Art of living Well

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Art of living Well

The Pursuit of God

The passion to pursue our hopes and dreams is often what makes life worth living. People who embrace the art of living well and cultivate the attitudes and dispositions to live out this pursuit are often the people that make...

Art of living Well

Pray without Ceasing

In St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, we hear that we are to pray without ceasing. This teaching is not so much a call to pull away from ordinary pursuits in a mistaken barrage of vocal prayers and devotions. It...

Art of living Well

Learning to Die

There is an image I have passed many times at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. It is of St. Anthony of the Desert looking intently at a skull he is holding. The idea presented by this image is rather simple. Many...

Art of living Well

The Vocation of the Mystic

The famous philosopher Nietzsche once argued that Christianity is a religion that says no to all of the good things in life. He looked at Christian morality, and he only saw a series of rules and regulations meant to limit...

Art of living Well

A Guide to Imaginative Prayer

To begin with, put yourself in the presence of the Lord. By this, I mean that you draw your attention to some way that you have related to the Lord in the past or in some way that inspires you...

Art of living Well

Buddhism, Natural Meditation, and Jesus Christ

There are two extremes when it comes to understanding the relationship between Buddhist and Christian meditation, both of which are equally problematic. On one hand, you can take the view that Buddhist meditation is completely different from Christian meditation. Implicit...

Art of living Well

Don’t Be Afraid of the Imagination

I have a confession to make. Although I recognized the value of the imagination, for years I was prejudiced against using it in prayer. I considered it something that people who were drawn to Ignatian Spirituality would use, while I...

Art of living Well

The Perfect Liturgy

Lord, your perfect mysteries pass through the hands of your imperfect servant, and yet your mysteries lose nothing of their glory. May I your humble servant be given the grace to enter this intimate exchange with perfect abandonment, bothered not...

Art of living Well

When the Spirit Prays Within Us

As we are removed from our attachments to sin, we become less self-centered in ways that go beyond simply thinking of others. Our prayer begins to be drawn up into the eternal exchange of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit....