Fathers, Daughters and St. Thérèse

By Nancy Ward

 

An interview with Connie Rossini, author of Trusting God with St. Thérèse.

Connie gives practical advice for overcoming fears and frustrations that hamper our relationship with God. I asked her about her father-daughter relationship as compared to that of Louis Martin and his daughter St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Nancy: Thérèse was blessed with parents who were “more worthy of heaven than of earth.” Thérèse had a special relationship with her father, who called her, “my Queen.” She formed her image of God from her father who never denied her love, affection and care. How did your father-daughter relationship compare to this?

Connie: In some ways, my relationship with my father when I was growing up was miles apart from the relationship between Thérèse and Louis. I am very quiet and reserved. As a child, I was also timid. My dad, in contrast, was outgoing and frank. He was also the primary disciplinarian. My mom often said, "Wait till your dad gets home!" I grew nervous around him. I avoided talking to him about any serious subjects.

In my book, I tell how my dad left me home alone when I was about five. When he returned about an hour later, he didn't show any sympathy for my fears. So that didn't help my relationship with him or God.

Read the entire interview at JOYAlive.net

How to behave in these end times

St. John the Evangelist’s Vision of Heaven by Alonso Cano
(Wikimedia Commons). No matter what times we live in,
our basic duty as Christians remains the same.

Another friend on Facebook this weekend was bemoaning all the struggles in the world right now. I say another, because this happens often. Something is wrong with the world and many of us sense it.

The other night I watched an interview with the journalist who introduced Edward Snowdon to the world. When she spoke of how the government was watching her every move, trying to force her to reveal her sources, I was eerily reminded of the fight for religious liberty. Priests are being subpoenaed to break the seal of Confession. Pastors in Houston have had their sermons subpoenaed. The Bill of Rights is crumbling.

Isis is beheading Christians in the Middle East. The last week saw terrorist attacks in the US and Canada. There’s an Ebola epidemic, great moral decay, and the scandal over the relatio from the Synod on the Family.

Are we living in the end times?

Are these the end times?

This answer is unequivocally yes.

Since the Ascension God’s plan has entered into its fulfillment. We are already at ‘the last hour.’ ‘Already the final age of the world is with us, and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; it is even now anticipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect.'” (CCC 670)

The end times began 2000 years ago.

Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Should we sit quietly during prayer? (Part 1 of 3)

By Connie Rossini 

A Hermit Praying in the Ruins of a Roman Temple by Hubert Robert

Last week I wrote about St. Teresa’s of Avila’s method of mental prayer. Today I want to discuss misunderstandings about prayer from a different angle. Since we desire contemplation, should we sit still in prayer and wait for it? Should we try to make it happen by quieting our minds? Like last Friday’s post, this series speaks to the differences between Carmelite teaching and Centering Prayer, yoga, and other types of meditation influenced by eastern religions.

Some people falsely equate silence with supernatural (infused) contemplation. They read about the need for interior silence in prayer, and they mistakenly think that if they sit quietly, God will necessarily bestow contemplation upon them. They equate the peace they find in silence to communion with God.

The Vatican has cautioned us about certain methods of prayer

In 1989, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation. Here is what the document says about silence:

Similar methods of meditation, on the other hand, including those which have their starting-point in the words and deeds of Jesus, try as far as possible to put aside everything that is worldly, sense perceptible or conceptually limited. It is thus an attempt to ascend to or immerse oneself in the sphere of the divine, which, as such, is neither terrestrial, sense-perceptible nor capable of conceptualization.” (11)

Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Did Teresa of Avila teach Centering Payer?

By Connie Rossini

St. Teresa's Transverberation by Joefa de Obidos (Wikimedia Commons)

Last winter on social media, I came across another Catholic author who was promoting yoga. Not as an exercise program, but for spiritual growth. I was shocked. I asked her why she wasn’t promoting prayer instead. She answered, “Meditation is prayer!”

Nope.

Two months ago, my brother forwarded an email from a colleague, asking about Centering Prayer. A friend was pushing it relentlessly. I looked at the website of the Catholic group that promotes Centering Prayer and found this in the FAQs:

This form of prayer was first practiced and taught by the Desert Fathers of Egypt … the Carmelites St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux…

Nonsense.

The other day a new reader asked in the comments about meditating on Sacred Scripture. “Is this the same as the method of Fr. John Main, who has adapted an Eastern mantra method for Christian meditation?”

Uh-uh.

I have written a little on this topic before, but I think it’s time to revisit it. Let’s start with Teresa of Avila.


Continue reading at Connie's blog Contemplative Homeschool.

Win a signed print copy of Trusting God with St. Therese!

 By Connie Rossini

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the day! Happy Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Trusting God with St. Therese is now available on Amazon for the Kindle and in print.  For the time being (at least the next 90 days) the ebook will be exclusive to Amazon. However, the paperback should be available soon at Barnes and Noble and other online retailers. I hope to see it in some Catholic bookstores as well. And those of you who are local or who know me personally are always welcome to purchase the paperback directly from me as well.

The last 14 months writing and publishing this book have been busy but rewarding. I pray you will find them rewarding for you too. I really believe it will help almost everyone but those very advanced in the spiritual life to come closer to Christ.

Now for the fun stuff!


Visit Contemplative Homeschool to enter the contest and see the other contests and events marking the release of  Trusting God with St. Therese.

A sad anniversary and a free chapter of Trusting God with St. Therese

By Connie Rossini

This is my family (plus two friends) on June 10, 1974.
I’m the one with the braids in the front.
Terri is behind me next to our mom.

Here is how our car looked thirty minutes later.

Today is the fortieth anniversary of one of the saddest events in my life so far. On June 10, 1974, our family was driving to the annual Catholic Charismatic Conference at the University of Notre Dame. We began our journey in Spokane, Washington, where we had spent a weekend on retreat. Just outside Missoula, Montana, the car rolled over three times, landing in the median of the freeway. I was in the back with the seat down and no seat belt. So were two of my siblings and two friends.

I ended up with stitches in my leg and a bump on my head. My sister Terri, who had been sitting next to me, was thrown from the car and died. She was ten years old.

Why did God let this happen? Didn’t He know where we had come from and where we were going? Hadn’t He heard Terri’s voice, when she had volunteered that morning to pray for a safe trip?


Continue to Connie's blog to receive your free chapter of Trusting God with St. Therese.

Is there a magic bullet to holiness?

By Connie Rossini

"I am St. Therese's Jesus. If anyone is a little
one, let him come to me."

 


I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a magic bullet to bring me closer to God. Let’s be honest: the Christian life can be a slog. Day in, day out, struggling against sin and making little measurable progress. I’m always looking for the secret to help me reach sanctity faster. But is there one?

St. Therese asked herself this same question. She sought a fast way to climb the ladder to Heaven, as it were. The Little Way of Spiritual Childhood was her discovery. She said that if she made herself little, Jesus could lift her up in His arms. His arms would be her elevator to help her advance quickly.

But there is a catch. As much as we might think the Little Way means Jesus does all the work for us, we still have to strive against ourselves. The Little Way is not magic. We can’t just say a few words and be instant saints.

This is challenging. When I first committed myself to daily mental prayer, I thought I had found the magic bullet. After all, St. John of the Cross said that people who devote themselves to prayer “very soon” enter the dark night of the senses and the illuminative way.

But I have been praying faithfully for over twenty years now, and I’m still not there. What gives?


Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Submit your best spirituality post for a 2013 Frankie Award!

By Connie Rossini

Have you written a blog post on Catholic spirituality that your readers loved? Has another blogger's post inspired you to grow closer to Christ? Now is the time to nominate yourself or them for a 2013 Frankie Award.

Named in honor of the great spiritual director and patron saint of journalists St. Francis de Sales, the Frankie Award recognizes the best in Catholic spiritual writing. The award winner will receive a special badge to proudly display on his or her blog, along with a $10 gift certificate to Mystic Monk Coffee. Plus, the winning post will be posted in full here at CSBN. I will promote it on social media and encourage CSBN members and our readers to do so as well.

Eligibility Rules

1. The author must be a Catholic whose writing never deviates from the Church in matters of faith and morals. His or her blog can focus on any topic within these guidelines.
2. The article must be about Catholic spirituality--not politics, the liturgy, apologetics, theology, current events, etc.
   
3.  The article must have been posted on the internet between November 1, 2012 and October 31, 2013. Posts to the author's blog, guest posts, group blogs, online magazines, etc., are all eligible.
   
4.  The author must own the copyright to the piece and agree to have it posted in full at CSBN should he or she win.
5. The author must agree to post the Frankie Award badge on the sidebar of his or her site for at least one month, beginning 10 days after the contest ends if not sooner. 
6. All authors or nominators agree to visit and read each of the posts nominated. I have no way to check that you did this, so you are on your honor.
7. Entrees close on November 15, 2013 at midnight PST.
8. You may nominate your own post or another person's. All the above rules apply to either option.
9. I and my immediate family are ineligible to enter.

How to Enter

• Like the Facebook page of Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network, sign up for email alerts, or follow me on Twitter.
• Send the link by email to cspirituality@gmail.com. Include your name, and the author's name and website address. Use the subject line "Frankie."

 

 Voting 

 

I will post the nominated articles here with links on Tuesday, November 19, 2013. You will then be able to vote for one post you think exemplifies the finest writing and/or most inspiring or informative words about growing closer to Christ. The post with the most votes wins. If there is a tie, I will give the deciding vote. Otherwise I will not be voting.

 

Voting ends on December 3, 2013.

 

Please promote this contest on social media and your blogs. Encourage your readers to nominate your posts and to vote for them.

 

 I can't wait to see your posts!

Connie Rossini is the administrator of Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network. She blogs on Carmelite spirituality and raising contemplative kids at Contemplative Homeschool.

Harden not your hearts

By Connie Rossini

Moses Smites the Rock in the Desert by Tissot (photo credit:Wikimedia Commons)

"If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts." This Psalm response from Sunday's Mass is familiar to those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office). Taken from Psalm 95, it is part of the Invitatory prayed every morning. This verse helps me immensely in my spiritual life. It reminds me always to be open to God's grace.

I get easily overwhelmed when I think about all the obligations of the spiritual life. I need to pray every day and pray well. I must be detached from everything except God. I must answer my children with love, work diligently, be considerate of my husband's needs, refrain from gossip, be humble... Yikes! The phlegmatic part of me can't handle all that at once.

Over the last year, God has shown me how to reduce these obligations to just one: trust. I must believe in and accept His plan for me at every moment. Another way of saying this is I must have an open heart.

 

Don't look for grace before you need it

Corrie Ten Boom, who survived Dachau's horrors, wrote her family's story in The Hiding Place. I love the tale she tells about her conversation with her father concerning death. As a little girl, she was distraught at the thought her beloved father would someday leave her:

I burst into tears, “I need you!” I sobbed. “You can't die! You can't!”

“Corrie,” he began gently. “When you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?”

“Why, just before we get on the train.”

“Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need – just in time.”

I don't need to think about all the things God is asking me to do throughout the day. I only need to recognize what He is asking me to do at this moment. Grace exists in the present moment. It is available when we need it, not before. What is God's will right now?


Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

Creating a community through your blog

By Connie Rossini

Portrait of Two Friends By Pontormo (photo credit: Wikipedia).

Since it's the first of the month, I'm again writing from the Catholic Bloggers' School (aka my home office) about how we can better spread the Gospel through our blogs. This month, we're discussing building a community, particularly through using the comments box.

Invite your readers to comment

 

Community requires two-way communication. If you want your readers to feel a connection with you and your blog so that they keep visiting and tell others about it, you should encourage them to voice their opinions.

Try to ask your readers a question related to your post. When a reader asks you for advice in the comments box,  invite the rest of your audience to respond. That way, readers begin interacting with each other, as well as with you.

Reply to every comment

 

When I first started blogging, I frequented some of the most popular Catholic blogs. Since those bloggers rarely responded to comments, I had the same practice. Of course, some of them receive hundreds of comments a day, whereas I was lucky to get one or two per post at that time.

After a few months, I discovered some of the wonderful blogs written by (future) CSBN members. I was surprised to see that they responded to each comment. I started doing the same. Not only has this encouraged more people to chime in, I feel much more connected to those readers I have never met in person. I am getting to know a bit about some of them that I would never have known otherwise. I feel like less of a teacher and more of a friend.

Always be charitable

 

Not every Catholic blogger gives a good example of charity in the comments box. That's a shame. We are trying to spread the Gospel, so we should live it. If someone's comments anger you, take time to calm down and pray before you reply. You might be surprised at the result.

A few weeks ago, I had a comment from someone who blogs on the "errors" of the Catholic Church. I did not try to persuade him of the truth of Church teaching, but looked for what we had in common, and emphasized that. We had a few exchanges, before ending very charitably. He even said, "God bless you!" at the end. I could have made this into an argument that turned us against each other. Thank God for the grace to do things right!

Learn from your readers

 

Twice I have made the mistake of forgetting the question I had asked readers to comment on. Both times  I misinterpreted what my reader said, because I wasn't looking back at the question. I was taking her words out of context. And, yes, it was the same reader both times! She still follows me, God bless her, and I hope I've learned my lesson.

Last week a reader wrote "LOTH" in the comments box. It took me a few moments to translate that into Liturgy of the Hours. When I responded, I also wrote "LOTH." Then another reader had to ask me what the acronym meant. Oops! I should have realized that if I didn't understand it right away (and I pray from the LOTH daily), other readers wouldn't either. The comments are not just for the blogger's benefit, but for all your readers. Make sure you are clear.

I am going to make a point of explaining any terms that may be unfamiliar in my or a reader's comments. I realized that some of them might not be familiar with the Liturgy of the Hours at all, so I briefly explained what it is. Then another reader provided information about the Divine Office app.

Ask readers for clarification

 

I recently read that to make the comments box more interesting, you should ask your readers for more information about their comment. Could they explain themselves further? Give an example? Recommend a resource? When you ask a specific question of an individual, you begin learning about the person, not just his or her view of your blog post. You are likely to have a longer, more memorable conversation. You show you care about their lives. This forms a stronger bond. It can also give you ideas for future posts, as you discover what your readers really care about.

Do you have any more tips on interacting with your readers? Can you give us an example of a particularly interesting or fruitful exchange?


Connie Rossini is the administrator of Catholic Spiritual Blogs Network. Her personal blog is  Contemplative Homeschool.

3 Conversions of the purgative way

By Connie Rossini

Teresa of Avila by Peter Paul Rubens (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Going through old files today, I came across a Secular Carmelite newsletter from 1997. In it our community’s spiritual director wrote about the three stages of conversion in the purgative way. His source was Fr. Benedict Groeschel’s Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development. I am using Fr. Groeschel’s book as a source for the book I am currently writing on St. Therese. The co-incidence made me feel God wanted me to share this with you.

It’s good to know where you are in the spiritual life–not so you can compare yourself with others, but so you my know you’re not alone. It helps me to realize that what I am experiencing is typical of a certain stage. Sometimes it encourages me. Other times it confirms what I have been doing. Still other times it shows me the next step I should take.

3 stages of the interior life

The spiritual life is traditionally divided into three major stages. The first, known as the purgative way, is a time of purification from sin. The second stage is the illuminative way. God enlightens the mind to know His will more clearly and gives the soul the gift of supernatural contemplation. Finally, there is the unitive way, in which the soul is almost constantly aware of God’s presence. Finally she has the power to closely conform herself to His will.


Continue reading at Connie's blog Contemplative Homeschool.

Blog titles that say "Click on me."

By Connie Rossini

 
 

Choose your title for maximum readership. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

 
 This post is part of our monthly series, Catholic Bloggers' School.
 

 Avoid flowery language

Members of CSBN know that I sometimes change the titles of their posts on our site. Partly from reading posts about blogging, partly from watching the stats on this blog, I have learned a lot about the types of titles that draw readers in. A good title will bring readers from Pinterest, Google+, Facebook, and Twitter. It will make your subscribers open their email sooner.


Titles that work well for creative writing don't often work for blogs. For example, I'd love to write a post called Blogging in Borrioboola-Gha. If you're not a fan of Charles Dickens, that title would likely puzzle you. Some people might click on it just out of curiosity. But how many people would search for "Borrioboola-Gha"? A better title on the same subject might be Family Before Blog. That's not as creative or interesting, but it conveys to a wider audience what the post is about. And someone might even Google it.

You don't want to bring just any traffic to your site. You want to bring people who are actually interested in what you have to say. Make it easy for them to find you.

Ask a question

Do you know your ruling grace? Are you a jackass for Christ? Can you love God for just one minute? These are three of our recent posts at CSBN.

 When your title is a question, readers want to discover the answer. Make sure you give it to them, or give them the tools to find out for themselves!

How to ...

Starting your title with "How to" lets readers know they will learn something from your writing. If you are running out of ideas for your blog, brainstorm a list of how-to posts. You could get a lot of hits from searches this way.

Numbered lists

If your post is about saints who are known for answering prayers, title it 5 Saints Who Never Fail You. If you're making suggestions for All Saints' Day dinner, call it 3 Delicious Recipes for All Saints' Day. I have done posts beginning with 4 tips, 3 ways, and 5 reasons. These titles are easy to remember if readers want to return to your blog in the future. Your tips are also easier to remember in a list.

Titles are not the most important part of your blog post, but without a good title few may click on it. It doesn't matter how good your post is if no one reads it.

Everyone can be a saint

by Connie Rossini

 

I’ve been re-reading St. Therese’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul. Almost at the beginning she writes about her view of the “world of souls” as a flower garden. She is one little flower in it, surrounded by others. Each has its own size, color, strength, and beauty.

“[God] has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.”

It’s easy to have spiritual envy. We read about the graces God gave St. Therese and think, “That’s not fair. Why didn’t He give such graces to me? I’d like to be a saint too.”

But notice that Therese does not mention any soul in God’s garden who was not made to be a saint–just greater and lesser saints. We all have different graces, but we are all called to be saints.

St. Paul wrote:

“If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable…” (1 Corinthians 12:17-22).

Are you weak? You are indispensable to God’s plan for the Church!


Continue reading at Connie's blog  Contemplative Homeschool.

Practical mysticism

by Connie Rossini

St. Francis de Sales (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).

CSBN has been running a series on spiritual idiolects, a phrase I coined to mean the unique way each person relates to God. I hope that you will find "kindred spirits" in these posts, and be drawn to follow bloggers who have a similar spirituality to yours--or those whose are surprisingly different.

My spiritual idiolect is practical mysticism. I've always hated the saying, "He's so heavenly minded that he's no earthly good." The truly heavenly minded do the most earthly good. Think of St. Therese, who even wanted to do earthly good while in Heaven. She reached the heights of the prayer life, and actively loved her neighbors. That's what I aspire to. I want to be a contemplative wife and mother. I want to love God and my neighbor.

I loved St. Therese from the first time I read about her as a child. Her personality appealed to the romantic idealist in me.

Later, my older sister urged me to read Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. Now, there's a great book! St. Francis taught lay people how they could be saints, giving them tips on every area of life. How do you know when temptation becomes sin? How can you practice Christian meditation? How can a lay person live in the world and be properly detached from it? St. Francis answers all these questions. I need concrete direction. That's why I love St. Francis.

The next saintly influence on my spiritual idiolect came from Teresa of Avila. Although I didn't really understand The Interior Castle the first time I read it, it drew me to a life of prayer. Eventually, I joined the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. They explained St. Teresa's teaching to me. They also introduced me to St. John of the Cross.

Today I am no longer OCDS, but I am thoroughly Carmelite in my spirituality. St. John in particular taught that mysticism is not a matter of visions, locutions, and altered states. Rather, it is a matter of a deep communion with God in prayer. Aspiring to be mystics as the world sees mysticism can be dangerous. Aspiring to grow in prayer is the call of every Christian.

Now I try to give practical spiritual help to others through my blog and ebooks. (I'm working on a full-length one right now to add to my short ebook published in June.) I like to teach people, including children, about the differences between true and false mysticism, Christian and eastern meditation, and Christian and pagan asceticism and detachment. I am striving to be holy in the little things of every day life. I am working to be heavenly minded and earthly good.


Connie Rossini is the administrator of Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network. Her personal blog is  Contemplative Homeschool.

Mary pondered all these things--do you?

by Connie Rossini

The presentation of Christ in the Temple by Duccio (photo in public domain).

There are many types of devotion to Mary. Carmelites honor Mary by imitating her. In particular, they imitate her way of meditating on the great things that God has done.

Luke’s Gospel tells us twice that “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” She was the first contemplative Christian.  What did she ponder? What God had done for her, and what He was doing in and through her Son.

Here are some concrete ways you can live a more contemplative life, following Mary’s example:

Pray with the Scriptures

Read a short passage from the Bible. Imagine yourself as part of it. Listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to teach you through the passage. Then talk to God about it. This is known as Christian meditation, and is one form of mental prayer. Make the Gospels your primary source for meditation. Center it on Christ, as Mary did.

Study the Bible

Use a good Catholic commentary or study Bible to help you dig deeper into Scripture. The Navarre Bible contains a good mix of background information, theology, and practical helps for your spiritual life.

Memorize Bible verses

You must repeat a verse over many times in order to memorize it. Let it sink deeply into your mind and heart. Then quote it to yourself or aloud at appropriate times.



Continue reading at Connie's blog  Contemplative Homeschool.

Good-bye Amazon store, hello Goodreads group

by Connie Rossini

Madonna des Kanonikusby Jan van Eyck (photo in public domain).

Beginning July 1, Minnesota, the state where I live, is charging sales tax for online purchases from major retailers with a presence in the state. Amazon does not want to deal with charging sales tax, so the company ended its relationship with all affiliates in Minnesota. This means the CSBN Amazon Store is defunct.

I've been looking for other ways CSBN authors can promote our published books and e-books as a group. Yesterday (Saturday, July 13) I set up a new Catholic Spirituality Books group on Goodreads.

If you're not familiar with Goodreads, it's a book review and discussion site. You can rate books, write full-scale reviews, recommend them to friends, and join discussion groups. If you are an author, Goodreads will provide you with an author's page that showcases your work and includes your latest blog post.

The Catholic Spirituality Books Group is a place where anyone can join a discussion of books about orthodox Catholic spirituality. I have started discussion topics for each CSBN published author. You are free to organize a chapter-by-chapter reading of a book or have less formal conversations. You can link to book reviews on your blog, keep readers up to date on your latest projects, and poll fellow members. I haven't explored all the possibilities yet.

Please join us at Goodreads. Be aware that, like other social media, it can suck up all your time, if you allow it to. But it can also be a tool for evangelization.

As for a new store at CSBN, I will continue to look at new opportunities for ways to offer our books to blog followers.


Connie Rossini is administrator of Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network. She blogs at  Contemplative Homeschool.

Start your prayer with this image

by Connie Rossini

Detail from The Last Supper by Valentin de Boulogne (photo in Public Domain).

 

Are you tired of your prayer being a shopping list read to God? Are you yearning for something more meaningful? Use this image of John the Apostle leaning on Christ’s heart to place yourself in God’s presence.

Imagine yourself in John’s place. Feel Christ’s peace surround you. Set aside your cares and concerns and immerse yourself in His love.  Offer your love in return.

For some people, this may be all you need to have a heart-to-heart half hour with God. For others, this will be an introduction to prayer, a means of calming yourself and setting aside distractions. You may then prayerfully read a passage from the Bible or other good spiritual book. Talk to Jesus about what you read. Love Him in and through it.

You are now on your way to a rewarding new prayer life.


Originally posted at Connie's blog  Contemplative Homeschool.

Catholic Bloggers' School: Appearances matter

by Connie Rossini

This post is part of a monthly series to help our members and other Catholic bloggers improve our blogs for the glory of God.

Painting by Albert Anker (photo in Public Domain).

There are two good reasons to make your blog visually pleasing. The first is evangelization. Fr. Robert Barron has said that evangelizing in today's climate should begin with Beauty, rather than truth or goodness. Beauty attracts people who may not otherwise have their hearts and minds open to the faith. The second reason is more practical. If your blog is hard to read, surfers may skip right on by, no matter how great the content of your posts.

Over the past several years, my husband and I have researched basic design principles for both old and new media. Here are some tips I'd like to share with you.

The easiest text to read is black type on a white background

There is a reason newspapers and books are generally black and white. Tests since the 1980s have shown that this is the easiest combination to read. Now, some people say that color combinations on the computer are a little different, because so much light comes from the monitor that people who spend hours looking at white backgrounds get eye strain. But generally, white (or other very light) text should be kept to things like titles, rather than large blocks of text.

There should always be good contrast between your text and background colors. And using bright colors as a background for your text--especially when the text is white--is not only hard on the eyes. It also emphasizes your background, not your words. Presumably, your words are the most important thing on the page, unless you are posting audio or video content. Keep distractions from your text to a minimum.

Don't distract your readers with patterns, garish colors, and animation

We don't need to add to the ADD problems rampant in our culture. Give your blog a clean look. Minimalist blogs can be very effective. If your readers' eyes are constantly wandering away from your post, how will your words sink in?

I like to use colors on my blogs, but I make sure they will compliment a variety of photos and convey a  meditative mood. I have always favored purple, and I learned a few years back that in color psychology, purple is said to represent spirituality--hence, the blue-purple wallpaper here.

Use beautiful pictures

At CSBN, I try to find one great work of art to illustrate each post. This not only makes the page attractive, it also helps us get lots of hits from people who see the photos on Pinterest.

As a side note, we should respect the copyright of others' work. Not every photo you find on the web should be "borrowed" for your blog. Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia have countless photos that are in the Public Domain or Creative Commons that you can use. I almost always add a caption that lets my readers know I respect copyright laws. Photographers and artists appreciate this! Some are trying to make a living off their work. Don't use it without proper permission.

Don't forget white space

You'll notice that all our posts here have lots of white space at the top. White space gives the eyes a chance to rest. It makes your blog feel peaceful. It makes your photos and text pop out more from the screen. This is an old, well-known design trick.

Be consistent

Readers should recognize your blog by its design.  It's okay to tweak things and make changes infrequently, but overdoing it may chase readers away. Your blog design is a reflection of yourself. Readers enjoy getting to know the personality on the other side of the monitor. Don't confuse them.

Although we have eighteen bloggers now at CSBN, I use the same font and general layout for all our posts here. Our group blog has its own character, just as our individual blogs do.

These are just a few design basics to get you thinking. You don't have to hire a professional designer, nor go beyond the free templates at Blogger or WordPress to have an attractive blog. But it does require some thought. Remember that your content is ultimately more important than your design. Let the latter serve the former, not the other way around.

What is mental prayer and how can you do it?

by Connie Rossini

St. Therese of Lisieux (photo in public domain).

 


Catholics divide prayer into 2 broad categories – vocal and mental. Vocal prayer includes prayers written for recitation. Mental prayer is prayer in one’s own words.

St. Teresa of Avila wrote, “Mental prayer, in my view, is nothing but friendly intercourse, and frequent solitary converse, with Him Who we know loves us.” St. Thérèse of Lisieux likewise wrote, “With me prayer is an uplifting of the heart; a glance towards heaven; a cry of gratitude and love, uttered equally in sorrow and in joy.”

Catholics are generally comfortable with vocal prayer, but mental prayer can leave us at a loss. How can you spend 20 minutes or more in prayer without a pre-written text? How can you keep your prayer from becoming mere rambling?

St. Teresa strives to make mental prayer simple and accessible to all. Since each soul is unique, each person’s prayer is unique as well. There is no one-size-fits-all model. The method of mental prayer takes 2nd place to the attitude of the heart. Still, for beginners especially, a general format to follow is helpful.


Continue reading at  Contemplative Homeschool  for a suggested method of mental prayer.

7 ways to make time for prayer

by Connie Rossini

St. Francis in Prayer Before the Crucifix  by El Greco (Photo:Wikimedia Commons).

Are you having trouble finding time for prayer every day? Here are some suggestions.

1. Ask yourself whether daily prayer is your top priority.

If you don’t see the need for prayer, you won’t be faithful to it. Prayer doesn’t take us away from our duties; it gives us strength to fulfill them. No matter what your vocation or how busy it keeps you, God wants to strengthen you in it through prayer. If you have a hard time seeing the importance of prayer, (re-)read Why should you pray?.

2. Simplify your life.

We are all too busy with work, volunteering, and socializing. Cut out some of your unnecessary activities. Reduce the number of events you chauffeur your kids to. In extreme cases, you may have to consider a job change so work doesn’t devour your life. Do whatever you must to slow down and refocus your life on Christ. You won’t be sorry you did.

What about material possessions? Do you own so much that you spend all your “free” time caring for your stuff? Give some of your goods to the poor and really free up your time. What can you do without?

3. Turn off the TV and computer.

If you have time for your favorite program, you have time for prayer. A 30-minute conversation with Christ will refresh you more than a sitcom. Maybe you only read blogs like this one. St. Frances de Sales cautioned people against thinking they were holy simply because they read a lot of spiritual books. The same could be said of reading Catholic blogs in our day. Is it time to switch off the computer and put your faith into practice?

 

Continue reading at  Contemplative Homeschool.