Christian Focus

 James Finley

I am committing myself to being as true as I can to the essential spirit of the Christian contemplative traditions. This essential spirit is the Spirit of God, groaning within us that we might awaken to our eternal oneness which God has revealed to us in Christ. Down through the centuries and into our own day, Christian mystics, monks and nuns living in monasteries, hermits, and countless seekers living in the world have yielded to the transforming power of the Spirit of God within us. It is to these monastic, mystical traditions of Christian faith that we will be turning for guidance and inspiration.

The specifically Christian focus is not, however, intended to suggest that Christians cannot benefit from yoga, Zen, and other faith traditions. It would, in fact, be tempting as we go through these reflections to note the stunning affinity that sometimes exists between Christian and non-Christian sources of spiritual wisdom. But to do so would take us away from this work's intention of exploring specifically Christian ways of understanding meditation as a way of experiencing oneness with God, one with us in life itself. 

Christian Meditation

[I posted two quotes from this new Finley book (next one posted Monday 17th) to introduce and suggest it, especially to those who struggle with the urge to change traditions, or who want to pick and choose from many and put together their own tradition.]