School of Meditation Weekly Teachings

Weekly Teachings 3/3/2013

Jesus as a teacher of contemplation

In the following instalments of the ‘Weekly Teaching’ I would like to share with you some extracts from ‘Journey to the Heart’.

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Weekly Teachings 24/2/2013

The integration of the human and the Divine

The integration of the two sides of our character, the active and the contemplative, is seen in the Gospel of St John as the integration of our human and our Divine side, as exemplified by Jesus. In the following extract of ‘Journey to the Heart’ Laurence Freeman explains:

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Weekly Teachings 17/2/2013

Birth of Christ in the Soul

In this week leading up to Christmas it is very appropriate to look at Meister Eckhart’s idea of the ‘Birth of Christ in the Soul’.

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Weekly Teachings 10/2/2013

St Paul

The teaching of Jesus, St John and Meister Eckhart we have looked at the last few episodes of the ‘Weekly Teaching’ brings out the importance of recognizing the two sides of our human nature.

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Weekly Teachings 3/2/2013

Clement of Alexandria

How the early Church Fathers see this connection between our Martha and our Mary, between the ‘ego’ and the ‘self’, our Divine spark, is best illustrated in the teaching by Clement of Alexandria (150-215).

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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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