Image above: sunrise on Skellig Michael
Find out more about the Skelligs here.
Find out more about the Skelligs here.
Inspiration
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel...Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does? Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” Jer 18:2.
These words from the Book of Jeremiah inspired Donagh O’Shea, a Dominican friar, a highly regarded retreat leader, an authority on the mediaeval mystics, and a potter. 30 years ago, he began a series of workshops (which continue to this day) on meditative work with clay. His book, "Go Down to the Potter's House" has become a spiritual classic. In it, he draws practical spiritual lessons from every stage of the process of throwing a pot. "Throwing a pot upon a wheel", he says in the 5th video, "is like a parable of human change and transformation. It is endlessly engrossing".
He has now distilled his spiritual journey with pottery in a series of short videos. His aim is to overcome the effects of centuries of introspection and individualism and to help people discover in themselves and in the Gospel a straightforward simplicity.
Click on the image to watch the first of 10 fascinating episodes.
You can access the full series here.
These words from the Book of Jeremiah inspired Donagh O’Shea, a Dominican friar, a highly regarded retreat leader, an authority on the mediaeval mystics, and a potter. 30 years ago, he began a series of workshops (which continue to this day) on meditative work with clay. His book, "Go Down to the Potter's House" has become a spiritual classic. In it, he draws practical spiritual lessons from every stage of the process of throwing a pot. "Throwing a pot upon a wheel", he says in the 5th video, "is like a parable of human change and transformation. It is endlessly engrossing".
He has now distilled his spiritual journey with pottery in a series of short videos. His aim is to overcome the effects of centuries of introspection and individualism and to help people discover in themselves and in the Gospel a straightforward simplicity.
Click on the image to watch the first of 10 fascinating episodes.
You can access the full series here.
It is absurd to think we can enter heaven without first entering our own souls, without getting to know ourselves. How important it is to recognise this truth that the Lord is within us and that we should be there with him! How is it, Lord, that we do not look at your face, when it is so near us? All our trouble comes to us from not having our eyes fixed upon the Divine.
A 14-minute video features some gentle and practical advice for meditative prayer, drawn from the teachings of the great 16th century mystic and reformer, St Teresa of Avila. A prolific writer, she sought to demystify the mystical experience and make it accessible.
Click on the image to listen.
A 14-minute video features some gentle and practical advice for meditative prayer, drawn from the teachings of the great 16th century mystic and reformer, St Teresa of Avila. A prolific writer, she sought to demystify the mystical experience and make it accessible.
Click on the image to listen.
THE REDEEMED is a site for our younger visitors and/or their teachers. It is a weekly video series designed expecially for young people. Sharing the Gospels in a fresh and new way, it provides an invitation into stillness and prayer.
Click on the image to access.
Click on the image to access.
The ‘Christian Art’ website is the brainchild of a former director of Sotheby’s, London, Patrick van der Vorst, now a Catholic priest in the diocese of Westminster. He describes his offering as "Simple: one newsletter a day where we simply send you the Gospel reading of the day, alongside a work of art that we believe is poignant, reflective and appropriate to that reading. We offer a short reflection on the artwork and the reading. We simply give you the tools for you to meditate on the daily Gospel alongside a work of art."
Simple, it may be, but the results are sometimes astonishing. The frequently surprising art choices and thought-provoking commentary at times achieve the nearly impossible - casting a new light on scripture passages, long blunted by familiarity.
Visit this inspiring website and sign up for the daily reflection here.
Click here for an example of one of Patrick's daily emails (scroll down to 'About the painting').
"The greatest sin is the unlived life" - John O'Donohue on aging.
The late, great Irish poet, author and philosopher, John O’ Donohue, wrote that “The greatest sin is the unlived life”. In a powerful one-hour talk on "Imagination as the Path of Spirit", he urges the need to enter fully into our own lives, becoming all that we are capable of becoming – so that “when the time comes for us to lie down and die, we will be able to look back on a life that took honourable risks, that pushed its own frontiers, that tried to look after its own healing...that was compassionate, that didn’t judge, and that tried to look after the poor and neglected, and the unspoken for.”
Listen here to this inspiring 45 minute talk.
Listen here to this inspiring 45 minute talk.
“It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love. These striking words of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face say it all. They sum up the genius of her spirituality and would suffice to justify the fact that she has been named a Doctor of the Church. Confidence, “nothing but confidence”, is the sole path that leads us to the
Love that grants everything. With confidence, the wellspring of grace overflows into our lives, the
Gospel takes flesh within us and makes us channels of mercy for our brothers and sisters."
These words are from a new Apostolic Exhortation t by Pope Francis, synopsising this remarkable saint's extraordinary theology. "Her boundless confidence", writes Francis, " encourages all who feel frail, limited and sinful to let
themselves be elevated and transformed in order to reach greater heights". He quotes Therese: “If all weak and
imperfect souls felt what the least of souls feels, that is, the soul of your little Therese, not one
would despair of reaching the summit of the mount of love. Jesus does not demand great actions
from us, but simply surrender and gratitude”.
Read the Pope's uplifting letter in full here.
Love that grants everything. With confidence, the wellspring of grace overflows into our lives, the
Gospel takes flesh within us and makes us channels of mercy for our brothers and sisters."
These words are from a new Apostolic Exhortation t by Pope Francis, synopsising this remarkable saint's extraordinary theology. "Her boundless confidence", writes Francis, " encourages all who feel frail, limited and sinful to let
themselves be elevated and transformed in order to reach greater heights". He quotes Therese: “If all weak and
imperfect souls felt what the least of souls feels, that is, the soul of your little Therese, not one
would despair of reaching the summit of the mount of love. Jesus does not demand great actions
from us, but simply surrender and gratitude”.
Read the Pope's uplifting letter in full here.
“We need a contemplative mind in order to do compassionate action...The first gaze is seldom compassionate. It’s too busy weighing and feeling itself: ‘How will this affect me?’ or ‘What reaction does my self-image demand now?’ or ‘How can I regain control of this situation?’ Let’s admit that we all start there. Only after God has taught us how to live ‘undefended’.
"It has taken me much of my life to begin to have the second gaze. By nature I have a critical mind and a demanding heart, and I am so impatient. These are both my gifts and my curses, yet it seems I cannot have one without the other. They are both good teachers. A life of solitude and silence allows them both, and invariably leads me to the second gaze. The gaze of compassion, looking out at life from the place of Divine Intimacy, is really all I have, and all I have to give, although I don’t always do it."
American Franciscan friar, Richard Rohr, is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism. He teaches that religious conversion involves radical transformation – an experiential knowing of God; that our real selves are who we are in God and who God is in us. He holds that true spiritual knowledge is not cognition, but recognition. Click on the image to hear his challenging and inspiring talk.
Note: the talk is 90 minutes long. Click here to read a condensed version of the content.
"It has taken me much of my life to begin to have the second gaze. By nature I have a critical mind and a demanding heart, and I am so impatient. These are both my gifts and my curses, yet it seems I cannot have one without the other. They are both good teachers. A life of solitude and silence allows them both, and invariably leads me to the second gaze. The gaze of compassion, looking out at life from the place of Divine Intimacy, is really all I have, and all I have to give, although I don’t always do it."
American Franciscan friar, Richard Rohr, is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism. He teaches that religious conversion involves radical transformation – an experiential knowing of God; that our real selves are who we are in God and who God is in us. He holds that true spiritual knowledge is not cognition, but recognition. Click on the image to hear his challenging and inspiring talk.
Note: the talk is 90 minutes long. Click here to read a condensed version of the content.
The Four Gospels for a Visual Age
For the first time, the entire Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have been brought to life in a compelling cinematic portrayal of the life of Jesus – accompanied by a complete and unabridged narration (using the New International Version of the New Testament, and also available in the King James Version). The narrations are accessible in a wide range of languages. This ground-breaking Biblical resource, the Lumo Project, has been created to transform the way in which people engage with, discover, and study the life of Jesus through the Gospels. It is also a wonderful pastoral resource. Click on the image above to watch the Gospel of John.
Listen to the entire Bible in 80 hours! David Suchet, the actor best known for his role as Agatha Christie’s detective, Hercule Poirot, was raised without religion. In 1986, at the age of 40, he underwent a religious conversion after reading Chapter 8 of St Paul's Letter to the Romans in his hotel room. Soon afterwards, he was baptised into the Church of England. Since then, it has been his dream to make an audio recording of the whole Bible. He has now created the very first full-length audio version of the NIV Bible spoken by a single British actor. The end product is 80 hours of beautifully read Old and New Testaments (there is an advertisement at the start, which you can skip after four seconds). You can also search for a particular book of the Bible by Googling. e.g.: Suchet Bible Psalms.
'Aspects of the Spiritual Life’ is a series of uplifting, engaging and deeply human reflections on meditation by the late David Wood, Anglican priest from the North West of England and ambassador for the ecumenical Christian meditation movement. Access these short talks here.
On Being is a Peabody Award-winning American public radio conversation and podcast, and a Webby Award-winning website. On Being opens up the animating questions at the center of human life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live?
The desert is a theme of central importance in Sacred Scripture as well as in monastic history and spirituality. It continues to be an image of purification and transformation, of fascination and of danger. Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has given six inspiring talks on modern Christian meditation and the desert tradition, drawing on the spiritual teaching of Benedictine monk, Dom John Main. Listen here to “The Spirit in the Desert”.
James Finley reflects on the Thomas Merton he knew when he was a novice at Gethsemani Trappist monastery in Kentucky and Merton was director of novices.
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"One of the best-known features of the monastic life is that a bell rings and monks go to pray. The main pillars of this routine are morning, noon and night. And each of those times has a different mood that fits the natural rhythm of the day. You might consider making these moods part of your day. When you’re on your own or cooped up with others, life can feel very monotonous - but by entering into of these three different moods you can create a natural rhythm which gives the day some colour." Dom Christopher Jamison, Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation, introduces three short films to help shape the day.
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Dr Noel Keating is the National Coordinator of Christian Meditation Ireland, a body affiliated with the World Community for Christian Meditation, a global ecumenical contemplative network encouraging the practice of meditation in the Christian tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers.
He leads a Zoom meditation session (approximately 30 minutes in duration) every Wednesday and Sunday at 7.30 pm (GMT). No matter where you are in the world, if you would like to participate in this beautiful contemplative group practice, email Noel at [email protected]
and you will be added to the Zoom invitation list.
He leads a Zoom meditation session (approximately 30 minutes in duration) every Wednesday and Sunday at 7.30 pm (GMT). No matter where you are in the world, if you would like to participate in this beautiful contemplative group practice, email Noel at [email protected]
and you will be added to the Zoom invitation list.
Karen Armstrong, religious historian and former Catholic nun, is a provocative, original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world. Her "Charter for Compassion" promotes a new kind of religious discourse that goes back to the core values of religion: every single religion is based on compassion and on the golden rule, first propounded by Confucius 500 years before Christ, “Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you. Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain, and then refuse under any circumstance to inflict that pain on anybody else... This is civilization”.
Listen here to her fascinating TED talk.
Listen here to her fascinating TED talk.
“We do not know how to pray”, says St Paul, “but the Spirit prays within us, deeper than words”. For the prayer of the Spirit of Jesus to well up in our hearts, flood our hearts, and overflow in us, we have first to become still, to concentrate. Benedictine monk, Laurence Freeman, who heads the ecumenical World Community of Christian Meditation, introduces the ancient and simple practice of meditation.
‘Tarsus’ is a website created by author, Augustinian friar, and distinguished Bible scholar, Fr Kieran O’Mahony. It is a wonderful resource, offering rich Biblical nourishment for hungry pilgrims. These include stimulating reflections on Sunday readings, guidance on praying with the Scriptures, an overview of a range of Bible versions, links to the Bible and music, and a wealth of superb online lectures.
Access Tarsus here.
Access Tarsus here.
Gerry Pierse (1940-1999) was a Redemptorist priest from County Kerry. During his missionary ministry, he became deeply involved in contemplative prayer, inspired by the teaching of Benedictine monk John Main. With a gift with words that made his teaching simple, clear, effective, and often humorous, Fr Pierse delivered a superb series of talks introducing Christian meditation.
Listen to them here.
Listen to them here.