what meaning does resurrection have for our lives? Dr Cath Connelly, author and co-director of the Living Well Centre for Christian Spirituality* reflects on how the Celtic saints, and in particular St Gobnait, inspired us to have the faith and courage to launch out into the unknown to find our “place of resurrection”: a place where our spirit is most alive, and where our “deepest gladness meets with the world’s greatest hunger”.
Christians called to mirror God in simplicity and joy – Rowan Williams
Christians are called to a life of simplicity because they believe that human beings are made in the image of God, former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams said recently. “That means that as we learn simplicity in our lives we are engaged in rediscovering, re-entering our gifted existence as God’s image,” he said.
Finding hope in the midst of advanced cancer
Standing at the threshold of new and holy ground
Meditation as a ministry of compassion in a time of war
Contemplative consciousness vital for our future
With floods again devastating parts of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, we are seeing yet more evidence of climate change. Apart from war, climate change is the greatest threat to the future of the planet, to which the latest report from the IPCC*, released this week, attests. Long-time Christian meditator Roger Layet* says that if the planet is to have a sustainable future, then human beings must develop a contemplative way of seeing which understands that we are part of nature, not apart from it. Meditation, he says, can help us overcome the illusion of separation from nature and one another, and help us realise our essential oneness.
‘A dark time for the world’ – Laurence Freeman
Laurence Freeman, a Benedictine monk and Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, made the following statement of solidarity with the people of Ukraine on February 24th, and called on meditators worldwide to join him for an online meditation event on March 26th as an expression of their love and support, and for ‘decency and justice in the world order’.
Down from the clouds - letting go of death and ‘rapture’
From the age of five, author Paul Mitchell had a morbid fear of death until, when he was 20, a theology of rapture (that at the end of time the ‘saved’ will fly up into the clouds and meet Jesus ‘in the middle of the air’) and conversion to Christianity allayed his fears. Now, over 30 years later, he finds solace in poetry and contemplative prayer, and through them explores mortality, how to live authentically and in a way that is life-giving.
Unexpected visitor opens the door to connection and wonder
The spirituality of dying – a personal experience
In November 2018, I had the privilege of being with my mother as she approached her last breath. In the week before her death and for a few days afterwards, I experienced one of the most intense spiritual times I have ever known. I felt like I was learning so much about the deeper dimension of life and this critical moment in life, which is physical death, as I watched and interacted with my mother.
A grateful Christian pays tribute to Thich Nhat Hanh
Contemplative mind keeps alive the little flame of hope
Saying ‘yes’ to the mystery amidst all the messiness
But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
What a night! A journey, an arrival, a birth, angels and shepherds, and much, much more. But in the midst of it all, Mary seems to have a contemplative heart; treasuring the words of the angels and the shepherds, and pondering them.