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Not a Time for Change: St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Discipline of Desolation (Lectio Divina)
There are seasons when God feels entirely absent, and every instinct says to change course — to fix what feels broken, to do something. St. Ignatius of Loyola insists otherwise: that this very darkness might be the shape grace takes when it is deepening rather than departing. This reflection sits with what it costs…
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The Ceiling Was a Floor: From Zen to Christ Through the Cloud of Unknowing (Lectio Divina)
What happens when the tradition you love most can no longer hold you? In this deeply personal Lectio Divina, Robert Van Valkenburgh traces his spiritual journey from the Zen Buddhist tradition — which spoke to him before he had words for what it was pointing toward — through an existential crisis and dark night…
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Wandering and Wounded: A Lectio Divina on Exile, Longing, and the God Who Draws Near (Lectio Divina)
What do we do when faith is exhausted — when joy is laced with suffering, clarity with confusion, and the longing for God feels like exile? Drawing on the anonymous medieval classic The Cloud of Unknowing, this Lectio Divina sits with the rawness of spiritual fatigue and the contemplative invitation to remain in the…
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The Narrow Path: Seeking Spiritual Direction in Times of Darkness (Lectio Divina)
A meditation on the spiritual journey invites readers to trust God’s guidance when the path grows obscure and companions are few. Drawing on Scripture and the wisdom of mystics, the piece encourages seeking a spiritual companion and resting in the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s presence, even in seasons of doubt and solitude.
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Do You Hear Me: The Longing For Divine Union Of An Embodied Soul (Oratio Divina)
A contemplative reflection on the soul’s longing to dissolve into God while feeling trapped in the pain and limits of human embodiment. Explores faith, doubt, and the deep spiritual ache that draws us toward divine union even in seasons of silence.
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Storms Within: Surrendering To Christ (Oratio Divina)
A reflective Christian meditation on inner turmoil and spiritual surrender, drawing on Scripture, mystics, and the wisdom of the saints. Explore how surrender becomes freedom in Christ’s transforming grace.
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Lectio Divina: A Good Death
In this Lectio Divina on Karl Rahner’s reflection, we are invited to contemplate the mystery of a “good death” as radical trust in God amid felt abandonment. Rahner points to Jesus on the cross as the model of ultimate faith: accepting inner darkness and god-forsakenness without consolation, yet without despair. This meditation explores how…
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Oratio: Often Silent
This meditation reflects on God’s silence as a profound presence, a mystery deeper than words. It speaks to the trust that even in prayerful darkness, our being rests securely upon the ground of God’s being. A prayer of surrender, stillness, and faith in divine mystery.