Frequent. Remember frequent.



Ten tips on how to confess well

The more frequently you try to confess well, the better your confessions will be...

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Being a Franciscan

I'm attracted to the prayer at the heart of this blog post.

My Shield Against Cruelty and Sin

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On prayer

Saying your prayers versus praying your prayers

The average person may pray in a rote manner and not engage their whole self in their prayer. Have you ever noticed, in prayer, just how many levels of though and mental exercise can go on at one time? And a person with OCD or religious scrupulosity often struggles with prayer as sometimes prayer becomes rote in order to crowd out other thoughts and images. It becomes 'magical' in a way, a protection against those other things. Learning to truly pray is a lifetime of work. And it is tiring work for some...

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A really touching article

and a serious prayer need.

Communion on Chemo: I’m still one of those strangers praying for others.

Ashley may not be able to pray for herself, but, as she tells, she has often prayed for many others, and many people, I'm sure, are praying for her. Please offer a prayer to the Lord of life for Ashley...

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A treehouse




A huge, huge, huge tree house!


The World's Biggest Tree House by Horace Burgess

God told him to build it. Yep. And you know, for some reason, as much as I have read, in the years since starting blogging, so many bizarre and weird stories about what God has told people to do, more than anyone else I believe his story. His home is a work of beauty, a construction of faith and a sign to unbelievers, in a sense. And that's what true requests from God are most often, when our feeble faith and faculties acknowledge them, signs that God exists and that God is involved in people's lives in a real way. I like this. God bless you, Mr. Burgess. And I think God already has...

Happy Easter, everyone!

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Amen!

Noisy world is enemy of prayer, says Pope Benedict

I've posted on this so many times that it's almost like the Pope has decided to agree with me!

Thanks Pope Benedict. It's nice to have the Church approve of my opinions now and again...

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Today's Sermon

Prayer as Seeking Depth

Today's Sermon is from our old friend Fr. Ron Rolheiser...

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Well, this is disconcerting

Quebec’s new secular norm: $144 fines for religious worship

Don't plan any prayer meetings in Quebec...

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On the other hand

Pope John Paul II is being fast-tracked towards sainthood...

Pope won't take part in common prayers

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I'm happy

that Dr. Levy recognizes the value of prayer in medicine.

Dr. David Levy: Praying with Patients

I volunteer at a local Catholic hospital (though the distinction between a Catholic hospital and any other hospital is weakening here with our Health Region) and prayer for the patients, along with the Eucharist if they desire it and can partake, has been a regular part of the health system in the hospital since it was built over 100 years ago. And people have seen miracles...

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A short sermon

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Here's the Wikipedia article about it...

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This headline

is something that should likely be promoted in every faith, and not just to seminarians.

IRAN: Key cleric calls for more prayer, less Web surfing

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One person

doesn't like Fr. Rohr.

Fr. Richard Rohr

While I struggle, myself, with the whole Enneagram idea, I do wish people would look at Centering Prayer in more detail (or in ANY detail) before condemning it and labeling it.

The biggest criticism about Centering Prayer is that they say it has a 'mantra' that you say over and over, which makes it like Transcendental Meditation. The truth is, it's not a mantra but what the people who teach it call a 'holy word', that you pick yourself, and it isn't repeated over and over but is only used when you find your mind being distracted or you find thoughts coming into your mind that take your mind's focus off of being open to God. You use it then to re-focus your mind and to once again agree with God to allow yourself to be open to His communicating with you. (When I say this I don't mean hearing His voice or anything, but the idea of letting God's Holy Spirit get in touch with you. Normally God has to clout us over the head to communicate with us. In this case we're actually saying 'please Father, I want to hear you'.) These are two very different things.

But don't tell anyone who believes that it is new age any different. If something was good enough for the Council of Trent, it's good enough for them. For a lot of people there hasn't been a valid new prayer form since the Rosary...

(I remember our pastor telling us one time about a situation in which he had been criticised for a 'new age' prayer. Until he showed the people where it came from in the Divine Office, mind you.)

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A different sort of Sunday post

First, read this article:

A New Challenge

Now, take a few minutes and say a prayer for this good and holy man, that he may be restored to complete health and that the cancer may be totally gone.

I've read Ron's articles for years, but a few years ago, during a two year formation program I was taking part in, he was a guest speaker quite a number of times during the program and I got to know him and had lunch or supper with him numerous times. Yes, he is as intelligent as his writings portray him, but he's also a generous, interesting and interested, kind and thoughtful man. Just the sort of person that we need, and that our Lord needs to do His work on this earth. He can't leave it all up to the angels, after all! So, please pray for his return to complete health and that God bless the specialists and doctors that treat him, that he may be in the best of hands and get the best treatment available.

Of course, ultimately, I know he's in the best of Hands.

Thanks...

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When artists become architects

It's a chapel?

Artist behind inflatable chapel aims to redefine sacred space

I guess it could be called a chapel, inasmuch as any space defined as a sacred space could be called a chapel. I'm glad there's nothing permanent there. I don't think artists are too concerned about building codes...

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A good story

from Fr. Dwight.

Solemn and Sacred Transformations

He's a good and faithful priest and blogger. I enjoy his blog...

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It's a good question

The Question of Prayer: Why Should I Pray?

Ask yourself this. Then talk to God about it...

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As in the words of St. Francis...

Death to Self Won’t Kill You

In fact, it's necessary...

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I don't think I posted this

Prayer Power: New research shows faith saves lives

For every study that shows one thing there's another study that shows the opposite. I don't think that just because there's the power of suggestion involved, or the encouraging of our own healing powers, that God isn't involved in all that anyway...

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Public Prayer

Rabbi Holds Prayers in Street After Manhattan Synagogue Burned to Ground

While the fire is a terrible tragedy, I think it's wonderful that they have held prayers in the street. Prayers in time of trouble are a community event, something for people to join in with...

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