(Originally published on Helium April 18, 2013) There are many criticisms on the internet of the Roman Catholic Mass by both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. This article defends the Mass. The two major criticisms of the Mass by Catholics (also called Eucharist by Catholics) are: 1) that it’s boring and 2) that it is no...
Tag: Prayer
St Teresa of Avila. The Early Years
Dona Teresa de Ahumada y Cepeda (1515-1582), better known as St Teresa of Avila, is one of the giants of the Catholic Church. Her descriptions of her relationship to “His Majesty,” as she called Jesus, are so deep and intense, that only those who have achieved great spiritual growth understand them. It was Teresa and...
Accepting Suffering Versus Asking for a Miracle of Healing
For years I have been dithering about the pain in my knees. Before my numerous knee replacements and revisions, I never knew whether to pray for the miracle of healing or whether to just accept the suffering from the constant pain or even whether to have the surgeries. My culture tells me/told me that it...
Marian Apparitions: Garabandal, Spain
I have had this book in my library and finally decided to read it this week. (Our Lady Comes to Garabandal by Joseph A Pelletier, AA, 1st printing, 1971, 4th printing 1979) Propitious? Timely? It suggests a knowledge of the behavior of priests and prelates that have come to light recently through the Vigano letter...
An Unexpected Consequence of Imaginative Prayer
I was introduced to imaginative prayer when on a retreat. The retreat master introduced us to Anthony de Mello and his meditation methods. Years later, I was introduced to the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola which rely heavily on the use of imagination. The Rosary also relies on imagination to visualize the lesson...
Praying The Rosary
The Pieta sculpture represent the death of Jesus. He is placed in his mother's arms after he is taken down from the cross. The 5th Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary prayer.
Using Imagination in Prayer
Many of us, when we think about praying or prayer, generally mean “talking to God.” Whether the prayer is a memorized prayer such as the Our Father, a spontaneous “Thank you God” whisper, reading prayers out of a prayer book, or asking for something, prayer seems to be vocal. We are talking to God. We […]
Using Imagination in Prayer
Many of us, when we think about praying or prayer, generally mean “talking to God.” Whether the prayer is a memorized prayer such as the Our Father, a spontaneous “Thank you God” whisper, reading prayers out of a prayer book, or asking for something, prayer is frequently vocal. We are talking to God. We either...