Archive for: Christian Thought

All is a miracle

“I like to walk alone on country paths, rice plants and wild grasses on both sides, putting each foot down on the earth in mindfulness, knowing that I walk on the wondrous earth. In such moments, existence is a miraculous and mysterious reality. People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on the earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”           – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

Centering Prayer – Christian Mediation

The health benefits of meditation have been well documented. This article, Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress, posted on the Mayo Clinic’s website, recommends mediation as an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. We teach meditative practices to many of our clients in an effort to help them find greater wholeness, positive energy, integration, balance, and creativity in in their lives.

An unfortunate misconception prevents many individuals from realizing the benefits of meditative practices. Many people believe that meditation is somehow contrary to the Christian faith tradition. This is simply not true. In fact, Christian meditation, sometimes called centering prayer or contemplative prayer, has long and well-documented history.

The video below offers a simple introduction to this type of prayer from the perspective of Thomas Keating, OCSO.

 

Christian Perspectives: Prayer for Addiction Recovery

Dear God, the journey from addiction to recovery is a journey from slavery and bondage to self-determination and freedom. You want Your people to be free. Help me to become free. I know that with freedom comes great responsibility. Help me to find Your will for me this day and every day. Amen.

 

Prayer: compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness, joy

“In a real prayer, you ask only for the things you really need, things that are necessary for your well-being, such as peace, solidity, and freedom — freedom from anger, fear, and craving. Happiness and well-being are not possible without peace, solidity, and freedom. Most of our desires are not for our peace, solidity, and freedom. While you pray, you are deeply aware of what you really need and what is just the object of your desire. This kind of prayer is the light of God that shines upon you, telling you which way to go in order to obtain peace, solidity, and freedom. In a real prayer, you also touch the wholesome seeds in your consciousness and water them. These are seeds of compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness, and joy. If while praying you can recognize these seeds in you and help them grow, your prayer is already a deep practice.”   – Contemplative Prayer

Drug Use and Abuse: A Christian Perspective

Drugs affect our ability to perceive our surroundings. Our senses, in addition to the entire Universe and everything in it, were created by God as an expression of infinite compassion, love, and creativity. Our challenge, as humans, is to use our perceptions to determine our our place in God’s creation. Senses act in cooperation with Spirit to help us determine right from wrong, good from bad, to help us live Christ-like lives.

When we abuse drugs, we are trying to improve God’s creation in a way that leads us away from God’s Truth. It is a short-cut, an attempt to cheat. We are not supposed to feel good just because we want to to. The service of self is simply not a step toward closer communion with the Creator.

 

 

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