Contemplative Haven

I have absolutely no interest in pop psychology, nor the latest “gurus” being touted by the media.  I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen even a segment of Oprah’s show, for instance.
What I am interested in, and desire to share, is anything that can bring the truth and the teachings of [...]

“Therefore, be attentive to time and the way you spend it. Nothing is more precious…God, the master of time, never gives the future. He gives only the present, moment by moment, for this is the law of the created order, and God will not contradict himself in his creation.”  (The Cloud of Unknowing, Anonymous)
“For at [...]

Quelque chose pour un ami qui n’a pas dix minutes.  En tout cas…
A sound clip from Eckhart Tolle’s, “Through the Open Door to the Vastness of Your True Being.”
This, and my prayers.

In, “Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  The Icon, Favors and Shrines”, the Redemptorist Fathers write:
“An icon is much more than a simple representation of events or persons of the past.  An icon makes present that which it remembers.  It is a meeting point between the mystery of God and the reality of Man.” 
But what of [...]

If you are a lover of all things Merton, but are not familiar with Beth’s blog, louie, louie, I encourage you to scoot over and spend a week (or two or three) reading her archives.
But first, sit back and enjoy one of Beth’s recent posts, in which she explains how it came to be that Merton acquired [...]

I’m sorry I didn’t see this before or I would have directed you to it, but you can take in a performance of Ave Maris Stella (by Kverno) at the IHM Hermitage Video Blog, posted just two days ago. Wonderful!

In my research on the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I happened upon Golgotha Monastery, home of the Transalpine Redemptorists.  It is located in Papa Stronsay, an island in Orkney, north of Scotland.
On their website, they speak at length of the history of the Mother of God being referred to as Stella Maris, Star of [...]

Living icons.  We know it is possible.  We’ve witnessed it.  We must search our hearts to discover what is hindering us.  What is holding us back?
Prayer to Jesus 
by Mother Teresa, read by Bill Simpson on the CD entitled, “Quotations and Affirmations that Sustain, Inspire and Empower”. 

Recently, a commentor said that she knew someone who, “wanted with all his soul to become a holy icon.”
Does this sound strange?  It shouldn’t, really.  In, “Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  The Icon, Favors and Shrines”, the Redemptorist Fathers write:
“The Greek word ‘eikon’, from which comes the word ‘icon’, means ‘image’.  Christians first used the [...]

I’ve put up our Icon again so that we can refer to it easily as we go through the points of meditation outlined a few days ago. 
This Icon contains four holy figures – the Blessed Virgin, the Christ Child and two of the archangels, Michael and Gabriel. The uppermost letters on either side (MP – OY) mean, [...]