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“Your love is better than wine . . . My beloved is mine and I am His.” Song of Solomon “In every person lies a zone of solitude that no human intimacy can fill: and there God encounters us.”  Brother Roger of Taize Are you in love with God? I remember once a person who…

(Luke 10:25-37) “And who is my neighbor?”  The lawyer’s question in Luke 10 “The longest and most difficult journey we’ll ever take is the distance between our head and our heart.” I know, I’m supposed to be writing about the next obstacle to contemplation.  That’s what was on my mind.  But God put something else…

Number One: The Illusion of a Distant God “You were within me, and I was outside of myself.” “God is not far from any of us.” St. Paul How did you do with your contemplative practice this week?  Did you designate a “closet” in which to go and have sweet, silent, sacred contemplative communion with…

“Be Still and know that I Am God.”  Psalm 46 “The only language God hears is the silent language of love.” St. John of the Cross “The sound of silence.”  Simon and Garfunkel What is the value of silence for you? When was the last time you experienced silence?  Deliberately. What role does silence play…

“Behold I Am with you always.”  Jesus the Christ “Contemplation is a knowledge of God that is impregnated with love.” St. Gregory the Great How would you describe contemplation?  It’s not a word we encounter often, is it?  It’s certainly an idea foreign to much of modern-day Christian culture, and perhaps it’s not a concept…

“Truly, the Mystery of Godliness is Great.”  St. Paul “If you love everything, you will perceive the Divine Mystery in things.”  Fyodor Dostoevsky The Celts Loved the Trinity.  We see this clearly reflected not only in their theological writings about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but also in the way they recognized the Trinity…

“And for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.  And you will go out and frolic like well=fed calves.” The Prophet Malachi “That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus . . . and Jesus himself came and walked with them.” …

“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.”  Isaiah 55:1 “Deep communion and dear compassion is formed much more by shared pain than by shared pleasure.”  Richard Rohr Every Tuesday the Iona Community hosts an island pilgrimage.  It is not so much a trek as a contemplative walk.  It provides participants with the opportunity to consider…

“The Son of Righteousness appears with healing in hIs wings” The Prophet Malachi “And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to perform healing.” Luke 9 I had intended to tell you about a couple of people in need of healing that I met at Iona.  But considering the ongoing war…

“Go in peace, your faith has healed you.”  Jesus “You cannot heal what you don’t first acknowledge.”  Richard Rohr in “Breathing Underwater Iona is a place of healing.  Deep healing. It was founded as such. St. Columba arrived on its shores in 563 desperately in need of healing.  He had been banished from his native…