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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Talking About The Faith Path
- Author Mark Dohle
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The Gift of Stubbornness
The call that I received thirty years ago, a call to which I did not know how to respond, or to which
I found myself unable to respond fully. There were too many obstacles in me, too many infected wounds,
still waiting for the healing that had to come through the...
The Monastic Struggle
'Man's anger does not bring about the righteousness of God' (Jms. 1:20
(Chapter talk)
We must, with God's help, eradicate the deadly poison of the demon of anger from the depths of our souls.
So long as he dwells in our hearts and blinds the eyes of the heart with his...
So where is our hope?
You do not comprehend pain. You do not comprehend that through the love of God you need to accept pain and endure it. Every human being will experience it to a lesser or greater measure. But with peace in the soul and in a state of grace, hope exists: this is My Son, God...
Prayer Life
As a species, we tend to overthink certain areas in our lives that are very important. One’s life of prayer can be one such topic. When talking with some retreatants they often want to find ‘one way’ to pray. For instance, “Centering Prayer”, the rosary, or some other form of...
Aging, community, and grace
Living in an aging community is something that takes getting used to. Perhaps something I will never be able to feel comfortable with. I keep thinking I am younger, but there is truth to that. I believe that we are all young when we are by ourselves. I believe it was...
Long Hard Journey
Prayer keeps us open to the Spirit. The Spirit seeks to heal and lead us to life; we all have an infinite capacity to grow, to learn to love to have a relationship with the Infinite, the lover of our souls. Either life is an open-ended affair, or it is a dead end, when we...
The Challenge
Accept the Challenge I am Facing.
It may become my greatest gift. -Gail B.
When life runs smoothly, I tend to become less focused and alert to what is happening inside me. Perhaps when things are ‘just so’, I fall into a sort of half-sleep: routine can be soothing and numbing. If...
Walking On Thin Ice
Walking The spiritual life is not about ‘dressing up’, though it can often be that for a while. No, our seeking after the Infinite, is, in fact, a ‘dressing-down’. It is about falling through the cracks in the ice, that thin layer that hides the often-brutal unconscious from...
Do Not Be Discouraged
“Why do you grow weary of doing good to others?
Am I not in them? Would you ever grow weary of helping
Me if I were near you? You would help Me joyously, lovingly.
You would say, ‘Is there anything else you would like, dear Master?
Does that please you?’
Bossis...
This is an interview that Sandy and I were part of a few years ago. She had a powerful NDE, and well I was just the monk who was there with her being part of the conversation.. I think I took up too much...
The Journey of a Monastic Pilgrim
I do believe that in belonging to the Priesthood-Of-The-People, the persons who belong to my congregation or those who struggle the way I do. So I will often pray for those consumed with violence and have no way to deal with it. Our struggles can make us more...
Doorways
Ever since I was a child I have always loved doorways. They represent mystery, a different world that perhaps could be explored. It is like a package that is wrapped and just waiting to be opened; a gift.
We have some pretty large doorways here in the Monastery. Slowly we are having...
Praying with Mary
My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid.
I was talking with a wonderful guest we had here for a retreat last week. We talked about many things and one of the subjects she brought up was the...
Dealing With Being Sick
I have often said that there is no real meaning to the word “mature adult’ for me. We are a mixture of being centered, scattered, loving, hateful faithful, and being faithless. How we deal with this merry-go-round that we call life tests us to respond in one way or...
To Endure
Patient endurance is what you need now,
so that you will continue to do God’s will.
Then you will receive all that he
has promised. – Hebrews 10:36
Life can become very difficult. There are some ways to deal with difficult times. One way is to escape it or try to. That seldom...
(Judy, Robert, Janie)
A Talk With My Sister Judy
I was talking to my sister Judy today. She texted me about how much she missed our brother David. I texted her back on how much I missed him as well. He lived here off and on for four years before his death. He would come up and stay while he...
Lessons from Holy Week
Holy Week has some powerful truths to tell us if one can ponder them. This also means contemplating one's life. If a Christian, this can lead to a deeper understanding of one of life’s mysteries. That is of course, why there is so much injustice in the world, so much...
A nursing home visit, some shopping, and an intelligent worker
The Monastery is about 15 miles from a town called Covington. It is a nice place and has a beautiful town square. We do not need to go there often Just for the occasional doctor appointment near the Hospital. It is starting to grow...
Destructive Habits Often Overlooked
“Even if you ceased to love Me, I should always love you. Even if you no longer listened for My voice in the silence, I should still make it possible for you to hear Me. This is how every sinner finds Me waiting. Who could ever weigh My love, or set a price...
The Simple Apple
The more I write, the more a mystery, writing becomes for me. I often think that writing is like being a weaver with many different colored threads that are woven together to make the essay, or story, into a sort of multilayered work of art. Then when people read, they take the...