Download or read book Answering the Contemplative Call written by Carl McColman and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mystical path is not some sort of static experience for the select few, says Carl McColman, rather, it is a living tradition, a rich and many-layered dimension of spirituality that is in large measure a quest to find the mysteries at the heart of the universe, paradoxically nestled within the heart of your own soul. McColman first introduced readers to Christianity's lost mystical roots in his popular book, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism. Now McColman is back with Answering the Contemplative Call, to show readers how to apply the riches of the mystical tradition to daily living. McColman quotes from the great mystics of the Christian tradition who have also traveled this path, including Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, Evelyn Underhill and more. In Answering the Contemplative Call, McColman offers a practice that will help readers come to a place meaning and purpose in their lives.
Download or read book Answering the Contemplative Call written by Carl McColman and published by Broadleaf Books. This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Answering the Contemplative Call, Carl McColman shows readers how to apply the riches of the mystical tradition to daily living. Quoting the great mystics of the Christian tradition who have also traveled this path, McColman offers a practice that will help readers come to a place meaning and purpose in their lives.
Download or read book Befriending Silence written by Carl McColman and published by Ave Maria Press. This book was released on 2015-11-20 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2016 Georgia Author of the Year: Inspirational-religious books. Respected speaker, author, and Patheos blogger Carl McColman introduces Cistercian spirituality as "the hidden jewel of the Church," presenting a surprisingly contemporary path grounded in monastic tradition. This accessible and comprehensive guide highlights a unique focus on simplicity, living close to the earth, and contemplative prayer, all of which make Cistercian spirituality relevant today. Steeped in chant and silence, grounded in down-to-earth work and service, and immersed in the mystical wisdom of teachers ancient (Bernard of Clairvaux) and modern (Thomas Merton), Cistercian spirituality's beautifully humble path has for centuries made monasteries places of rest, retreat, and renewal. Now, Carl McColman offers the first practical introduction to this ancient, contemplative spirituality for all people. Hailed by reviewers of his many books as playful, and profound, McColman draws on his experience as a lay Cistercian to provide insight into the relevance of the tradition to contemporary issues and spiritual practice. He explains how silence, simplicity, stability, stewardship of the earth, contemplation, ongoing conversion, and devotion to Mary combine to offer a rich and unique path to discipleship and intimacy with God.
Download or read book The Big Book of Christian Mysticism written by Carl McColman and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In popular usage, "mysticism" typically refers to New Age or Eastern forms of spirituality. However, the mystical tradition is also an important component of the Christian tradition. At its heart--and much like its expression in other faith traditions--Christian mysticism is an ancient practice that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for personal enlightenment, and the experience of Divine presence. This volume is a comprehensive introduction and guide to Christian mysticism. It is a big book about a big possibility: the hope of achieving real, blissful, experiential unison with God. Among the topics covered here are a general introduction to mysticism, the Bible and mysticism, the history and types of Christian mysticism, biographical sketches of leading Christian mystics, and practical instructions about practicing mysticism today. This is a breathtaking work that explores a form of spirituality that has changed lives over the course of 2,000 years. Learning about Christian mysticism and how it has been articulated through the centuries will prove inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of the faith tradition. "The mystic is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of mytic." --William McNamara
Download or read book The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism written by Carl McColman and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2023-08-29 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revised and expanded edition offers a big possibility: the hope of achieving real, experiential union with God. "The Christian of the future will be a mystic—or will not exist." This word of warning from theologian Karl Rahner was uttered half a century ago, and today, Christianity is indeed in crisis. Is mysticism necessary for the survival of Christianity? What exactly is Christian mysticism? How can it be relevant in our crisis-ridden world? Questions like these inspire The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, a newly updated edition from beloved spiritual teacher and bestselling author Carl McColman. The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism serves as both introduction and practical instruction for a living contemplative practice today. In addition to the overview of mysticism, spiritual and prayer practices in mysticism, the various types of mysticism in Christian tradition, and influential mystics through the millennia, this second edition offers an embodied understanding of the mystic life with a more diverse range of voices and perspectives, from Howard Thurman to Pauli Murray. It also includes new chapters and themes that address embodied mysticism, contemplation and social justice, and the ongoing relevance of Jesus's message of radical equality and inclusivity. This bigger book introduces both Christians and non-Christians to the contemplative tradition within Christianity, a tradition that has often been marginalized or cloistered (to the church's detriment). As a practice-oriented book, this is an invitation to embrace the mystical element within Christianity—a practice that can equip faithful persons with a joyful sense of divine intimacy, not just for personal benefit but as a foundation to a life of service and activism in the interest of justice. McColman's overview of mysticism shows how it has been practiced and lived through the centuries and will prove inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of their faith tradition. At its heart, Christian mysticism is an ancient practice that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for enlightenment, the thirst for a better world, and the experience of divine presence.
Download or read book The Monk Within written by Beverly Lanzetta and published by . This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Monk Within is written for the person seeking a deeper, contemplative orientation to daily life. Yearning for inner realization of divine wisdom, this "new monk" draws on four interlocking themes: embodied spirituality; the mystical path of the feminine; the archetype of the monk; and the interdependence of the world's wisdom traditions.
Download or read book Christian Mystics written by Carl McColman and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages celebrates the many types of mystics, visionaries, wisdom keepers, and non-dualists whose spiritual insight and perceptive teachings have illuminated the Christian tradition for the past two thousand years. Looking at 108 mystics from Biblical times to the present day, this user-friendly guide shows how the spiritual masters of the western tradition provide a variety of paths into the transforming heart of God. Everyone needs teachers and companions to guide and nurture us in developing rich interior lives -- as we seek to respond to the beatifying, deifying love of God. The mystics, whose legacy includes sublime poetry, fascinating autobiographies, and potentially life-changing teachings, can help anyone find greater love, purpose, and a deeper sense of God's presence. But the mystics are not a uniform bunch, which is why this book is such an essential guide to their lives, wisdom, and essential teachings. Carl McColman, author of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, organizes the mystics into nine categories: visionaries, confessors, lovers, poets, saints, heretics, wisdom keepers, soul-friends, and unitives. By profiling twelve examples of great mystics and spiritual teachers in each category, the book can help you to learn more about the mystics, and identify those whose writings will be most valuable to you as you pursue your own adventure of falling ever more deeply in love with God.All of the most famous Christian mystics are profiled here: figures like Teresa of çvila, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, and anonymous masters like the authors of classics like The Cloud of Unknowing or The Way of a Pilgrim. But the book also will introduce you to many lesser known (but truly wonderful) mystical geniuses, such as Beatrice of Nazareth, Gregory of Narek, and Coventry Patmore. Nor does the book shy away from living (or recently living) mystics: visionaries such as Howard Thurman, Sara Grant, Kenneth Leech, and Bruno Barnhart are all included.This informative volume will appeal to those who buy religious reference books and anyone interested in Christian mysticism or western spirituality. But it's more than just a history book or an encyclopedia: Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages is a curated celebration of western spiritual wisdom, making it accessible for all seekers today.
Download or read book What Is Contemplation written by Thomas Merton and published by Ravenio Books. This book was released on 1978 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are so many Christians who do not appreciate the magnificent dignity of their vocation to sanctity, to the knowledge, love and service of God. There are so many Christians who do not realize what possibilities God has placed in the life of Christian perfection — what possibilities for joy in the knowledge and love of Him. There are so many Christians who have practically no idea of the immense love of God for them, and of the power of that Love to do them good, to bring them happiness. Why do we think of the gift of contemplation, infused contemplation, mystical prayer, as something essentially strange and esoteric reserved for a small class of almost unnatural beings and prohibited to everyone else? It is perhaps because we have forgotten that contemplation is the work of the Holy Ghost acting on our souls through His gifts of Wisdom and Understanding with special intensity to increase and perfect our love for Him. These gifts are part of the normal equipment of Christian sanctity. They are given to all in Baptism, and if they are given it is presumably because God wants them to be developed. Their development will always remain the free gift of God and it is true that His wise Providence sees fit to develop them less in some saints than in others. But it is also true that God often measures His gifts by our desire to receive them, and by our cooperation with His grace, and the Holy Spirit will not waste any of His gifts on people who have little or no interest in them.
Download or read book Answering God s Call written by Barbara Lee and published by Loyola Press. This book was released on 2021-06-24 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: God’s call for us doesn’t end when we retire. In fact, many of our biblical saints were in their later years before God called them to the adventures for which we know them: leadership, new life, transformation, healing. Their lives demonstrate that true callings are discerned not simply through reason and circumstance but also through self-knowledge and conversation with God. In Answering God's Call, spiritual director Barbara Lee uses Scripture-focused prayer to help readers connect with some of our elder saints and consider what God reveals to us through their lives. We will spend time with Anna and Abram, Simon’s mother-in-law and Namaan the Syrian, a widow, a leper, a king, and a late-in-life mother-to-be, among others, who will open for us the calls to trust humility stillness forgiveness service radical change letting go choosing caregiving courage... Dare to receive what your life is now—and ask God how to live it best.
Download or read book The Little Book of Christian Mysticism written by Carl McColman and published by Hampton Roads Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With over 300 quotations, this book invites the reader to delve into the writings of the great contemplatives and mystics of the past two thousand years. The Little Book of Christian Mysticism provides a user-friendly, insightful, and potentially life-changing introduction to the essential teachings of the greatest mystics in the western wisdom traditions, past and present, including Francis of Assisi, Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas Merton, Evelyn Underhill, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Julian of Norwich. Readers can use this book to initiate themselves into this visionary and ecstatic spiritual lineage, and they can also use it as a book of daily meditations. Small enough to fit in one's pocket or handbag, this is truly a user-friendly introduction to this venerable body of wisdom.
Download or read book Be Still written by Jane E. Vennard and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2000-06-01 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many people long for a deeper relationship with God, yearning for silence in a noisy world and a respite from busyness. Written for lay and ordained leaders who wish to bring the gift of space and silence to members who feel called to the contemplative journey, the book introduces the purpose of retreats, provides a theological and biblical understanding of the model, and offers guidance for designing and leading these gatherings. Sample retreats, a design for home retreats, and suggested resources are included.
Download or read book New Seeds of Contemplation written by Thomas Merton and published by New Directions Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The much-beloved and most widely read of Mertons works, "New Seeds of Contemplation" covers a diverse range of subjects including faith, spiritual wonder, "the night of the senses," and renunciation.
Download or read book Lectio Divina The Sacred Art written by Christine Valters Paintner and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-27 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Break open this ancient contemplative practice of listening deeply for God's voice in sacred texts. Drawing on her own experience as a monk in the world, Christine Valters Paintner introduces the foundations for a practice of lectio divina. She closely examines each of the four movements of lectio divina as well as the rhythm they create when practiced as a process.
Download or read book Centering Prayers written by Peter Traben Haas and published by Paraclete Press. This book was released on 2013-12-01 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Centering Prayers is a collection of inspired prayers crafted as brief preludes or postludes to periods of personal, contemplative prayer. Each radiates God’s love. Tailored for the seasons and months of the year, they integrate a spiritual theology with certain mystical depth. You will want to read them slowly and pray them quietly, one day at a time. "In Daily Companion, Peter Haas offers intimate prayers that rest on the deep rooted tradition of his faith. His vulnerability and longing lead you to your own journey. His fearless asking: Strengthen me in love. Draw me into your life, draw you to deeper places. He acknowledges, You are the shadow that crosses near in the silence of prayer. Praying these prayers with Haas becomes a daily chant reminiscent of those in monasteries the world over, kneeling in prayer in the silent hours before dawn." Paula D'Arcy Author of Gift of the Red Bird, Waking Up to This Day
Download or read book Contemplative Prayer at Work in Our Lives written by Geoff Colvin and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-05-24 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While many practicing Christians are relatively satisfied with their prayer life, others are not. The latter often find their prayer practice has dried up. Their traditional forms of prayer at churches have become routine and empty. In a very real sense, there is a void in their spiritual lives. They want a deeper union with God yet experience an unsettling estrangement with their current pathway in prayer. In Contemplative Prayer at Work in Our Lives, Geoff Colvin draws on his own experiences, studies of spiritual literature, and participation in retreats and meditation groups, to unravel the challenging practice of contemplative prayer, a unique form of meditation involving very few words in silence and stillness. Contemplative prayer centers on the fundamental belief that God dwells not only in the world at large but also at the center of our being. This book offers Christians an approach for understanding contemplative prayer followed by hands-on detail for developing and sustaining a practice that hopefully leads to a richer and fuller spiritual journey to union with God.
Download or read book The Complete Idiot s Guide to Paganism written by Carl Mccolman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-04-01 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You’re no idiot, of course. But finding the perfect expression of your spirituality can prove long and challenging. You might already be attracted to paganism, but considering the variety of traditions and paths that fall in this category, you’ll need a spiritual guide. Seek no further! Whether you’re interested in following the pagan path or just curious to know more, The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Paganism will enlighten you on this fascinating array of nature-based beliefs and practices. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you’ll learn about: • The basic principles of shamanism, druidism, Wicca, and more. • How to deepen your connection to the Goddess, the God, and nature. • The fundamentals of meditation, magic, divination, and spiritual healing. • Tips on incorporating pagan rituals into your modern lifestyle.
Download or read book Eternal Heart written by MCCOLMAN and published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers. This book was released on 2021 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The heart is where the human soul and God meet. This is what teachings from Scripture and the mystics reveal: the heart is the temple of God within us and within the heart we hold the power to live a truly divine life. But how do we harness the tremendous love the heart is capable of generating? In Eternal Heart, Carl McColman, author of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, invites us to create an optimistic, visionary, and imaginative path to personal happiness and fulfillment. Weaving together teachings from the biblical tradition, literature of the mystics, and Buddhism, McColman engages us in profound, practical exercises for cultivating fuller, more abundant, and more satisfying lives. The path of Christian Mysticism is a path of action. By unlocking the mysteries in our hearts, we discover a source of power deep within us: a power for spiritual growth, and for creating meaningful relationships and working together to change the world for the better.
