Prayer as Beholding

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

So we (H&H) make the transition from a month of focusing on practicing silence and simplicity to a month of practicing prayer. This transition should not be the least bit jarring as silence and simplicity are intimately related and indispensable to Read more [...]

Simplicity: A Means Not an End

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

In her article “A Spirituality of Contentment,” Dee Dee Risher makes it clear not only that simple living is more than a lifestyle but also that practicing simplicity is not an end in itself. It is a means of grace. It is a way (as is the silence Read more [...]

Silence & Simplicity: On the Way to Solidarity

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

Thomas Merton maintains that our salvation lies in silence because the way God chooses to be involves self-communicating love. This means not just that God communicates love but more so that the love God communicates is God’s very self, is God. So Read more [...]

The Richness of Simplicity

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

You can't force simplicity; but you can invite it in by finding as much richness as possible in the few things at hand. Simplicity doesn't mean meagerness but rather a certain kind of richness, the fullness that appears when we stop stuffing the world Read more [...]

The Road We Follow

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

I have learned by some experience, by many examples, and by the writings of countless others before me, also occupied in the search, that certain environments, certain modes of life, certain rules of conduct are more conducive to inner and outer Read more [...]

Two Ways to Get Enough

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

There are two ways to get enough: One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. ~ G.K. Chesterton Read more [...]

WANTED: Earthen Vessels

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

There is an intimate and integral relationship between the practice of silence and simplicity and the spirituality that infuses Advent. It is the silence required for a listening heart and the simplicity required for an unpossessed heart that makes it Read more [...]

Spiritual Surrogacy: Your Presence is Required

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

One of the paradoxical ways that God calls us into being is by inviting us to create a space within ourselves to be, like Mary, a Theotokos. In the Orthodox tradition Mary is especially exalted as Theotokos, that is, God-bearer. In a church, let alone Read more [...]

Simplicity: The Art and Practice of Making Room

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

I have been thinking about this month’s theme – practicing silence and simplicity – in light of Advent. The silence that is necessary for a listening heart is what allowed Mary not only to hear but to embrace and hold dear the truth of the blessed Read more [...]

Simplicity and the Spirituality of Relinquishment

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Daniel J. Miller

It is more than just interesting, it is revealing, I think, that among other definitions, the word simple also has the connotation for lacking mental acuteness, unlearned, ignorant, unsophisticated, naïve, simpleminded. It is easy for some people to Read more [...]

The Sacred Braid

Helping Persons and Communities Weave Lives of Spiritual Depth.