Carl McColman's Blog, page 37

A Hidden Life: Terrence Malick’s Heartbreaking, Essential, Contemplative Film

Terrence Malick is arguably the most contemplative director working in Hollywood today. Films likeThe Tree of LifeandTo The Wonderinvite the viewer into Malick’s unique and perhaps idiosyncratic vision, combining strikingly beautiful cinematography with an impressionistic approach to the film’s story, resulting in an almost dreamlike narrative arc. Malick’s films don’t seem to tell stories so much as to invite the viewer into the middle of them.

His work has been described as “sacramental”...

Ora et Labora and Right Livelihood: Some Notes Toward a Contemplative Spirituality of Work

Most of us spend a lot of time working — so what is the spirituality of work? And how does work impact, or integrate with, our spiritual practice?

The motto of Benedictine monasticism isOra et Labora. It’s Latin for, “Prayer and Work” or “Prayer and Labor.” I love how theora is actually found withinlabora, suggesting that prayer is (or can/should be) a part of work.

Compare this to the noble eightfold path of Buddhism: the Buddha’s prescription for how to balance one’s life in the interest of...

What We Need for Union with God

Recently I posted this quote from Fr. Thomas Keating on Facebook:

If you’re curious about the source of this quote, it is found on page 71 of Open Mind, Open Heart.

In response, one reader posted this question as a comment:

Carl, what, in practice, does divine union actually mean? Surely we’ll be totally at one with God only in the next life?

It’s a fair question, especially for anyone who has been taught that there is a terrible chasm that separates us from God (such teaching typically...

The Chrysalis and the Butterfly: A New Way to Think About the Relationship Between Spirituality and Religion

“I’m spiritual but not religious.” It’s an increasingly common way for people to identify their relationship to spirituality (as a system for personal growth) and religion (as an institution that requires membership, conformity, and submission). The younger you are, the more likely you will agree that this statement describes you.

It’s ubiquitous enough that it’s recognizable simply by its initials: “S.B.N.R.”

Other ways of describing this is “spiritually independent” and “the Nones” — a...

Altamont, Auschwitz, Bethlehem, and My Lai — The Challenge of Contemplating the Dark Side

1969 was quite a year, and so in 2019 we’ve had plenty of “50th Anniversary” moments: marking the fiftieth anniversary of the first humans on the moon, of the Woodstock Festival, and of the Beatles’ last recorded album,Abbey Road. It was the year that Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Sesame Street premiered on television, and some movies from this year includedMidnight Cowboy,Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Easy Rider. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsand Kurt Vonnegut’s...

For a Contemplative, Looking for a Spiritual Community to Call Home

A reader recently wrote this to me on Facebook:

I’ve been on a spiritual journey for some time now probably for about eight years. The last five years it has gotten more and more intense and I have traveled / practiced within various paths that have led me to various religions and spiritual practices but I seem to be having difficulty finding one that resonates with me. Every time I seem to find a path there is some form of religious dogma that comes from it that deters me and has me thinking...

A Question for Discernment: What Do We Need to Do to Make Mysticism Mainstream?

It’s the first Sunday of Advent. So liturgically speaking, it’s a new church year. Happy new year!

In the spirit of making a new year’s resolution, I’d like a pose a question for discernment. I don’t have the answer to this question, certainly not all the answers. This is question that I think everyone who is drawn to contemplation and mysticism needs to be working on, together. The way we answer this question will give us insight into the “new year’s resolutions” we need to be making, as...

Poetry, Meditations, and Contemplative Encouragement (the Perks of Being a Patron)

December 3, 2019 is “Giving Tuesday.” It’s a day designed to highlight the many worthy non-profit and charitable organizations that deserve our support — not just in December, but throughout the year.

May I humbly suggest that, on this Giving Tuesday, you might also consider supporting a creative professional — a writer (like me), or some other artist whose work brings joy to many people?

You probably know that my work as a bloggeris primarily funded through Patreon, a membership website for...

My Christmas Recommendations for 2019: Books to Give to the Contemplatives You Love

Here’s a list of books published in the last eighteen months on a variety of contemplative themes. Most of these books are anchored in the Christian tradition, although several have a strong inter-spiritual themes as well. Their theologies and approach to spirituality vary, as one might expect from any collection of twenty interesting and thoughtful books. But what they all have in common is a recognition that contemplative prayer and mystical spirituality matter. I am confident that there is...

Revisiting Grace: A New Edition of Writings and Photographs from a Trappist Monk

If you are looking for a wonderful Christmas gift idea, I’ve got a suggestion for you: the newly released “Memorial Edition” ofGrace Revisited: Epiphanies from a Trappist Monk by Fr. James Stephen Behrens, OCSO.

The new edition of Grace Revisited. Cover photograph by Fr. James.

Father James passed away suddenly earlier this year; you can read my obituary for him here: Remembering the Monk Who Wrote About Grace. At the time of his passing, all of Fr. James’s books were out of print, but the...