Tag: Christian formation

Rugged Hope

Posted on by Michael Rose
  The Psalmist once wrote that hope deferred makes the heart sick. The Old Testament is full of stories of a people who wrestled with hope. In the face of crushing defeats, plagues, exile, and captivity after captivity these people persevered. They managed through generations of tragedy to find the grace to persevere when many…
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Discovering Thin Places

Posted on by Michael Rose
“Thin places” is a 5th-century Celtic Christian term used to describe geographical places where it seems that space between Heaven and Earth are uniquely thin.  The Thin places could be in a building, a cave, on a mountain top or by the sea shore.  It is the place where we become acutely aware of the…
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Excavating Your True Self

Posted on by Michael Rose
There’s a lot of mystery and often a lot of confusion when we start to speak about one’s “True Self.” Depending upon your religious background, this can be relatively normal, completely bizarre and for some quite dubious. However, in the sense of healthy Christian faith, the pursuit of the authentic self is simply discovering and…
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Blind Faith – Merton’s Prayer

Posted on by Michael Rose
The following is a prayer by Thomas Merton found in his book entitled Thoughts in Solitude.  Thomas Merton was an influential 20th-century Catholic author, popular spiritual writer, poet, author and social activist.  A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, in Kentucky, Merton was a prolific writer penning over 60 books and many essays….
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Cracks – A Spiritual Exercise

Posted on by Michael Rose
The following is a short spiritual exercise that will help you engage a little deeper with God. Take a couple of deep breaths and in prayer, invite Jesus into this time. Begin reading the poem below entitled “Cracks” by David Bookless.  This first reading is to help you get a sense of the entire piece. Now, read…
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