Tag Archives: Thomas Merton

Practicing the Presence of God: Contemplative Prayer, Centering Prayer

Posted on September 17, 2020 by fatherbrad1971

This is the third and final section of the workshop I presented on 29 August 2020: “Prayer Practices to Nourish Men (and Everyone)”, from the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange, California, Sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Basil Pennington, Centering Prayers, Contemplative Prayer, Father Thomas Keating, Mount Calvary Monastery, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, Trappist | 1 Comment

The World’s Best Cup of Coffee: Memories of East and West Germany

Posted on April 30, 2020 by fatherbrad1971

“The man who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely, no matter how much he may surround himself with people. But the man who learns, in solitude and recollection, to be at peace with his own loneliness, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Aerotherm, Berlin, Carl Heimbs, Checkpoint Charlie, Coffee roasting, CVJM, DDR, East Berlin, East Germany, GDR, Heimbs Kaffee, Herzogin Viktoria Luise von Preussen, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prussia, Riddarshausen, solitude, St. Andrew's Church Braunschweig, St. Katherine's Church Braunschweig, Stasi, Thomas Merton | 3 Comments

Avant-Garde Priest

Posted on March 31, 2020 by fatherbrad1971

“You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Fr. Bob Cornelison, Fr. Jim Friedrich, Fr. Pat Tomter, Human Options, Jesuit leadership, Laguna Beach, March on Selma, Mt. Calvary Monastery, Pacific School of Religion, St Pachomius, St. Mark's Altadena, St. Mary's Laguna Beach, Summer of Love, Thomas Merton, Timothy Leary | 6 Comments

On The Road: Part III

Posted on August 9, 2019 by fatherbrad1971

“The Desert Fathers believed that the wilderness had been created supremely valuable in the eyes of God precisely because it had no value to men. The wasteland was the land that could never be wasted by men because it offered … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Basil Pennington, Contemplative Meditation, Desert Fathers, Dr. Bob Phillips psychiatry, Dr. Larry Budner child psychiatry, examen of conscience, False Self, Ignatius, Thomas Merton, True Self | 1 Comment

Desert Night Sky: The Alabama Hills

Posted on April 18, 2018 by fatherbrad1971

“One may try to look at the sky, but in fact one looks through it…. for no matter how deeply one sees into the sky, there is always an infinite depth remaining.” Thomas McEvilley The green overhead street sight for … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Astrobiology, Auschwitz, Blaise Pascal, Chanukah, Christ in the Desert Monastery, Great Basin, Lone Pine California, NASA, Navajo, Navajo Moon Project, Thomas McEvilley, Thomas Merton | 1 Comment

The Road to Abiquiu

Posted on August 25, 2017 by fatherbrad1971

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Abiquiu New Mexsico, Christ in the Desert Monastery, Desert Fathers and Mothers, East Germany, Emperor Constantine, Magdeburg, Santa Fe New Mexico, St Anthony of the Desert, St Benedict, St Pachomius, Thomas Merton, Trappist | 1 Comment

Leaving the House of Prayer

Posted on June 25, 2017 by fatherbrad1971

“However, (Thomas Merton said), the usual road to contemplation is through the desert, a barren land with no trees, beauty or water. This prospect is so frightening that we are afraid to enter. In that desert God is nowhere to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Adult Children of Alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous, examen of conscience, Gordon Moreland SJ, Ignatius Loyola, Phillips Scheldrake, Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, Saddleback Community College, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Orange, The Spiritual Exercises, Thomas Merton, Walter Bruggemann | 2 Comments

Seeing the Divine WIthin

Posted on August 10, 2014 by fatherbrad1971

“In the fourth century AD the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Arabia and Persia were peopled by a race of men….They sought a way to God that was uncharted and freely chosen, not inherited from others who had mapped it out … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged Aldous Huxley, entheogen, LSD, meditation, mescaline, peyote, psychedelics, Thomas Merton | 3 Comments

Mutual Dialogue on Religious Differences

Posted on September 21, 2012 by fatherbrad1971

“The longest journey is the journey inward.” Dag Hammerskjold, Markings. A clue to encounters with the spiritualities of the world can be found in Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddartha. “One can only pass on knowledge, but not wisdom,” Siddartha explains at … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged desert spirituality, Ignatius Loyola, meditation, mysticism, Pluralism Project, Saddleback College, Shaman, Spiritual Exercises, Thomas Merton, world religions, Zen | 1 Comment