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The True Self and the False Self: On Identity, Exile, and the Grace That Reveals Us (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on James Finley’s Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, this Lectio Divina explores the relationship between the true self and the false self — how the false self conceals the light of the true self, how Paul’s language of the old and new self illuminates that dynamic, and how it is grace, not effort, that…
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Our Life Is Our Prayer Life: On Spiritual Growth, Daily Chores, and the God We Meet in One Another (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on Patrick Hart’s foreword to James Finley’s Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, this Lectio Divina explores how our truest spiritual growth is revealed not in our devotional practices but in our everyday relationships and ordinary circumstances. From Teresa of Avila’s pots and pans to Brother Lawrence’s practice of the presence, from Paul’s call to…
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Already Loved: How God’s Infinite Love Calls Us to Love in Return (Lectio Divina)
What are we supposed to do with lives already held in God’s infinite love? Drawing on the contemplative wisdom of Jeanne Guyon, Thomas Merton, James Finley, and Henri Nouwen, this reflection explores the great commandment — to love God and neighbor — not as a means of earning grace, but as our free and…
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We Are One: Remembering Our Unity in Christ Through Nonviolence (Lectio Divina)
Violence is what happens when we forget who we are. Drawing on Thomas Merton’s vision of nonviolence and the Christian mystical tradition, this post traces the deep truth that we are all formed from the same dust, animated by the same breath, and held together in the body of Christ — and that remembering…
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Present To God’s Presence: Noticing God’s Presence in Ordinary Moments of Grace (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on the wisdom of St. Basil the Great, Thomas Merton, and the contemplative tradition, this meditation explores how God’s presence permeates every moment of creation. Through distraction, awakening, and surrender, the soul learns to notice grace already unfolding within ordinary life. Moving from attentive awareness to prayerful union, it invites readers to rediscover…
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Lived Grace: Receiving Love, Loving Ourselves, and Loving Others as God Loves Us (Lectio Divina)
This reflection explores how God’s unconditional love invites us to accept our full selves — including our flaws and brokenness — so we can love others with the same boundless grace, transforming shame into compassionate connection.
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Choosing The Better Part: Being A Contemplative In An Activist World (Lectio Divina)
This reflection explores how the Christian life calls us to balance just action with deep, contemplative stillness in God’s presence. Drawing on Scripture and spiritual wisdom, it invites readers to pause, quiet their hearts, and listen for God’s voice amid the frenzy of activism and good intentions.
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Lectio Divina: Far Away
Thomas Merton warns against environments and relationships rooted in deception, mockery, and exploitation, urging believers to practice discernment and seek communities shaped by honesty, humility, and genuine love. This reflection highlights the spiritual danger of false friendship and the call to cultivate integrity and compassion in our shared life.
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Lectio Divina: In God’s Love
A contemplative reflection from Trappist monk and disciple of Thomas Mertonc, Paul Quenon, on discovering that God’s love is not something we must search for, but a reality we already live within—inviting attentiveness, openness, and awareness of God’s constant presence.
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Lectio Divina: A Little Sincerity
This Lectio Divina reflection on Thomas Merton’s words, “With God, a little sincerity goes a long, long way,” invites us to return to the heart of authentic spiritual life: honest openness before God. Even the smallest offering of sincerity—our imperfect prayers, our quiet attempts to seek Him, our desire to be real—becomes fertile ground…