Any “scope” through which we view the Mystery of God is always too narrow, as there will always be some aspect of creation left outside of the scope. The people of ancient Israel occasionally fell into a narrow notion of God, declaring, for instance, thar God had “not dealt thus with other nations, not taught them hi...

In his book Mary Today, Trappist monk M. Basil Pennington, O.S.C.O., reflects on how Mary’s contemplative openness shaped her Divine Motherhood, and how she challenges us to likewise be transformed: Mary had the courage to be ...

For your reflection and prayer, our Christmas gift to you is the text of this hymn composed by Third Order Franciscan Ted Whitam, sung to the music of “Sussex Caril.” Merry Christmas from the MMOC Contemplative Core Team (contemplative@marymother.org)! When God’s creation first began, the planets sing, in orbits go,...

Paul Schulte brings us the final installment in our series of Advent reflections by the MMOC Contemplative Core Team on Pope Francis’s September 5, 2021 Angelus address. If you feel called, read the whole article from Pope Francis at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer and send an email to contemplative@marymother.org with your thoughts: Pope Francis presented a reflection in St Pet...

Steve Krieger brings us the third in our series of Advent reflections on Pope Francis’s September 5, 2021 Angelus address. You can read the whole article from Pope Francis at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer: In light of the Gospel for that day...

This week, Carolyn Hebenstreit looks to the upcoming Advent Season with the first in a series of reflections by the MMOC Contemplative Core Team on Pope Francis’s September 5 2021 Angelus address. A link to the full address can be found on our webpage at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer: Listening for the Hope of Advent During the Angelus in September of...

Thanks to assistance from our community members, all are invited to join us in the practice of Centering Prayer! Third Tuesday of the month beginning November 19 / 10:30 to 11:30am / Classrooms 1 & 2 at MMOC Margaret Poirrier will facilitate these sessions. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up using SignupGenius...

We offer you this poem from St. John of the Cross for your prayer practice:...

True contemplation is a gift from God – prayer in which God is the giver and we are the receiver. Trying to define contemplation beyond these statements is difficult, and trying to explain the experience of contemplation is even more difficult, at times impossible. Those new to the world of contemplation will oftentimes experience frustration over a description or explanation that seems “vague” or “confusing.” We must recognize...

In honor of All Saints Day, we offer a selection of quotes from the Saints on contemplation: Contemplation of God is the chief good, and is simple and one. – St. John Cassian Prayer ought to be short and pure, unless it be..

Father Dan Riley presents a Franciscan way of practicing Lectio Divina: The “school” I come from—the Franciscan way—found most of its classrooms and books in marketplaces and in the faces of the poor; on the hillsides in mountain seclusion and in the eyes of lepers… Whether it was ...

Contemplative practice is not meant to replace other prayer practices, but rather to be part of a wholistic prayer life in which various prayer forms enrich and enhance each other. Nowhere is this truer than in the relationship between ...

The call to contemplation is a continuous theme throughout the Christian Scriptures. Nevertheless, the idea can seem “new” or “hidden” to many, not because the theme of contemplation is not present, but because we live in an age where..

Today we share an excerpt from an adaptation from the Offertory of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s “Mass on the World” (The Heart of Matter, p. 119-121), placed into a liturgical framework by ...

Contemplative practice should not be seen as a substitute or replacement for other prayer practices and disciplines of faith. Rather, contemplative practices along with these other practices work together to reinforce, strengthen, and ...

The word “tradition” means “to hand on,” but when it comes to Traditions of faith, we must be careful not to think of this as a static handing on, where that which is passed from one person and one generation to the next is frozen in its...

In his book, Contemplative Prayer, Trappist monk Thomas Merton shares this reflection on contemplative silence from Syrian monk Isaac of Nineveh: Many are avidly seeking but they alone find who remain in continual silence. … Every man who delights in a multitude of words, even though he says...

The MMOC Contemplative Core Team will host "Introduction to Contemplative Prayer & The Centering Prayer Practice” on Saturday, September 14, from 8:30 am-12:15 pm: Workshop Goals: Provide an understanding of ...

St. Bonaventure continues reflecting on contemplation as a “passing over” into a direct experience of God: If you ask how [experience of communion with God] can occur, seek the answer in God’s grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of the ...

Wisdom from St. Bonaventure, passed along by Paul Schulte: Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant,and the mystery hidden from the ages. A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and...