School of Meditation Weekly Teachings

Weekly Teachings 27/1/2013

The active and the contemplative life in Origen’s Mystical Theology

As I explain in my introduction to the Chapter on Origen in ‘Journey to the Heart’: “Origen was a native Alexandrian, highly educated in Greek, Jewish and Christian wisdom. At the young age of 17, Bishop Demetrius of Alexandria appointed him Head of the Catechetical School as successor to Clement.

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Weekly Teachings 20/1/2013

The nature of the Divine

Early Christian Fathers stressed that we could not know God with our rational mind. No image, concept, or name could ever do justice. In fact, they saw it as blasphemy to attach a name to God, because that would limit the limitlessness or name the unnameable.

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Weekly Teachings 13/1/2013

Conversion

The three vows that are taken by Benedictine monks and nuns and Benedictine Oblates, who are committing themselves to live their lives according to the ‘Rule of St Benedict’, are ‘Obedience, Conversion and Stability’.

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Weekly Teachings 6/1/2013

Change

Benedict conceived of conversion as a continual process. We need to constantly turn our attention towards the Higher Reality in prayer/meditation and in our day to day dealings with others.

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Weekly Teachings 30/12/2012

Perserverance

Closely linked to the Benedictine vow of ‘Conversion’ is the vow of ‘Stability’. Benedict was very aware that the continual conversion, the constant turning to the Divine in prayer and in life required on the spiritual path, was a difficult and often discouraging process.

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Weekly Teachings 23/12/2012

Achievement or Grace?

In the third letter we met the ‘Demon of Acedia’. As we have seen one of the ways we can defeat this ‘Demon’ is through perseverance in meditation/prayer regardless, but this is difficult.

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Weekly Teachings 16/12/2012

Work and Pray

To work and pray was the way for the Desert Fathers and Mothers to arrive at ceaseless prayer: “He prays unceasingly who combines prayer with necessary duties and necessary duties with prayer.

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Weekly Teachings 9/12/2012

Obedience

The first of the Benedictine vows is ‘obedience’. The root of this word is the Latin ob-audiens, meaning ‘to listen intently’.

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Weekly Teachings 2/12/2012

The Gift of Tears

The goal of our spiritual journey is basically the same as that which is expressed in the following saying about the Desert Fathers and Mothers: “What the fathers sought most of all was their own true self, in Christ.

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Weekly Teachings 25/11/2012

Metanoia

‘Metanoia’ is a state linked with the ‘gift of tears’ and ‘repentance’ and flows out of these virtues. The two Greek words at its origin are ‘meta’ and ‘nous’. The pre-fix ‘meta’ means going beyond and also implies change and ‘nous’ is the ‘Intellect’, not rational intelligence but intuitive intelligence.

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