The unspoiled Skelligs are famous for their bird life. Above: looking towards Little Skellig, breeding ground for over 70,000 gannets.
Inspiration
Turning to the Mystics is a series of talks for people searching for something more meaningful, intimate and richly present in the divine gift of their lives. James Finley spent six years at the monastery of Gethsemane, when Thomas Merton was director of novices. He has given a series of insightful online talks and retreats on Merton’s spiritual writingss and also offers a modern take on the historical contemplative practices of Christian mystics like Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. Leaning into their experiences can become a gateway to hope, healing and oneness. Listen here to these inspirational podcasts.
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”.
David Steindl-Rast is an Austrian Benedictine brother, considered by many as the successor to his friend and fellow activist for religious renewal, Thomas Merton. Working at the intersection of Christianity and Buddhism, Brother David
founded the Network for Grateful Living which today attracts thousands of visitors daily from 250 counteis across the world.
The Network offers online programs and practices which inspire and guide a commitment to grateful living - an engaged mindfulness practice, grounded in both wisdom and science, which supports our ability to see the wonder and opportunity in every moment, and motivates us to act boldly with love, generosity, and respect towards one another, ourselves, and the Earth. This short video by Brother David is an invitation to wake up to the blessing of life itself. Click on the icon at the bottom of the screen to the left of the settings icon for subtitles, if required.
Click here to access the Network for Grateful Living website.
founded the Network for Grateful Living which today attracts thousands of visitors daily from 250 counteis across the world.
The Network offers online programs and practices which inspire and guide a commitment to grateful living - an engaged mindfulness practice, grounded in both wisdom and science, which supports our ability to see the wonder and opportunity in every moment, and motivates us to act boldly with love, generosity, and respect towards one another, ourselves, and the Earth. This short video by Brother David is an invitation to wake up to the blessing of life itself. Click on the icon at the bottom of the screen to the left of the settings icon for subtitles, if required.
Click here to access the Network for Grateful Living website.
‘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 it here.
Access it here.
In he early 20th century, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin linked his deep spirituality as a Jesuit to his scientific work and reflection. As a scientist he explored humanity’s early beginnings and our place in the ever-unfolding sweep of evolution. As a philosopher and theologian, he developed a unique synthesis of science and religion based on an evolutionary understanding of what he called the ‘cosmic Christ’ – the idea that the universe and everything in it is constantly moving towards to a point of perfection defined by unity and love, a point which he called ‘the Omega point’. The mission of the Omega Centre is to deepen Teilhard de Chardin’s integration of science and spirituality by providing insights and practices to enkindle awareness of love at the heart of reality.
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“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
The late John O’Donohue was an Irish poet and Hegelian philosopher. His themes of echo as the response of continuity, imagination as the ability to still see the mountain behind the mist, and absence as the transformed presence of the vanished, awaken our thinking and provide food for our spiritual journey in an increasingly hungry world. One of the lines that he loved in the New Testament was: “One day you will know as you are now known.” Click here to listen to his beautiful hour-long discourse on this topic. 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Lutheran pastor who was executed by the Nazis for resisting Hitler's totalitarian regime, left a rich theological legacy. One of his books, The Cost of Discipleship, is considered a classic of Christian thought. In it, he distinguishes between “cheap grace” and “costly grace.” “Cheap grace,” he wrote, “is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again.... It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.” Click here to access a short and beautiful visual distillation of this teaching.
RenownedFranciscan friar, Richard Rohr, offers daily meditations to awaken us to God’s loving presence in all things. Drawing from the Christian scriptures and tradition as well as teachers from other religions, Fr. Richard reframes neglected or misunderstood teachings to reveal our true self in God. 
Dutch priest, teacher and spiritual thinker, Henri Nouwen, touched millions of people worldwide with his moving lectures and his books. Nouwen eschewed dogma and judgment in favor of a personal, confessional style that affirmed a theology of the heart.This hour-long film, narrated by Susan Sarandon, provides an introduction to a remarkable and engaging man.
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 excellent TED talk. 
Resources for those interested in pursuing a Benedictine way of living in ordinary life.
Extensive archive of columns by author and journalist Dr Ron Rolheiser, president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. His popular weekly column is carried by almost 100 newspapers worldwide. 
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.
For Trappist monk Thomas Merton, the “deeply spiritual life” meant the “experience” of God’s presence and love at all times, combining that with action in everyday life. This PBS programme provides an introduction to Merton. |
Aspects of the Spiritual Life “Layer upon layer keeps uncovering, isn’t it amazing what meditation enables? It’s limitless, all these beginnings...I have been given the kingdom of heaven, yes, but to be led to understand that this is the kingdom of eternal forgiveness is astonishing!” These words are from one of the last letters of the late David Wood, Anglican priest and ambassador for Christian meditation. Listen here to his engaging and deeply human talks. 
Saint Ignatius believed that God could speak to us just as clearly in our imagination as through our thoughts and our memories. Contemplation isn't about trying to place yourself in a historic setting, like dreaming you were back in the Middle Ages, it's about trying to encounter Jesus in a personal and unique way. Some excellent imaginative contemplation exercises provided by the English Jesuits can be accessed here.
On Being is a Peabody Award-winning public radio conversation and podcast, a Webby Award-winning website and online exploration, a publisher and public event convener. 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? We explore these questions in their richness and complexity in 21st-century lives and endeavors. We pursue wisdom and moral imagination as much as knowledge; we esteem nuance and poetry as much as fact. 
"Meditations from Carmel" offers short podcast meditations from the writings of the great Carmelite Saints, including St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, and many others. 
Spiritual teacher and international best-selling author of books including The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle is not identified with any particular religion, but has been influenced by a wide range of spiritual works. At the core of his teaching lies, in his own words, "transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that I see as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet". In this free series of five one-hour talks, he offers his teaching on how extreme difficulties such as the current pandemic can accelerate spiritual awakening. 
Poetry has been described as capable of making one into a tuning fork of the Divine. Journey with Jesus is a weekly webzine of the global Presbyterian Church, which includes a a poetry section offering over 300 poems by writers as diverse as Teresa of Avila, GK Chesterton, John Donne, Thomas Aquinas, Seamus Heaney, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Mary Oliver, and many, many more.
Christian Meditation Ireland (CMI) is part of The World Community for Christian Meditation, which continues the work initiated 40 years ago by the Benedictine monk, John Main, in renewing and sharing the ancient path of contemplative prayer.This ecunemical movement - the "monastery without walls" - is today present in 114 countries, with 100,000 people in 2,000 meditation groups meeting weekly. The CMI website offers rich resources for individual and group meditation, and will also help you find an Irish meditation group near you.
The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an unknown author in the 14th century, is an outstanding guide to contemplation, solidly grounded in the Western Christian mystical tradtion. Click here for a series of excellent 10-minute talks on The Cloud by the Revd Graeme Watson, Anglican priest and author.
Weekly contemplative reflections by Daniel O’Leary, Episcopal Vicar for Christian Formation in Leeds, aimed at introducing the orthodox Catholic tradition known as the sacramental imagination. |