About Catholic and Non-Catholic Meditation
This video is about the difference between Catholic meditation or meditative prayer and non-Catholic meditation.
Catholic meditation, like all prayer, helps lift our minds and hearts to God. Popular non-Catholic meditations do not focus on God. Popular forms of meditation includes New Age and Eastern meditation as well as more generic "non-spiritual" meditation.
Non-Catholic meditation has become VERY mainstream over the last couple of decades. It is now widely recommended by doctors and therapists. Professionals will often say that the type of meditation they reccomend isn't in any way spiritual - but on some level most are.
Because most people who have returned to the Church after time in the New Age or occult understand that popular meditation is a form of alternate spirituality, they avoid meditation altogether. But, while non-Catholic meditation can be spiritually dangerous, Catholic meditation has a great deal to offer.
I share more on the nature and practice of Catholic meditation - and how it differs from other kinds of meditation - in the video above In my next post I'll talk about the 3 key differences between Catholic and non-Catholic meditation, and the reason why non-Catholic meditation can be spiritually unsafe.
So please check back!
I began the 54 Day Rosary Novena on March 3rd and then, just a few days later, received this beautiful rosary (won in a Twitter giveaway) pictured above. The creator is entering Carmel to embark upon her vocation as a nun. That alone makes it special but I love this rosary for other reasons as well.
I love the fact that it is a St. Therese of Lisieux rosary, with relic. And I was very moved by the centerpiece - because it taught me about the martyrs of Compiègne: a group of sixteen nuns who were executed during the French revolution because they would not renounce their vocation.
About the Carmelites of Compiègne (martyred in 1794): "On 17 July they were... sentenced to death by guillotine. Providentially, they were wearing their outlawed religious habits, since their only secular clothes were being washed on the day of the trial." - From Carmelite Nuns UK Website
I have a pretty typical American mongrel pedigree (English, Scottish, German and Native American) so I don't feel a strong connection to any of the countries my ancestors left behind when they came to America. But for some reason I keep making connections to France in my journey of faith.
Our Lady of Lourdes played a role in my conversion. I chose St. Jane Frances de Chantal as my confirmation saint because I was a young single mom (like her) when I became a Catholic. I picked St. Joan of Arc to be the patron saint of my business because I so admired her devotion and courage. I have recently been reading content by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and other related (oftentimes French) SSPX resources.
And I keep tripping over St. Therese of Lisieux - in my readings, at flea markets and, now, in this rosary.
Realizing, through all this, how little I knew really about my confirmation saint, I started reading a bit about the Salesians (an order founded by St. John Bosco and connected to St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantel) this week.
One of the first things I stumbled across was the fact that St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (of Sacred Heart of Jesus fame) was a member of this same order. This is of interest to me because I love the Sacred Heart devotion and St. Margaret Mary. I also think it's interesting that St. Jane Francis's great spiritual friend, St. Francis de Sales, is the patron saint of writers).
This is not to say - of course! - that French saints (or Catholics) are any better than those from any other country. But I am beginning to think that at this point in my spiritual journey there may be something I'm meant to learn from them.
I will be sharing more on this in the weeks and months to come!
I have always wanted to create my own St. Kateri habitat.
"Saint Kateri Habitats and Parks should provide at least three of the following elements, plus one religious expression, as follows:
Food, water, cover, and space for people and wildlife. This includes vegetable gardens, flower and pollinator gardens, patio gardens, community-supported agriculture, forests, farms, rivers, lakes, grasslands, and healthful and safe workplaces.
Native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to promote biodiversity, such as milkweed and goldenrod for monarch butterflies. Some non-native plants are good and acceptable, as long as they are not invasive.
Ecosystem services offered by gardens, wildlife habitats, and natural communities, such as pollination, clean air and water, carbon storage for climate regulation, and the control of invasive species. Religious faith arising from interactions with the “Book of Nature” is an important ecosystem service.
Clean, renewable energy and sustainable practices for buildings and property, gardens, landscapes, and farms, such as solar arrays and minimizing the use of pesticides and using organic or no-phosphorus fertilizer.
Sacred and sacramental places for prayer and contemplation, such as Mary Gardens, prayer gardens, shrines, and rosary gardens. Any garden or habitat can be treated as sacramental by giving thanks to our Creator for his works and gifts.
In addition, at least one religious expression is required, which may include crosses, shrines, grottos, stations of the cross, Saint Kateri Habitat signs, or statues of Mary, an angel, or a saint, such as Saint Kateri or Saint Francis of Assisi. This religious expression reminds us that God – the Holy Spirit – is present and active in every corner of creation."
So as you can see I have my work cut out for me but do hope that this is something I can do next year. Having an outdoor space like this for meditation and contemplation would be so restorative!
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