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Going By a Way You Do Not Know: Faith, Darkness, and the Unseeable Horizon (Lectio Divina)
The spiritual journey often begins in darkness — not knowing where we are going, led by a voice we cannot hear, consoled by a presence we cannot feel. Drawing on James Finley’s reading of Merton, this reflection moves through the cloud of witnesses who walked the same way before us: Abraham setting out for…
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Standing in Your Own Shadow: On the False Self, Desolation, and the Light That Remains (Lectio Divina)
The Holy Spirit, this post argues, does not cause our desolation — and does not withdraw when we fall into darkness. But if God’s love and light are never absent, what is the shadow? This reflection traces the logic of the false self as the one who turns away from the light and stands…
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Going By a Way You Do Not Know: Faith, Darkness, and the Unseeable Horizon (Lectio Divina)
The spiritual journey often begins in darkness — not knowing where we are going, led by a voice we cannot hear, consoled by a presence we cannot feel. Drawing on James Finley’s reading of Merton, this reflection moves through the cloud of witnesses who walked the same way before us: Abraham setting out for…
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An Excess of Presence: On Spiritual Darkness and the Gift of God’s Grace (Lectio Divina)
Some days God feels farther away than others. The fog of spiritual dryness settles in, and the mirror through which we see his reflection grows dark and unpolished. In this Lectio Divina reflection, Robert Van Valkenburgh draws on Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology and the Mary and Martha passage from Luke’s Gospel to explore what we…
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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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Finding Freedom and Comfort in Spiritual Darkness: A Reflection on Love Over Fear (Oratio Divina)
This spiritual poem reflects on how what we once feared—darkness and silence—reveals the deeper fears within ourselves: anger, pride, shame, and desire. As the speaker journeys inward, they discover that the true struggle was not with darkness but with the burdens they carried. Ultimately, the piece offers a message of hope and transformation, showing…