Thomas Merton, the great twentieth-century American writer on spirituality, began his book New Seeds of Contemplation (1961, New Directions) with the suggestion that contemplation is, "The highest ...

Facing the inevitability of death—while not a preferred pastime for many of us—is known as ontological confrontation. It can happen in an instant, like in the unfortunate event of a dire health ...

When the Church approaches contemplative prayer, she is led to give multiple and different definitions in her attempt to explain what it is. The multiple definitions are needed since no one definition ...