Second Wednesday of Lent — Setting the Alarm

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Daniel J. Miller

Fasting and abstinence are ancient practices integral to a multitude of religions. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Jainism all practice some form of fasting and abstinence. Athletes and actors are commonly fasting or abstaining. Read more [...]

The Vital Question — A Life-Line

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Daniel J. Miller

Today's Life-Life is: Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy. And yet being alive is no answer to the problems of living. To be or not to be is not the question. The vital question is: how to be and how not to be? The tendency to forget Read more [...]

Why a Regular Spiritual Practice?

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Daniel J. Miller

Buddhists say enlightenment is always accidental, but that spiritual practice makes us accident prone. Jim Finley, clinical psychologist, teacher of the contemplative way, and former student of Thomas Merton describes contemplative practice this Read more [...]

Brother Weeps on Spiritual Practices

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Daniel J. Miller

Once, Brother Weeps began a teaching this way: I received a letter the other day and my pen friend asked: "What is the purpose of spiritual practices?" So, I wrote back. This is what I told her. There are a few basic things most, if not all, authentic Read more [...]

Listening for the Questions that Are Not Meant to Go Away

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Daniel J. Miller

Anxiety is the mark of spiritual insecurity. It is the fruit of unanswered questions. But questions cannot go unanswered unless they first be asked. And there is a far worse anxiety, a far worse insecurity, which comes from being afraid to ask the right Read more [...]

The Imperative of Reverence in Sacrilegious Times

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Daniel J. Miller

To revere another is to behold their indigenous sacredness and to stand in awe before the One in whom they live and move and have their being. ~ Dan Miller Human being is either coming into meaning or betraying it.~ Abraham Heschel Yesterday, Read more [...]

No Dress Rehearsal, This is Our Life

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Daniel J. Miller

Practice is where intention and action meet. ~ Author Unknown If we're faithful to our practice, our practice will be faithful to us. ~ James Finley One should hallow all that one does in one's natural life. One eats in holiness, tastes the Read more [...]

The Two Great Spiritual Practices

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Daniel J. Miller

The two great spiritual practices are receiving love (that is, open-heartedly being the beloved of God) and incarnating love. Everything else that is good, true, just, beautiful, excellent, and worthy of praise shoots and flowers forth from this anomalistic Read more [...]

The Bait-and-Switch Switch

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Daniel J. Miller

ASH WEDNESDAY-- In advertising there is the well-known tactic of "bait-and-switch." There are different ways of doing this. One way is to advertise a particular product in such a way that it gets potential buyers into the store only then to substitute Read more [...]

Gratefulness: Practicing the Difficult Simple

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller

I have long maintained that from among the plethora of words within the 16 documents from the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church (1962-65), perhaps the most important words were four that are found in the first chapter of the Constitution Read more [...]

The Sacred Braid

Helping Persons and Communities Weave Lives of Spiritual Depth.

Tag Archives: Spiritual Practice