Art of living Well

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Art of living Well

Spiritual Experience, Paradox, and Analogy

As the heart settles more and more into stillness, the fire of divine love begins to emerge. This fire is none other than the divine indwelling of the Holy Trinity. This presence is given through the sacraments but emerges and...

Art of living Well

Stillness and Inner Poverty

In Eastern Monasticism, one of the key concepts is stillness. The monks of the East believed that such stillness was the goal of holiness because when the heart was allowed to rest in the presence of Christ, one is able...

Art of living Well

When the Holy Spirit Breaks In

Sometimes the Holy Spirit just breaks into the moment. It might be during a specific prayer period or it could be as you go about your day to day activities. In such moments, we become aware that our lives are...

Art of living Well

The Cravings of a Polluted Heart

Constantly craving what you do not have is a short cut to misery. In today’s reading (1 Kgs 21:1-16), we hear about King Ahab’s desire for Naboth’s vineyard. Despite having incredible wealth and power, King Ahab is not satisfied. His...

Art of living Well

The love that moves the stars

I will never forget that summer camping trip. My father and I went on a hike and camping trip with a group of other guys and boys my age. On the hike out, we were all carrying very heavy camping...

Art of living Well

A Tiny Whispering Sound

“But the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound” 1 Kings 19: 12 Greatness is not in the big, the loud, the flashy that is meant to grab one’s attention and please...

Art of living Well

Stilling the Angry Heart

Anger is deadly. In Matthew 5:20-26 (today’s Gospel), we hear Jesus tell the people that anyone who is filled with anger towards his brother will be judged harshly by God. These words can seem startling. Haven’t we all been angry?...

Art of living Well

Community and the Spirit-filled Life

Growth in the spiritual life involves moving from a self-guided to a spirit-guided life. On the surface, the activities of a spirit-guided life may not seem dramatically different. We all still need to do the everyday aspects of life which...

Art of living Well

Getting an A in the Spiritual Life

When I was a teacher at St. Patrick’s, I would give a simple analogy to explain the spiritual life. I would compare our spiritual life to school, and I would ask the students if a student who follows all the...