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What is Contemplative Prayer?

In the quiet, still silence, I await my God.   There seems to be some misgivings about the idea of “contemplative prayer” (also referred to as Christian Meditation) and in some of the descriptions I've read, I would agree that it can seem iffy. Contemplation, or sometimes known as Lectio Divina, is in its most basic form, the idea and practice of waiting on the Lord. Often in silence or while you ponder on scripture or when you seek an answer or just to rest in his presence and have your strength renewed. There are some people who think that this means “emptying your mind” and doing something akin to occultism, and ope...

Jesus, Yahweh, And The Power Over The Storm

Critics of Christianity will often make the claim that Jesus never said he was God or divine in the Gospels. The problem comes when they set unrealistic demands and expectations, like wanting a chapter and verse where Jesus says, “I am God, worship me”. But this isn’t how the Bible works and definitely not how Jesus went about his ministry. Throughout the Gospels, there are clear connections that reveal the true nature of Jesus in ways that would have been obvious to the Jewish people and leaders of his day who were very familiar with the Torah and other Scriptures we now call the Old Testament. One of the most striking examples is His demonstration of po...

Spiritual Disciplines of the Early Church: Ancient Practices for the 21st Century

...ory; sing psalms before sleep and on awaking; hold in your heart the commandments of Scripture; […] And especially he counselled them to meditate continually on the Apostle’s word… Life of Anthony (356 – 362) …but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night. psalms 1:2 (WEB) If you’re interested in trying to live out a more meditative life, but feel overwhelmed by the business of modern life to know where to start, I recommend reading this book by Abbot Christopher Jamison, Finding Sanctuary: Monastic steps for Everyday Life.   Constant Prayer Keeping within the monastic tradition for spiritual disciplines ar...

Lent, Lament and Lockdown

...Lent is a time of self denial and of giving things up, and also a period of lament in the lead up to Easter where we remember the Passion and death of Christ before we celebrated the glorious resurrection.  Often this is a personal affair on the discipline side of things, even if it's a practice shared within your church community, but this year has been so very different. With the outbreak of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, the whole world has slowly gone into lockdown country by country, creating a strange sort of global “Lent” where everyone is having to practice self control and self denial. This has been underpinned with a sense of lament at the way thi...

Lent: Day 15 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 36-47

...Day Fifteen: St. Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 36-47 Who: Justin Martyr was a Philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a tireless evangelist and apologist. Justin wrote more Christianity than any other person prior to his time. He is classified herein as Eastern, since he a native of Samaria and his thought patterns were Eastern. However, he spent the last years of his life in Rome, where he was executed as a martyr (c. 165). What: An apologetic (defence) essay to explain what Christians believe and do. Why: Justin is demanding the Emperor to investigate accusations and unjust persecution against Christians so that they at least may face...

Lent Day 25: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 41-50

...who sang psalms, loved reading, fasted, prayed, rejoiced in the hope of things to come, laboured in almsgiving, and preserved love and harmony one with another. More and more people came to saving faith and began living the ascetic lifestyle, to the point that there was hardly any wrongdoing committed in their area. During this time, it seems as though Anthony became a little strange. With his focus so much on heaven and on the thought of eventually going to be fully spiritual with no need to support the body through food and drink, he withdrew from the other monks to be in solitude again, feeling shame for eating in front of them and trying to be sure not...