There are mile stones that are embedded in the minds of people of a certain generation. Everyone knows where they were when they learned that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated, everyone was glued to their television when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and everyone remembers how they felt on August 16, 1977, when Elvis Presley passed away at just 42 years old.
Arts and Culture
Fr. Robert Lauder is a philosophy professor at St. John’s University and the author of “Pope Francis’ Spirituality and Our Story” (Resurrection Press).
American Culture And Religious Faith
Because of some reading I have been doing lately, I have been thinking of the influence that contemporary American culture may be having on me and others.
Call to Deepen Relationship With God is Constant
As I arrive at the end of the series based on Learning to Pray by James Martin, S.J., I think, indeed I hope, that Father Martin’s insights will stay with me for a long time.
Only in Print: Song and Stage Make Returns
As curtains are rising once again along the Great White Way, so are concerns among Catholic members of the theater community.
God is at the Center
There is a brief section in Learning to Pray by Father James Martin, S.J, dealing with centering prayer. Because I have been doing centering prayer every day for more than 20 years I thought I would be very familiar with whatever Father Martin wrote about centering prayer. Actually reading Father Martin’s remarks turned out to be a special grace for me.
The Experience of Awe And Wonder
In every philosophy course that I teach at St. John’s University, I start the course by pointing out to the students the distinction between a problem and a mystery as understood by the existentialist personalist philosopher, Gabriel Marcel. According to Marcel there were a number of important differences between a problem and a mystery.
Mystics in the Pews
For most of my life when I heard about people who were called mystics I thought immediately of great saints such as Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. My limited knowledge of mystics led me to think that only those who were monks or cloistered nuns were mystics.
The Subject of Apparently ‘Unanswered Prayers’
As millions and millions of prayers are offered to God, in His infinite love God answers every single one. I think God wants everyone to be in a deep relation with God. None of those millions and millions of prayers are wasted. I guess the bottom line is God is Love and always wants what is best for us. That does not solve the mystery of prayer but it should help us to trust and hope.
Jesus: The Parable of God
Throughout his book, “Learning to Pray” (New York: HarperOne, 2021, pp. 386, $27.99), Father James Martin stresses the important role that sacred scripture can play as we approach God in prayer. This should not come as a surprise to Catholics since we believe that scripture is the inspired word of God.
Why We Must Pray
Frequently while reading Father James Martin’s Learning to Pray, I had the experience of coming upon an insight that I immediately thought would be beneficial to me when I pray. Often the insight seemed relatively obvious to me.