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Art as Spiritual Practice

Art as Spiritual Practice

©Birth of Christ, Luke Frontispiece, Donald Jackson, 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, © 1993, 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Art…
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My Day with the Sacred Fire

My Day with the Sacred Fire

My Day with the Sacred Fire Forever ago, it seems, I financed my way through seminary with a long stint as a custodian at a religious college. I remember one large meeting where I was pushing my trash cart outside the venue while sensing the vibrancy and boisterous energy inside. It was a tough moment—heartbreaking,…
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The Vision (a poem by Victor Klimoski)

When Obama was first elected, I wrote a poem that tried to capture some of the surge of hope that event occasioned.  Since then, I have returned to the poem in an effort to bring it to its rightful voice.  For reasons unknown, as I thought about the 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and…
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Saturated with Peace: Experiencing Personal Retreat

Saturated with Peace: Experiencing Personal Retreat

Saturated with Peace: Experiencing Personal Retreat I’m not sure what I was seeking over a decade ago, when I signed up for a 24 hour “teacher’s retreat” at St. Paul’s Monastery. It was mid-August, my time to squeeze in one more week of summer’s leisure pace before the craziness of teaching three grade levels in…
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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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