Browsed by
Tag: mantra

Discipled by Bethany: What Mary, Martha, and Lazarus Teach About Contemplation

Discipled by Bethany: What Mary, Martha, and Lazarus Teach About Contemplation

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a formation talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan There are places in the Gospels that seem to exist not only on a map but also within the human heart. Bethany is one of them. When we hear the name Bethany, we naturally think of the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, the siblings whom Scripture repeatedly describes as close friends of Jesus. Yet Bethany is more than a village near Jerusalem. It is a spiritual home….

Read More Read More

The Soil of the Soul: How Christian Meditation Prepares Us for God

The Soil of the Soul: How Christian Meditation Prepares Us for God

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a formation talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Jesus’ parable of the sower talks about seed. But it is more a story about soil. The seed is always good. The question is whether the ground is ready to receive it. Our hearts are much the same. Some days we feel open, receptive, and full of hope. Other days our hearts resemble a well-worn footpath, compacted by responsibilities, anxieties, disappointments, and endless activity. We become so…

Read More Read More

The Pilgrimage of Returning

The Pilgrimage of Returning

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB One of the beautiful insights of the Benedictine monk John Main is that the deepest treasures of Christian spirituality were never meant to remain hidden within monastery walls. Drawing from the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, the first Christian monks who sought God in the silence of the deserts, John Main showed that the contemplative path belongs not only to monks and nuns, but to every Christian. The…

Read More Read More

From Awareness to Communion: Rediscovering John Main’s Vision of Christian Meditation

From Awareness to Communion: Rediscovering John Main’s Vision of Christian Meditation

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB A few weeks ago, a dream about John Main prompted me to return to his writings and teachings on Christian meditation. The dream itself was brief, but it opened a space for reflection. As I revisited his work, I found myself struck once again by the simplicity of his message. What John Main taught about prayer was never intended to be obscure or esoteric. He was not concerned…

Read More Read More

Always Beginning- An Orientation to Christian Meditation

Always Beginning- An Orientation to Christian Meditation

Comments 1 comment

Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Every first Sunday of the quarter, our community pauses for what we call an orientation-themed reflection. For some, it is an introduction. For others, a reminder. For all of us, it is an invitation to begin again. That phrase, begin again, sits at the heart of Christian meditation as taught by John Main. No matter how long we have been practicing, we are always beginners. Meditation does not…

Read More Read More

Held in Stillness: My Heartspace CDO Journey

Held in Stillness: My Heartspace CDO Journey

Comments 0 Comment

Two years ago, I said yes to something I did not understand. I had no idea what Heartspace was. I did not know what it meant to meditate, let alone what Christian meditation even looked like. I went because a friend gently suggested it might help. And I said yes because, at that time, I was desperate. I was in a dark place mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I couldn’t see the way forward. I just needed something to help me breathe…

Read More Read More

Smashing the Mirror: Meditation and the Journey to Authentic Union with Christ

Smashing the Mirror: Meditation and the Journey to Authentic Union with Christ

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB “May He strengthen you in His glorious might with ample power to meet whatever comes with fortitude, patience and joy…”
— Colossians 1:11–12 There is a power we desperately need today. Not merely the strength to survive, but to endure with patience, joy, and courage. That power does not come from within us. It comes from Christ, our supreme power source. Only when we are plugged into His presence…

Read More Read More

Meditation: A Path to the Heart of Prayer

Meditation: A Path to the Heart of Prayer

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Across cultures and faiths, meditation has long been practiced as a path to inner stillness and divine connection. From Sufi mystics in Islam to Zen practitioners in Buddhism, from Hasidic Jews to Hindu sages and Christian monks, meditation has quietly spanned traditions, serving as a shared language of the soul. This universality does not dilute its power; rather, it highlights a deep truth: all people yearn for God….

Read More Read More

The Universal Gift of Meditation: A Journey into Stillness and Simplicity

The Universal Gift of Meditation: A Journey into Stillness and Simplicity

Comments 0 Comment

Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Meditation is not exclusive to any one faith tradition. Its universality points to something deeper than religious practice. It speaks to a shared human longing for the Divine, a common search for God that transcends culture, language, and belief. Meditation belongs to all because the desire to be with God resides in every human heart. What meditation is, and is not Christian meditation is sometimes misunderstood. It is…

Read More Read More

Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan giving a formation talk to Heartspace Davao, October 2024
The Significance of Christian Meditation: A Formation Talk

The Significance of Christian Meditation: A Formation Talk

Comments 0 Comment

In Heartspace Davao’s recent monthly formation, Fr. Pachomius addressed the question: How can meditation, this non-thinking state, be significant in the life of a Christian? How can something so simple be prayer? To some, the practice might seem merely a way of relaxing, a means of polishing our ability to concentrate. But these are mere add-ons, says Father, accidental benefits. Meditation is, above all, about relationship. Ultimately, its goal is for us to experience God as provider, savior, friend, companion,…

Read More Read More