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Category: Talk Summaries

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Beyond the Drama: A Reflection on the Fifth Week of Lent

Beyond the Drama: A Reflection on the Fifth Week of Lent

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(Based on recollection talks given by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB) As we enter the Fifth Week of Lent and draw near to Holy Week, it’s tempting to view this sacred season only through its dramatic rituals and rich pageantry. The incense, the veiled crosses, the solemn hymns—they stir something deep within us. But Lent is not just a reenactment of sorrowful events or an emotional journey. At its heart, Lent is the quiet, persistent story of God…

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The Mantra and Silence in Christian Meditation

The Mantra and Silence in Christian Meditation

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(Adapted from a formation talk by Rev. Dom Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB on November 18, 2017) Christian meditation, as originally practiced by the desert fathers and taught by John Main, is essentially a mantra-based prayer. Because of its similarity to Eastern meditation practices and the foreignness of its approach to most Christians, it might easily be dismissed as an exotic method, just a therapy for relaxation. This is an unfair judgement. The tradition of the mantra The mantra is…

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