Logos Therapy (2) – Why does life have a meaning?

Why does life have a meaning? Victor Frankl's "logotherapy" sought to help people discover meaning and purpose in their lives as way of helping them to re-discover their mental and emotional health. As Elizabeth Lukas wrote: The idea of Logos Therapy, however, goes further, and seeks the spiritual purpose behind life in Christian spirituality. Created …

The Spiritualities of Christianity – Creation Spirituality

Challenges to faith in God today sometimes come from atheism and secular materialism.  What I call “creation spirituality”, stands in opposition to these challenges for several reasons. Firstly, atheism and secular materialism can create huge doubts in the minds of people about the purpose and meaning of their lives.  If human beings are merely the …

A Year of Inspirers (9) : The Power of Mysticism and Julian of Norwich – 8th May

On 8th May 1373 a young woman had a series of visions.  These led to one of the most extraordinary books ever written - Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich. Sometimes an ancient tradition can reinvigorate modern life.  Many people have found this with contemplative prayer and Christian mysticism in general.  The experience …

Lectio Divina on a Psalm (Introduction)

Lectio Divina is a way of reading that is unknown to many people - strange when literacy rates are probably at an historic high! But we have come to read quickly, to skim read, to take on as much transitory information as possible, in the sense that we are somehow gaining in this way. But …

Prayer

This is a Christian prayer: . Risen Christ You rose through death and darkness . Speak to me In your light and faithfulness. . Grunewald, The Isenheim Altarpiece

The Spiritualities of Christianity: The Divine Dance of Atomic Trinity!

Richard Rohr’s book The Divine Dance explores, in one section, how every atom consists of a tripartite stricture of proton, electron and neutron.  I am not a scientist, and this may be a simplification of physics, but the bigger issue is that the basic structures of life are more relational than individual. Each human person …

A Month of Inspirers (6) – The Celts

Or to be precise, Celtic Christianity. One of the fascinations of Celtic Christianity is that there's a lot that we don't know! But many people find what we do know both intriguing and inspiring, pushing us out into unchartered waters, like the Celtic Christians used to do. The image for this post is taken from …

The Spiritualities of Christianity – Suffering and Healing

The experience of pain is universal – from life’s first cry to the end.  And spirituality in the Christian traditions does not flinch from this reality of life. El Greco’s image above, or this even more harrowing image by Grunewald, are classic examples. These beautiful words from the New Testament are a fine commentary on …

The Spiritualities of Christianity – Lectio Divina

“Lectio Divina” is a method of transcending “paralysis by analysis”, and it can be very exciting for people today to discover a totally new way of reading a spiritual text. “Lectio” used to be practised by monks hundreds of years ago, and was a method of prayerfully reading the Bible. It is not skimming, or …

The Spiritualities of Christianity – Spiritual Conflict

Bosch, 'The Temptation of St. Anthony" Spirituality can be about silence, inner peace and universal love.  But it can also be about conflict: temptations, trials, doubts, pain and death. Bosch’s painting “The Temptations of St. Anthony” (above)explores this well.  St. Anthony is actually alone in the desert, praying.  But he is not alone.  His world …