The Rosary

So far, the sacred practices I’ve explored here have all been ones with which I’ve had at least some experience. This week I’ve entered what is for me uncharted territory, a practice that is beloved by millions around the world, but has always confounded and confused me. This week, I am practicing praying the Rosary. … Continue reading The Rosary

Questions from the Nones

I wrote earlier this week about my concerns about what I’ve seen from the Church’s attitude to religious ‘nones’, and more specifically to those who identify as ‘spiritual-but-not-religious.’ In this post I’d like to take a more positive approach, and look at some of the important lessons we might take from the rise of the … Continue reading Questions from the Nones

Examination of Conscience

Lent is a time of a preparation and self-appraisal, a time to see as clearly as we can the lay of the land of our souls. One tool that I have found helpful in this process, whether in preparation for sacramental confession or just to be more aware of the business I have to do … Continue reading Examination of Conscience

Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian

This week was the first full week of Lent, and so I wanted the practice for this week to be a specifically Lenten practice. And, since I first encountered it twelve years ago, no practice has jumped out at me as being ‘more’ Lenten, than the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian. The famed … Continue reading Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian