Showing results for "Sacred Texts" in Christian Living

Catherine of Siena (March 25, 1347-April 29, 1380) was a mystic, activist, and author who had a great influence on Italian literature and the Catholic Church. Catherine's mystical theology was employed towards practical ends for her own spiritual life and those of others. She used the language of medieval scholastic philosophy in the Dialogue, a poetic and prophetic work. Advocating for continuous, humble prayer, she hears God the Father answering her requests in order to receive help to be saved. Catherine gives special importance to mental prayer, but also recommends vocal prayer.

For those who are seeking a path of simplicity, not bound by the trappings of spiritual practice, Adyashanti brings a fresh and humble approach to Zen wisdom. "Don't think that awakening is the end," teaches Adyashanti. "Awakening is the end of seeking, the end of the seeker, but it is the beginning of a life lived from your true nature."

The Trinity is supposed to be the central doctrine grounding Christianity, yet we're often told that we shouldn't attempt to understand it because it's a mystery. But what if we breached that mystery? How might it transform our relationship with God?

The enlightenment you seek in other religions has been present in Christianity from the beginning. Richard Rohr, a global leader in spiritual awakening, helps you recognize the forces (such as ego resistance and dual thinking) that separate you from your deeper self. Then, drawing from Gospels and the greatest Christian contemplatives, he shows you what it means to be spiritually awake. You will learn why your ego resists change and growth, what is useful about popular ideas such as the law of attraction, what Jesus, the first mythical leader in the West, can teach you.

The heart is where the human soul and God meet. This is what teachings from Scripture and the mystics reveal: The heart is the temple of God within us, and within the heart, we hold the key to live a truly divine life. But how do we embody the tremendous love available to us, deep in our hearts? In Eternal Heart, Carl McColman, author of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, invites us to create an optimistic, visionary, and imaginative path to personal happiness and fulfillment.

Read the Bible like a Mystic will help Christians find an expanded relationship with their sacred textbook, and it will also invite all people—Christian and non-Christian alike—to bring together the wisdom of the written word with the wisdom of the contemplative life and the call to foster peace, justice, and equality in our world. Whether you come to the Bible from a preexisting interest in Christianity or mysticism, this book shows how contemplative wisdom unlocks the liberating power of the Word for our time.

Centering prayer is the path to a wonderful and radical new way of seeing the world. It is not, as is sometimes thought, simply an act of devotional piety, nor is it a Christianized form of other meditation methods. Cynthia Bourgeault here cuts through the misconceptions to show that centering prayer is in fact a pioneering development within the Christian contemplative tradition.

Saint John of the Cross was a Spanish mystic and poet, Catholic saint, Carmelite friar and priest, and a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation. The Ascent of Mount Carmel is divided into three sections, and presented as a commentary on four poetic stanzas. St. John portrays the various mystical experiences that the soul must endure in its ascent to the metaphorical Mount Carmel (the place of God or union with the divine).

Definitively read by author Richard Smoley, this audio version of Inner Christianity brings a clear understanding to the listener of the complex universe of esoteric knowledge. Topics include esoteric orders past and present, inner traditions, Sophia and Mary, and Gnosticism, as well as well as the mystical body of Christ.

In Christian Antisemitism, respected Messianic Bible scholar Michael L. Brown, PhD, documents shocking examples of modern “Christian” antisemitism and exposes the lies that support them. Carefully researched, this book shows that church-based antisemitism is no longer a thing of the past. Rather, a dangerous, shocking tide of “Christian” antisemitism has begun to rise. In Christian Antisemitism, Dr. Brown shows you how to stem this tide now and overcome the evil of “Christian” antisemitism with the powerful love of the cross!

If you're reading this, there's a reason you've been drawn to it. Jesus, the Ultimate Shaman provides all listeners with many shamanic tools they can use to heal themselves, others, and their environment. It shows people of all philosophies and faith perspectives that Shamanism isn't a threat or in competition with their beliefs. Are you looking for answers for how to deepen your relationship with Creator-God, Spirit, yourself, or others? No one walks away from this book without the potential to change their own life.

In this Very Short Introduction Stephen J. Davis discusses the history of monasticism, from our earliest evidence for it, and the different types that have developed from antiquity to the present day. He considers where monasteries are located, from East Asia to North America, and everywhere in between, and how their settings impact the everyday life and worldview of the monks and nuns who dwell there. Exploring how monastic communities are organized, he also looks at how aspects of life like food, sleep, sex, work, and prayer are regimented.

Is there a true seeker among us who has not endured what St. John of the Cross first called the "dark night of the soul" - a crisis, a betrayal, a sadness seeming without end? In The Way of St. John of the Cross, you will meet this towering figure - mystic, poet, healer of souls, and lover of God - and hear how this great explorer of mystical experience left an unfailing map to guide us through the dark nights of our own lives, one that promises eternal joy to all with the courage to follow it.

We are witnessing things today that the prophets of Israel longed to see. God is fulfilling his word in our generation! If you want to understand what God is doing in these last days, you must understand what he is doing with Israel. It is here that the Bible's prophecies regarding the end of the age will all unfold.

Discover Christianity's own unique tradition for experiencing God directly through meditation with The Beginner's Guide to Contemplative Prayer. Author James Finley, who as a young monk lived and prayed with Thomas Merton for six years at the Abbey of Gethsemani, shares the fruit of this authentic approach to prayer and its role at the center of Christian life.

When you think of New Thought and its teachings, you may not picture a man born when the U.S. Confederacy still existed. Charles Fillmore, born in 1854, is one of the foremost theologians, philosophers, and thinkers in the movement we call New Thought today. A true American mystic who championed Christ's teachings, Fillmore’s writings and teachings were innovative and well ahead of his time.