Yearly Archives: 2017

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Faithfulness: The Difference Spiritual Direction Can Make

Faithfulness: The Difference Spiritual Direction Can Make

Peter Watkins began to learn faithfulness through his first experience with a spiritual director thirty years ago. Today he is himself a spiritual director and tells the story of the difference those conversations made in his life. Faithfulness The Difference Spiritual Direction Can Make I had never heard of spiritual direction until I joined the…
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Companions for the Journey

Companions for the Journey

Companions for the Journey Inward There is a great paradox in navigating the spiritual path. It has been said by sages throughout history that the spiritual journey is a do-it-yourself project. No one, not even the wisest teacher, can walk the path for us.  The best they can do is point us in the right…
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Spiritual Direction: What Are You Talking About?

Spiritual Direction: What Are You Talking About?

What is Spiritual Direction Anyway? At its core, spiritual direction is “companionship in your ever-deepening relationship with God.” You have likely had other similar companions (pastors, mentors, soul friends). These kinds of relationships, whether formal or informal, are essential to our lives. Personally, what I look for in a spiritual is someone who is trustworthy and intentional. She or he does not have to be a pastor or professional, but I do want a companion who is trained to approach spiritual direction in a way that helps me pay better attention to how the Spirit is working in my life.
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Practicing Sustained Lectio Divina

Practicing Sustained Lectio Divina

This reflection about sustained lectio divina is excerpted from Dr. Kathleen Cahalan's keynote lecture at the Benedictine Center on 27 Oct 2017, "Today This Scripture Is Fulfilled in Your Hearing." Click here for the full transcript, including a demonstration of lectio using the Gospel of Luke. Dr. Cahalan is professor of practical theology at Saint…
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Writing from the Center | The Journey of a Poem

Writing from the Center | The Journey of a Poem

PHOTO CREDIT: A local man helps a Syrian refugee swimming exhaustedly from a dinghy to a Lesbos beach, Sept. 17, 2015. Yannis Behrakis / Reuters Writing From the Center Writing from the Center is a new feature in the Benedictine Center's regular eBulletin.  For nearly ten years we have been convening writers to explore how…
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Wholehearted Living as the Lamed Vav

Wholehearted Living as the Lamed Vav

This reflection is one fruit of the "Great Conversation" series at the Benedictine Center. Diane Millis facilitated a discussion based on the question "What Am I Learning About Wholehearted Living" and invites you, too, to consider this important question. Those Willing to Serve and Save the World 36. According to Jewish mystics, that’s the number…
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Dr. Barbara Sutton: The 2017-2018 Visiting Scholar

Dr. Barbara Sutton: The 2017-2018 Visiting Scholar

Dr. Barbara Sutton was interviewed by Victor Klimoski, a member of the Benedictine Center Advisory Council a frequent presenter, and a long-time collaborator with Sutton. A listing of Sutton's 2017-2018 events appears at bottom. Dr. Barbara Sutton, Director of Ministerial Formation and Field Education and a member of the faculty  at Saint John’s School of…
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What Discernment Means to Me

Two questions have plagued me over the years: How does one bring God into the process of making decisions, and how does one know if a thought is appropriate? As a Benedictine Oblate, I knew of the Benedictine Center’s School of Discernment but did not immediately make the connection that the school, conducted by Dr.…
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My Life with Psalm 139

My Life with Psalm 139

I had the great blessing of attending both the Schools of Discernment and Lectio Divina at the Benedictine Center. I entered into each School not sure of what I might experience, but open to divine guidance. Both times the text that seemed to choose me was Psalm 139:1-16. As I engaged the psalm then and…
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Lectio Divina and Preferring Christ: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 3 of 3)

Lectio Divina and Preferring Christ: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 3 of 3)

Sustaining lectio divina and preferring nothing whatsoever to Christ anchor the Benedictine school of spirituality. Sustaining Lectio Divina The School of Lectio Divina is at the heart of the Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery’s attempt to share the riches of Benedictine spirituality. The core conviction is that praying the Scriptures is allowing the Word…
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