Over a year ago, Paulist Father Thomas Ryan helped us start a Christian meditation group at St. Paul's. We have been meeting online using Zoom at 7 PM

on Wednesday evenings.

Fr. Ryan has noted that many people in Western cultures have adopted practices like mindfulness and yoga derived from Eastern religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, to help cope with the stresses of modern living and to obtain a deeper sense of mental and physical wellness. He informed us of a long history of similar Christian practices that

have been neglected in the West.

Recent spiritual writers, such as Thomas Merton, John Main, and Thomas Keating, have emphasized that these Christian practices may lead to improvements in mental and physical health; however, they have a deeper purpose in awakening

us to an experience of the loving presence of God. Fr. Ryan points out this indwelling presence is

mentioned in the Gospel of John (14:17) as well as in St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians (1:27).

If you’re interested or even curious, email us at meditation@sp-apostle.org