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WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1058 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2019-07-14 21:25:28 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-14 21:25:28 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">By Alex Jones</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The U.S. Catholic Church is dying. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There were 426,309 Catholic weddings in 1970. In 2018 there were 143,082. Priestly ordinations have fallen by over 35%. <a href="https://cara.georgetown.edu/frequently-requested-church-statistics/">Mass attendance has been cut in half.</a> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It's worst among millennials; they are the least Catholic of any other generation. <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/unaffiliated-religious-nones/">One out of every three young adults is religiously unaffiliated. The same ratio for 65+ is one in ten.</a> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One study, called <a href="https://www.smp.org/product/5926/Going-Going-Gone/">"Going Going Gone,"</a> tried to figure out why, but they found there's no one answer. Some leave because they were hurt by the awful failings of the institution. Some reject a God who could permit evil. Some oppose the Church's stance on social issues. Some simply drift away into an increasingly secular culture. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I was one of the unaffiliated, the former Catholics. I was the millennial who turned atheist. And I came back. Ever since, we’ve been working on Hallow and trying to understand how we can help others come back to their faith. Our team has spent countless hours talking with young and old, religious and atheist, spiritual and religious, about where they are and what they need. The biggest thing we’ve learned:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Religion is down. Spirituality is not.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The percent of people who consider themselves religious has fallen 17% since 2007. But this has not been swallowed up by atheism and materialism. A new segment has emerged: "Spiritual but not Religious.” <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/06/more-americans-now-say-theyre-spiritual-but-not-religious/">Of the 11 point drop in Religious, 8 of those have been replaced by Spiritual.</a> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This was me. Lost. Stressed. New to a career. No idea what I believed. For some reason, though, deeply interested in spirituality. Avoiding institutional religion, I turned, instead, to mindfulness. The practice of meditation that has swept across the U.S. with the rise of Headspace and Calm offered a seemingly secular answer to spirituality. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But this answer always felt like it fell short, stopping just at the edge of true spirituality. Teaching me to sit in silence, but never inviting God. And so, I started asking: is there a best of both worlds? Is there a way to find stillness and God? What I found - Lectio Divina, Ignatian spirituality, contemplative prayer, the spirituality of the Church - changed my life. They finally led me to invite God into the silence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Remember those numbers about mass, weddings, and ordinations? Well there's one number that hasn't dropped: prayer. In 1980, 81% of Catholics prayed each week. In 2018: 81%. The thing is, we often don't know how to pray. In our user research, the number one thing people said they struggled with most when it comes to prayer was not that they were too busy, bored, or disagreed with Church teachings. It was because praying was too hard. We don't know how to keep our minds from racing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This is the need. And what a perfect need for the Church to fill as an institution that's been teaching people to pray for 2,000 years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Over half of our users had never heard of Lectio Divina, the Examen, Contemplative Prayer, Imaginative prayer, or any number of different prayer practices. Why isn't this what we lead with? Instead of focusing on why the Church is losing people or why people are no longer interested in religion, why don’t we focus on what people <em>are </em>still interested in? Why don’t we lead with our spirituality? Why don’t we lead with teaching people first to talk, and more importantly, to listen to God? If we honestly believe what we say we do, isn't God the best evangelizer?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"","fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">SOURCES: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate; Pew Research Center</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => From a Millennial to the Church: How to Win Us Back [post_excerpt] => What if we focused on prayer? [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => from-a-millennial-to-the-church-how-to-win-us-back [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-10-05 17:36:01 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-10-05 17:36:01 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=1058 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1002 [post_author] => 6 [post_date] => 2019-07-05 19:21:17 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-05 19:21:17 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">For most of the past four years, I’ve had a familiar daily work routine: prepare for work (and by that I mean stress about work), commute to and from work, cook dinner, slip in a workout here and there, get errands done, study for the GMAT and try to be in bed by midnight to do it all over the next day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">It didn’t feel like there was enough time throughout the day for me to pray, except for my short routine of praying right before bed. I was frustrated enough to try something new, so I decided to try and incorporate prayer at different times throughout the day and while I was at it, I figured I would also try to learn different types of prayer. After trying this for a few months, I realized it ended up transforming my day in three unexpected ways: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class=""><strong>1. I am more thankful and appreciative</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">There was a Sunday about a year ago when the priest at Mass brought up Luke 9:26 during the homily in which Jesus says “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” For some reason, I forgot the rest of the homily, but that passage stuck with me. Around that time, I had visited a family friends house and they said grace before the meal. At my home we would say grace typically around a large meal such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, but not really on any sort of regular basis. That coming Monday at work with that homily in mind, I decided to not be afraid to pray in public. I did the sign of the cross during lunch and prayed to myself: “Bless me o Lord and these thy gifts which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">Taking the time to pause before eating and just say “thank you” was unexpectedly powerful. I realized that I was guilty of scarfing down food many times so I could get back to what I was doing. By taking an extra moment before I ate, I felt more engaged in the meal and enjoyed it more. After incorporating it before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I started to feel more appreciative of not only food but other smaller things in general. I also noticed it was a form of “contagious appreciation.” On one occasion, a coworker noticed me praying and commented on how he had started incorporating it into his routine as well after seeing me doing it regularly.&nbsp; My family too started doing it religiously (pun intended) before each meal. I’ve found that it was a great way to keep the Lord in mind throughout the day, and it’s an easy habit to build. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class=""><strong>2. I have a stronger memory </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">I don’t have the best memory, so when I started incorporating the Examen before bed, it was a wakeup call. The Examen is a type of prayer that walks you through your day through guided reflection. It prompts you to reflect on what went well, what didn't go so well and to ask God to help you through your next day. It is a structured way to remember the important moments of the day, which to me has been incredible in helping me refresh my memory, but it has also allowed me to relive joyous moments throughout the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">Recently, I came back home from the summer and hugged my mom when she picked me up at the airport. That night when I prayed the Examen, that moment came back to me, which easily could have been something that was enjoyed but quickly forgotten. But I remembered the love that came with that moment and got to re-experience the joy that came with it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class=""><strong>3. I feel less stressed and more present during the day </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">As I mentioned above, the stress of the day-to-day was getting the better of me at a pretty young age. I only realize now that a lot of it was self-imposed stress, trying to achieve more and more while taking fewer and fewer breaks. One way that helped me slow down was prayer. By taking time out of the day, I at first felt even more anxious because I had “lost” those 15 minutes by trying to pray. However, what I found was that I was more productive throughout the rest of the day than if I hadn’t stopped. The act of stopping and reflecting is so important, especially in this day and age when we want everything to happen instantaneously. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">I started by praying the “Calm” praylist within Hallow that offers a mix of prayer techniques throughout eight prayer sessions. One type of prayer available is called Christian Meditation. It focuses on helping you connect with God through silence. After a few sessions, I realized just how uncomfortable I was with silence, but by trying every day, I have been able to grow past that. Now, instead of playing another song or podcast during my commute or while I am waiting in line to board my flight, I actually enjoy sitting in silence. Finding God in those moments has helped me feel more at ease throughout the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p class="">There isn't a one size fits all approach to incorporating prayer into your life, but for me, these three things helped me to deepen my relationship with my faith while also helping me find peace along the way. I hope you can take a crack at trying at least one! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => 3 Ways Prayer Has Changed My Day-to-Day [post_excerpt] => Bryan shares the impact of prayer. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => 3-ways-prayer-has-changed-my-day-to-day [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2021-02-05 15:51:06 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-02-05 15:51:06 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=1002 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 906 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2019-06-12 06:49:35 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-06-12 06:49:35 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Last month I had the pleasure of hearing Kevin Kelly, co-founder of the tech magazine,&nbsp;<em>Wired</em>, speak on the intersection of technology and spirituality. I walked away with a new perspective on the role tech does and could play in our spiritual growth or demise.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">His first point was that God, the ultimate Creator, made us in His image, which means that we have the same creative force within us. The cool thing about technology is that it allows us to create in our own way and live out the image of God even more fully.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Well, if you reacted to this as I did, you may have thought of a million examples of technology that are not reflective of the image of God. Kelly’s response to this was that, while technology has the capacity for both good and evil, it is primarily up to the user to determines which – not the nature of the tech itself.&nbsp;<strong>The underlying technology itself isn’t good or evil, it’s how we use it and interact with it.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Take, for instance, the chemical DDT. Initially sprayed on plantations, DDT proved to be a severe health concern and could have easily been written off as an evil innovation. However, as Kelly pointed out, it was later discovered that when used in small doses in areas susceptible to malaria, it can be used safely to save millions of lives.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This extends to the technology that has become so ingrained in our daily lives: computers, televisions, and, of course, smart phones. I’m afraid that, in most cases today, technology is used in a way that pulls us away from God. Beyond the explicitly harmful ways to use a computer or phone, there is also the subtler danger of constant distraction. I struggle with this as much as anyone. It can be so easy to get caught up in emails, on Facebook, or to fall into the crazy YouTube spiral of related videos. Consequently, it is not uncommon for us at Hallow to be asked “Shouldn’t we be trying to pull people away from their phones, instead of encouraging them to use them even more? How will another app help?”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I believe the answer lies in the DDT analogy. Technology is a tool. We can either use it for harm or for good. We can use technology to video call an out-of-town friend and strengthen a relationship, or social media to find a community where we truly feel supported. In fact, I wouldn’t have even heard Kevin Kelly’s talk without technology, nor could I be sharing these thoughts with you now. With Hallow, we hope to provide a way to use our phones for growth with God. Ironically, we’re trying to use our phones as a way to step away from our phones and step towards God. You open the app, press play, put your phone aside, close your eyes, and fully and completely focus on God.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">For better or worse, technology isn’t going anywhere. I’d be shocked if people spend any less time on a computer or a phone 50 years from now. So, if we can’t get rid of technology, let’s see if we can take some small steps to change the way we interact with it. I look forward to the day that the instinct is to look at technology and see, first and foremost, an aid to spirituality and human growth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Is Technology Evil? [post_excerpt] => Erich examines how technology and faith can interact. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => is-technology-evil [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-10-05 17:37:07 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-10-05 17:37:07 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=906 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 756 [post_author] => 8 [post_date] => 2019-05-13 05:28:39 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-05-13 05:28:39 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I can die happy now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I finally saw the musical&nbsp;<em>Hamilton</em> – a hip-hop rap history lesson on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s intriguing how by telling the story of any historical figure, we as the audience already know the ending of the story. (<em>Spoiler alert!)</em> <meta charset="utf-8">He/she eventually dies! Alexander’s rival, Aaron Burr, puts it best when he sings, “Death doesn’t discriminate / Between the sinners and the saints / It takes and it takes and it takes…” Death, indeed, is the one experience common to every human being.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">From the opening lines of the show, we learn that all of the odds are stacked against our main protagonist. His father left. His mother passed away. His new guardian died by suicide. With nothing to his name but poverty, death looms quite large.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To Alexander, life seems capped with a strict limit. Facing the uncertain mystery of certain death, he’s not willing to “wait for it.” There are a million things he hasn’t done, so he works “non-stop,” fighting and writing like he’s “running out of time.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">After all is said and won, Alexander hopes that his children will, one day, tell his story. So, with a chance to leave behind a legacy and live on after death in the words of his descendants, he’s “not throwing away his shot.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":763,"className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/a.png" alt="" class="wp-image-763"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Grasping for immortality out of fear of death has been a perennial tendency for man since the very beginning. In the first chapters of the Book of Genesis, immediately after Adam dies the first natural death, his offspring start taking whatever they can from life. They seize power and fame, security and pleasure, and eventually make themselves into “heroes of old,” “men of great renown” (Gen. 6:4).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In response, God floods the entire earth because He knows humanity’s self-led pursuits will not lead to authentic happiness. Rather, only through acceptance of their ‘creatureliness’ – with postures of humility and receptivity to God – will they know true happiness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To preserve this happiness for us forever, Jesus destroyed death with his own and rose from the dead. No longer was death a reason to fear. No longer was death a limit on life. Death instead became a portal, a passage into eternal life.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When God’s people were suffering in Egypt, enslaved to their work and burdened by death, He rewrote their story. He them free from captivity and led them out where they could rest from work in order to worship, especially on a specific day that He hallowed and set apart.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>God intended for Sabbath rest to be a consistent foretaste of our ultimate goal: Heaven, or&nbsp;"eternal rest."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Israelites were allowed to work for six days but not on the seventh, or else they would die (cf. Ex. 31:13-16). If any man were to neglect this sacred day of rest, he would lose sight of what truly mattered and then seek after lifeless things, things of lesser or no value.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Returning to our musical, we see how amidst politics, battles, and noise, Alexander Hamilton finally “takes a break” to rest when his wife Eliza announces the good news – the coming of their son. She reminds him, “The fact that you’re alive is a miracle,” and she provides him consolation, saying, “We don’t need a legacy / We don’t need money.” Simply being together “would be enough.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Nonetheless, Alexander blinds himself with busyness. He excuses himself from family time and chooses to work instead. Overstressed and isolated from his community, he looks to “be satisfied” elsewhere. He engages in a prolonged affair, and it brings death to both his reputation and his marriage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Alexander confronts his mortality yet again when he watches his son suffer and then breathe his last. Here, death leads Alexander properly, into a posture of stillness and silence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":764,"className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/b.png" alt="" class="wp-image-764"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Now, Alexander “takes the children to church on Sunday,” and he prays; he admits, “that never used to happen before.” He also returns to his wife and stands “by Eliza’s side.” Alexander enters into these Sabbath moments to examine himself and own up to his failings. He takes a “look around,” and remembers the miracle that he exists. All of this strengthens him to seek forgiveness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eliza, a character who has been faithful to rest and to her husband, “takes his hand” and restores their brokenness into a new communion. For Alexander, this reconciliation with Eliza is his equivalent of the Flood of Noah’s Ark – a clean slate, a new beginning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Two scenes later, Eliza calls Alexander “back to sleep;" she calls him away from work to rest. He tragically distances himself again and goes off to work instead. He slips away to duel with his rival, Aaron Burr, and what is the result?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Alexander's ambition and pursuits lead to his untimely death.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In contrast, Eliza continues on quietly, receptive and humble. She still does not grasp for more than her portion in life. In the final song, Eliza says, “The Lord, in his kindness / … He gives me more&nbsp;<em>time</em>.” She uses this time to care for orphaned children and to promote not her own story but her beloved's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">From each Sunday lived well, peace and joy overflow into the rest of her week, and these days and weeks constitute a beautifully wholesome life. When the play ends and the curtain closes, Eliza, the only remaining Hamilton, is still alive on stage. As far as the world of theatre is concerned, <em>she</em>&nbsp;is the one who receives eternal life.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>How can&nbsp;we</strong><em><strong> </strong></em><strong>hallow our Sundays and take time to consider “who lives, who dies, [W]ho tells our story”?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:image {"id":765,"className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/c.png" alt="" class="wp-image-765"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> [post_title] => Hamilton, Sundays, and the Meaning of Life [post_excerpt] => Takeaways from the musical Hamilton [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => hamilton-sundays-and-the-meaning-of-life [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-03-06 17:40:55 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-03-06 17:40:55 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=756 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 575 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2019-04-18 14:00:59 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-04-18 14:00:59 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Looking for great Catholic gifts for Easter, Confirmation, or just because?<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As I think back to the gifts that I received for Easter over the last 26 years of my life, they’ve largely fallen into one major category: bunny-shaped candy. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my chocolate bunnies (and peanut butter cups). But recently, as I’ve been thinking about Easter gifts for my family this year - admittedly it’s coming down to the wire now - a thought crossed my mind: what could I give my friends and family members that is actually related to the holiday? In other words, what gifts could I give that could help others grow in their faith lives?<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So I started looking around and have been pleasantly surprised by some of the amazing resources that I’ve found out there, and knew I had to share a few of the newest ones with you. I’ll keep this short and to the point so I’ll just share my top 3. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">First is a beautiful Mass journal called <a href="https://everysacredsunday.com/">Every Sacred Sunday</a>. Every Sacred Sunday provides the Gospel reading for every Sunday’s Mass and is complete with gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations and a place to take notes, allowing you to both better prepare for the Mass, and to respond and reflect more deeply afterwards. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:gallery {"linkTo":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"><!-- wp:image {"id":578,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ESS-pic-1-1019x1024.jpg" alt="Hallow App Blog - Catholic gifts for Easter" class="wp-image-578"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Processed with VSCO with s2 preset</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:image {"id":579,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ESS-pic-2-1024x1022.jpg" alt="Hallow App Blog - Catholic gifts for Easter" class="wp-image-579"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --></figure> <!-- /wp:gallery --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Second is a list of some of my favorite books. There are countless great books out there that have helped me grow in my faith life, dating all the way back to some classics written by saints hundreds of years ago such as <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Augustine-Hippo/dp/1681922843/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=confessions+augustine+our+sunday+visitor&amp;qid=1555562300&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1-fkmrnull">Confessions</a></em> by St. Augustine, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Interior-Castle-Teresa-Avila/dp/168192286X/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=interior+castle+our+sunday+visitor&amp;qid=1555562345&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1-fkmrnull">Interior Castle</a></em> by St. Teresa of Ávila, and <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Mount-Carmel-John-Cross/dp/1684220351/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=ascent+of+mount+carmel+our+sunday+visitor&amp;qid=1555562450&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr1">Ascent of Mt. Carmel</a></em> by St. John of the Cross. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But new books are always coming out as well and two have even come out this very month that I would highly recommend reading: the first is <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Gentleman-Living-Authentic-Manhood/dp/162164068X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=the+catholic+gentleman&amp;qid=1551812263&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=tumbstrebook-20&amp;linkId=070999b4b15e40525dca673380076879&amp;language=en_US">The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today</a></em> by Samuel Guzman, and the second is <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Prayerful-People-Strengthening-Relationship/dp/1594718792/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=five+habits+of+prayerful+people&amp;qid=1555557463&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1-fkmrnull">The 5 Habits of Prayerful People</a></em> by Michael St. Pierre. Both of these books are extremely helpful in learning how to grow in holiness and in a relationship with God while living in today’s world. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:gallery {"linkTo":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"><!-- wp:image {"id":582,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Catholic-gent-book-1-672x1024.jpg" alt="Hallow App Blog - Catholic gifts for Easter" class="wp-image-582"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:image {"id":589,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/5-habits-2-663x1024.jpg" alt="Hallow App Blog - My top 3 gifts for catholics this easter" class="wp-image-589"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --></figure> <!-- /wp:gallery --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lastly, as I’m sure you saw the shameless plug coming from a mile away, you can never go wrong with giving the gift of Catholic Meditation through a <a href="https://hallow.com/portal/#/gift">Hallow gift card</a>! Great news is they come instantly to your inbox after purchase, so it’s no problem if you procrastinated your shopping this year just like I did. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/al0ng3T7AouO8Kwp35jPRRTDyaoxSzInp7rOfv00yh_eJjJ8FDdlHhu0lwFdluj5oFjIbZ09KCpf_kJboacVLGvfbDOXVXYNzc0wmVclX7AbjZnmTLXBIEQemV8pnIxXHmynCUWE" alt=""/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This only scratches the surface of the huge world of wonderful Catholic gifts that exist out there, but I hope it gives you a few ideas for how we can use this time of year (or any occasion at all!) to help one another grow spiritually. If you’ve got any ideas that we missed, please feel free to leave them in a comment below! <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Also, I hope this goes without saying, but please don’t feel like these have to <em>replace</em> the chocolate bunny, they can always just be added on instead :) After all, Easter is a feast day and those magnificent candies aren’t exactly available year-round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"","fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"color":{"text":"#86898a"}},"className":"","fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-text-color has-small-font-size" style="color:#86898a"><em>Quick disclaimer as I’ve seen the question come up a lot for similar posts before: this is not a sponsored post, and the owners of these products were not aware that I was writing it or would be mentioning them. I do know some of the folks behind these amazing products - I find their faith and ministries truly inspirational - but wrote about them because I genuinely believe you’ll find them to be powerful aids for spiritual growth :)</em><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => My Top 3 Gifts for Catholics This Easter [post_excerpt] => Hint: they all encourage spiritual growth! [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => my-top-3-gifts-for-catholics-this-easter [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-03-06 16:46:57 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-03-06 16:46:57 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=575 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 411 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2019-03-15 01:23:11 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-03-15 01:23:11 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I go to Adoration so I can breathe again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s easy to get lost during the day. Between the demands of a busy college student schedule, and the fallen state of my being, it’s easy to fall away from how I desire to live. Instead of being wholly present, I devolve into anxious and restless thoughts. Rather than giving of myself, I seek my own glory. In front of classmates, friends, and strangers, I close my heart to encounter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I desire to be free. I want to love others well. I want to receive each moment as a gift, and to respond with gratitude. I know what it’s like to encounter God. I’ve met Him, and I want to always live with the joyful awareness of His presence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But I cannot live with this awareness on my own. I am forgetful. No matter how many “good intentions” I set, no matter how much I seek His face, no matter how much I try to adhere to what I desire, I cannot control my reality. I can’t produce the encounter with God. I may see clearly for a moment, but it does not last.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">All it takes is something unexpected – stress, sickness, failure, distraction – and all of my plans crumble. The only thing left is my misery, my need. And in that moment, I realize that the way I can approach life is through&nbsp;<em>begging</em>. I must beg to be free. I must beg to be reminded of Him whom I have encountered, to know and to fall in love with Him always more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And the miracle is this: Christ, too is a beggar. He begs for&nbsp;<em>my&nbsp;</em>heart, just as I am begging for His. Even before I believed in Him, He was dwelling within my heart and inviting me into relationship with Him. All that He asks is that I turn to Him, show Him my need, and receive His love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There is no better place to encounter Him than in the Blessed Sacrament, the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/eucharist-holy-communion-adoration-prayer/">Eucharist</a>. In front of His physical presence, I am reminded of His unconditional love and boundless grace. Through prayer, Christ invites me to surrender and to practice dependence on Him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And in adoring Him, I can breathe again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Adoration isn’t the only place I can breathe. The gaze of my friends reawakens me, too. They look upon me according to who I really am, and help me live every factor of my reality. Likewise, encounters with those who are suffering reawaken me, reminding me of my own brokenness and Christ’s mercy. Perhaps most strikingly, beauty reawakens me: I can breathe in front of a dawning sun, or listening to the soaring melodies of Sibelius’ violin concerto.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But prayer, in particular, changes everything. Prayer – dialogue with my Beloved – allows me to live with a joy and a strength that would otherwise be impossible. Prayer cultivates my intimate friendship with the Lord, so that it is no longer just me, but Christ living through me. And here, I am truly free.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Why I pray in Adoration [post_excerpt] => A reflection on the beauty of Adoration. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => why-i-pray-in-adoration [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-08-06 01:25:37 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-08-06 01:25:37 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=411 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 205 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2019-03-06 02:43:20 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-03-06 02:43:20 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Did you know that Ash Wednesday is the most attended mass for all Catholics in the United States? And it’s not even a required mass to go to, in the way Sunday masses and Christmas and Easter are.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are a few theories on why this mass is so heavily attended, but whatever the reason, we go, in droves, to have our foreheads marked and to hear the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s ironic that we flock to this mass in particular - <strong>because isn’t it uncomfortable?</strong> Shouldn’t we avoid this mass in favor of the joyful Easter and Christmas celebrations?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Remember you are dust. Remember you are nothing. You are speck of dirt in the grand scheme of eternity.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>And to dust you shall return. One day you will die; we all will. And our bodies will be buried and absorbed by the earth, and then one day, we will be forgotten from all memory.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our faith is full of uncomfortable notions: God becoming a baby. Being born of a young, poor, virgin woman. Living as a carpenter who became a preacher who was killed as a criminal. The first shall be last. Love your enemies. Bread and wine becoming body and blood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are supposed to be uncomfortable.</strong> Jesus never promised us good feelings. He never promised that we wouldn’t have any suffering. In fact, He promised the opposite - He promised that if we decided to follow Him, we would have to carry heavy crosses, we would be challenged to live lives of radical forgiveness, justice, self-giving love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But, Jesus also promised that He would journey with us. He would help carry our burdens, would offer us healing and forgiveness when we failed, would fill us with His Spirit and give us strength.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So, my theory for why Ash Wednesday is so popular is that in a world that encourages us to take the easy route, to streamline our lives, to get rid of anything that is uncomfortable - <em>we long to be challenged.</em> We long to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We long to be uncomfortable, because when we are uncomfortable, we are more likely to work to change.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>For me, prayer is a time when I am often challenged to be uncomfortable.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I’m one of those people who secretly likes being upset -&nbsp; I often hold grudges, I enjoy being a little dramatic, I stubbornly stand my ground, even when I know I’m wrong.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But prayer makes me get over myself. If I’m honest in prayer, I see myself clearly, and see that the way I’m acting is a bit ridiculous. Prayer makes me admit my weakness and ask forgiveness. It doesn’t let me hold grudges. It pushes me to resolve disagreements, to focus on the good from the day instead of the hard things. It reminds me that I’m not the center of the universe, but rather that I am here to love, serve, give. And it’s in that state of being uncomfortable where I am pushed to be better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Today we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we will return. So I’m going to challenge myself to lean into being uncomfortable. To enter into these 40 days of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a> with the hope that by being honest in prayer, I will lean on God. That as I am made more aware of my imperfection, I will in turn be reminded that I need only reach out, and the God who loves us so much that He gave everything is right there beside me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>How are you hoping to be challenged this Lent?</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => On Ashes and Prayer: How Being Uncomfortable Challenges Us [post_excerpt] => The unexpected reason we flock to Ash Wednesday mass [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => on-ashes-and-prayer-how-being-uncomfortable-challenges-us [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-02-13 21:08:41 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-02-13 21:08:41 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://hallow.local/?p=158 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 418 [post_author] => 6 [post_date] => 2019-02-27 01:42:46 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-02-27 01:42:46 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Growing up, I hated the season of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>. I despised it. I would ask myself “Why in the world do I believe in a church that makes me give up good things for God? It just feels like one huge, antiquated guilt trip.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Among many things, I was an annoying pre-teen who thought he was smarter than he was. I had it all figured out at the wise age of twelve. One of these things was how absolutely useless it was to give something up on your own accord for the sake of religion. I thought that God just wanted me to be happy, and giving up chocolate certainly didn’t make me happy. It wasn’t until one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. came that I realized just how foolish I was.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It was 2005 when Hurricane Katrina obliterated the U.S. Gulf Coast. Death toll estimates range between 1,000 and 1,900 people were killed as a result of the storm and its aftermath, which caused a total estimated damage of $125 Billion. It currently is tied for being the costliest natural disaster in all of U.S. history (according to CNN). It smashed through New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, Mobile, and Pensacola on the I-10 corridor. I used to live on the coast but had moved up to Meridian, Mississippi, which was two and a half hours up from the Gulf. That didn’t stop the storm from destroying homes in Meridian and knocking out power for a grueling two weeks in my neighborhood. Since it was August, we had to contend with a violent, humid Mississippi heat, and the horse flies and mosquitos were rampant.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Then it hit me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I missed the power being back on so much. I longed for it, I pleaded for it. I wanted it to be back on. I wanted to watch TV and play video games and text my friends. I wanted to be able to see in the shower and wanted most of all to have that sweet feeling of central air-conditioning again. It was then I realized that I had always had and enjoyed electricity but had taken it for granted. I was overwhelmed by a strange sense of…guilt. I felt guilty for all the times I just used the things that the power allowed me to do and accepted them as if they were just something that would always be there. It was like the saying that goes “You don’t know what ya got ‘til it’s gone” spiritually punched me in the face. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When Lent came around, I remembered that experience and realized that by giving something up willingly, I was actively working towards being in a state that is the opposite of being ungrateful. I realized I have the power to decide to deny my desire for something, and in that moment, be reminded of why I wanted it in the first place. It dawned on me that fasting strengthens self-discipline and allows me to actually do the things that I’ve wanted to do but have been to lazy to do (work out more often, eat healthier, go to church more often, etc.) Therefore, I’ve come to see Lent and fasting in general as opportunities to “work out” the muscle of the will.&nbsp; In today’s age of constant gratification and plummeting motivation, the importance of fasting has skyrocketed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>One of the most important and valuable things we have is time.</strong>&nbsp;A lot of people wonder what to give up for Lent. Some of the most fruitful moments I’ve had during Lent have come from giving up my time and spending it doing something else, whether that be an extra day each month volunteering in the community, going to an additional mass every week, or spending some time in adoration. This Lent, I plan to devote at least 20 minutes a day for prayerful meditation (<em>will definitely be using Hallow for it</em>&nbsp;:P). At any rate, I learned that I take most of what I have for granted on a consistent basis. Despite the great loss of life and pain from Katrina, it did teach me to be truly and continually thankful for things in life, especially the ones that I usually overlook.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong><em>What is something that you guys have given up for a time? What are you hoping to do this Lent? Leave a comment below!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => What a Hurricane Taught Me About Lent [post_excerpt] => Bryan reflects on how Katrina helped him understand fasting. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => what-a-hurricane-taught-me-about-lent [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-02-06 02:01:17 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-02-06 02:01:17 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=418 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 206 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2019-02-26 03:03:47 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-02-26 03:03:47 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">With the rise of Headspace, Calm, and all of the other mindfulness meditation apps, those of us coming from a Christian background can have a lot of very good questions: are these methods okay to use? Are they bad or evil? Are they Buddhist? Are they in line with Church teaching? I, myself, was an avid Headspace user for 3 years and at the time, I loved it. It helped me to focus and to learn to sit in silence without my mind constantly racing through my to-do list, but I always kept questioning how it fit in with my faith.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The good news, I found, is these are not new questions, and this is not a new problem. To find the answer, it turns out, we have to look no further than Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict. He wrote a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19891015_meditazione-cristiana_en.html">letter</a>&nbsp;30 years ago addressing exactly these same questions*. He starts by acknowledging the deep spiritual need that underlies these questions:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>“The spiritual restlessness arising from a life subjected to the driving pace of a technologically advanced society … brings a certain number of Christians to seek in these methods of prayer a path to interior peace and psychic balance.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">and,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>“Without doubt, a Christian needs certain periods of retreat into solitude to be recollected and, in God's presence, rediscover his path.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He also encourages us not to reject these ways ‘out of hand simply because they are not Christian, but that the Church recognizes what is true and holy in the other world religions because they 'reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men.'</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">All that being said, he raises some serious concerns about these methods of meditation as they relate to the conception of Christian prayer:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"className":""} --> <ol class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>What is the core?&nbsp;</strong>The center and core of all Christian prayer and meditation must always be God and striving to engage in a real living dialogue with Him.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>What are the consequences?</strong>&nbsp;Spending too much time focused on our bodily sensations and experiences (e.g., breathing exercises, body scans) can potentially lead to a number of dicey consequences. One is misinterpreting feelings of calm and relaxation as spiritual consolations and thus ignoring the interconnection with our moral condition. Another is the lack of focus on humility and the potential for an increase of self-centeredness.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Where is the focus?</strong> Many of the meditation practices common today are associated with an internal focus (e.g., on the breath, body or mind) whereas the aim of Christian prayer is always to “flee from impersonal techniques or from concentrating on oneself.” The future Pope cites <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/augustine-of-hippo/">St. Augustine</a> to help bring home this point:</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>"On this topic St. Augustine is an excellent teacher: if you want to find God, he says, abandon the exterior world and re-enter into yourself. However, he continues, do not remain in yourself, but go beyond yourself because you are not God: He is deeper and greater than you...."To remain in oneself": this is the real danger.“</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So where do we go from here? What are we supposed to do with all of these caveats and warnings? Should we use these mindfulness apps to meditate or not?&nbsp;<strong>The great news is that there’s another option: Christian meditation.</strong>&nbsp;It’s a method of meditation that incorporates the calming recollection that we’re all seeking with the beauty of the Christian faith. It lets us find our center, while ensuring that the center that we find always ends up being God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This is why we built the Hallow app, to try and help us discover and grow in this form of prayer and recollection (we also hit on many other beautiful methods of Catholic contemplative prayer and meditation including the Examen, Lectio Divina on the daily Gospel, and the Rosary). The app leads you through easy-to-follow guided sessions on each of these methods, lets you pick across themes of humility, calm, gratitude, joy etc. or dive into traditional Catholic prayers and content (e.g., Our Father, Stations of the Cross, Saints) to re-discover and meditate on their beauty and depth. The short answer is, if you’re interested in learning more, I recommend you download and try it out! If you’re interested in finding out more about Christian meditation, though, just keep reading.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So what exactly is different about Christian meditation? Well, at the core there are 3 big differences:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>1. Why we do it</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The first difference comes down to why we’re doing it in the first place. When I was meditating using the mindfulness apps, I felt like I was trying to exercise my mind into building the ability to be more present and to better myself. There’s nothing inherently wrong or right with that, but Christian meditation and prayer is distinctively different.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The point of Christian prayer and meditation is to grow deeper in a relationship and friendship with God. Sure, through this relationship you are challenged to become a better person and be more mindful, but that is not the primary goal. The primary goal is to sit with and spend time with a friend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>2. How we do it</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The ‘how’ is the second biggest difference. The eastern and secular mindfulness meditation methods I had exposure to were focused largely inward: on your body, your breath, and your mind.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Christian meditation may seem like it starts off somewhat similarly. It often begins with much of the similar deep breathing exercises in order to re-collect and ground ourselves. As Cardinal Ratzinger writes:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>“[All of these dangers do] not mean that genuine practices of meditation which come from the Christian East and from the great non-Christian religions, which prove attractive to the man of today who is divided and disoriented, cannot constitute a suitable means of helping the person who prays to come before God with an interior peace, even in the midst of external pressures.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But this is where the similarities stop. The focus of the sessions must always turn from ourselves to something…or rather Someone, who is at the same time both separate from ourselves and deeper within. To humble ourselves with the realization that we’re sitting in the presence of God. And through this new kind of mindfulness, to become closer to, and more like, God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The last big difference in terms of the ‘how’ is who really is in control. In eastern practices, the more you practice letting your thoughts pass by, the better you get at it. You’re not supposed to try to force anything, but in the end, it’s you who is doing the work to improve. In Christian prayer, this isn’t the case. Our work is simply to put ourselves in the position to let God take over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>3. What you get out of it</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The rewards of mindfulness meditation are often described as finding calm, escaping stress, relieving anxiety, becoming happier etc. But this is essentially the opposite for Christian meditation. While it is calming, peaceful and joyful in many ways, the Christian life isn’t a stress-free one, but rather one of finding meaning and purpose in deep struggles, heavy burdens, and intense suffering. Our aim is not to discover a beach and sit watching the waves come and go, but instead to bend down, pick up our cross and give our lives to God. And when we do, we find a friend, our cross becomes lighter, and we find a Love and Peace deeper than anything a beach could offer us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;This post was originally published on Catholic Gentleman's blog. Check it out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.catholicgentleman.net/2019/02/is-it-okay-to-meditate-as-a-catholic/">here</a>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>*All quotes in this article are from this letter: LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON SOME ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION* October 15, 1989</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Is it Okay to Meditate as a Catholic? [post_excerpt] => Comparing Christian meditation to other forms [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => is-it-okay-to-meditate-as-a-catholic [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://www.catholicgentleman.net/2019/02/is-it-okay-to-meditate-as-a-catholic/ [post_modified] => 2023-07-19 20:34:23 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-07-19 20:34:23 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://hallow.local/?p=161 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 203 [post_author] => 7 [post_date] => 2019-02-06 15:43:40 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-02-06 15:43:40 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Finding True Peace In the Age of Technology&nbsp;Overload</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here is a truly shocking statistic: according to&nbsp;<a href="https://read.nxtbook.com/ncea/momentum/2018_fall/going_going_gone_the_dynamics.html">the latest research</a>, 74% of young adults between the ages of 10 and 20 who were raised in the Church no longer identify as Catholic. What’s even more shocking is that the median age of disaffiliation has been declining significantly and just recently reached 13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A large part of the problem is the near constant bombardment of texts, snaps, and tweets that today’s young people are surrounded with. Incredibly,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/millennials-engage-with-their-smartphones-more-than-they-do-actual-humans-2016-06-21">nearly 4 in 10 millennials report</a>&nbsp;actually interacting more with their smartphones than with their loved ones. It’s no wonder they have trouble connecting with a deep search for beauty and truth when they have become so addicted to their phones that they refuse to sleep more than a few feet away from them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But it isn’t just the millennials and Gen Z’ers; thanks to our societal addiction to technology, the average office worker now checks their email inbox 30 times every hour and the average smartphone user picks up their device over 210 times a day, causing our collective human attention span to have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wyzowl.com/human-attention-span/">decreased by more than 30%</a>&nbsp;since 2000 (to less than that of a goldfish).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So, what do we do? Collectively admit that enough is enough; that it’s time to roll back the clock on technological innovation; throw out our smart phones; and disconnect our wifi routers? Unfortunately, I’m not sure that’s an outcome we can bank on solving the problem.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The good news is that there has been a push to fight back against the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-be-yourself/201803/how-technology-makes-us-anxious">increasing levels of anxiety and depression</a>&nbsp;that come with technological dependency. One particularly popular solution, the practice of “mindfulness”, has become quite the buzzword in places like Silicon Valley. According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/">mindful.org</a>, “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”&nbsp;<em>Sounds great! Sign me up!</em>&nbsp;There’s just one problem…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Increasingly, more and more young people have pursued this idea of “mindfulness” outside of the traditions of the Church through secular pseudo-spiritual practices, replacing Mass with yoga and meditation classes. As a result, there has been a large movement of people leaving the institutional church for the self-ascribed&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/06/more-americans-now-say-theyre-spiritual-but-not-religious/">"Spiritual But Not Religious" life</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But do those looking for a mindful or spiritual experience really need to look outside of the Church?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Of course not!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As it turns out, there is 2,000 years of Church tradition filled with a rich history of contemplative religious practices. From the early desert mothers and fathers, to the Benedictines and Franciscans, to the Ignatians and beyond, contemplative approaches to prayer have been a core foundation of the church militant’s effort to know and love God from the beginning. Practices like Lectio Divina, the Rosary, and the Examen are often as core to the lives of Saints as is the holy sacrifice of the Mass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It seems that the challenge facing us is not that the Church has nothing to offer those seeking a mindful or mystic experience, it’s just that we haven’t done the best job letting people know that they exist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So how do we get people to believe that the stodgy old Catholic church has even more to offer the mediation crowd than any yogi they might find?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As they say in business school, let your data do the talking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Even at the level of physical health, the benefits of prayer are overwhelmingly clear. According to&nbsp;<a href="https://renewingallthings.com/spiritual-health/how-prayer-changes-the-brain-and-body/">research done by Dr. Caroline Leaf</a>,&nbsp; “It has been found that 12 minutes of daily focused prayer over an 8 week period can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured on a brain scan. This type of prayer increases activity in brain areas associated with social interaction, compassion, and sensitivity to others. It also increases frontal lobe activity as focus and intentionality increase.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Moreover, there have been initial indications that prayer can be effective in helping to treat addiction, particularly in alcoholics. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://nyulangone.org/press-releases/brain-images-reveal-first-physical-evidence-that-prayers-reduce-cravings-in-alcoholics-anonymous-members">recent study published in the&nbsp;<em>American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse</em></a>,&nbsp; “Previous investigations by other researchers of the role of prayer on drinking behavior found that alcohol abusers who reported a spiritual awakening drank less after treatment for alcoholism. Research participants assigned to engage in prayer—unrelated to drinking—every day for four weeks drank about half as much as those who were not.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One specific area where the Catholic approach to mindfulness has been gaining institutional momentum is in Catholic schools. Sponsored in part by the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives, a group of researchers incorporated Christian mediation (a specific form of <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/contemplative-prayer-imaginative-prayer/">Catholic contemplative prayer</a>) into the morning routines of both faculty and classes of students in Catholic schools. “[A selected sample of teachers] indicated that initially there was reluctance, or bumps along the way, but all had similarly positive conclusions. Their students not only enjoyed the practice, but have grown as a result.” One specific reaction from Emily, an 11 year-old: “What I like about Christian Meditation is that you get time to stop and take time to be with Jesus.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “Today, schools of prayer and prayer groups exist; it is obvious people want them. Many seek meditation elsewhere, because they think that they will not be able to find a spiritual dimension in Christianity. We must show them once again, not only that this spiritual dimension exists, but that it is the source of all things.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Not only is that the truth, it is also the answer to the deepest longing we all have in our souls. No matter how great the filter, no Snapchat story or Instagram post can fill that void. Only by inviting God into the silence of our hearts and accepting his loving embrace can we find true peace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He is there waiting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-helpful-prayers"><strong>More Helpful Prayers</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">How to Pray the Rosary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/2022/09/02/prayers-for-hope/">Prayers for Hope</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-strength/">Prayers for Strength</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-anxiety/">Prayers for Anxiety</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray/-our-father/">Our Father Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/">Hail Mary Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Overwhelmed? Have Trouble Disconnecting? Try Prayer. [post_excerpt] => Find peace in God. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => have-trouble-disconnecting-try-prayer [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2020/02/12/how-to-pray-our-father/ [post_modified] => 2024-02-13 21:04:44 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-02-13 21:04:44 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://hallow.local/?p=1 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 422 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2019-01-29 01:46:20 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-01-29 01:46:20 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This post is about a revelation. It’s about tying together all the little pieces of my life that brought me to the moment that I decided to join Hallow. The journey to clarity was one of prayer, as I discuss in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hallow.com/blog/how-prayer-led-me-to-quit-my-job-and-move-across-the-country">previous post</a>. The following paragraphs describe the unlikely and sometimes unexpected steps that built this road to Hallow. Were it not for each of these pieces coming together, I find it extremely unlikely that I would've joined Hallow full-time.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The story begins with a conversation on a beach. Apart from a brief introduction on campus during our senior year, I did not know Alex (Hallow’s co-founder) at all while we attended Notre Dame together. We met only because we both joined the Chicago office of the same consulting company. And even then, we never worked together and only met because we found ourselves on the same beach at the same time of night during a company retreat. Somehow the conversation turned to God and faith and how to keep up a strong faith life during a hectic job with a largely secular employee base. So, we continued to talk on a regular basis about precisely this. And over the course of 3 years at the company, we never worked together and never even worked in the same city, yet became great friends. Had I not met Alex on that beach, or had faith not come up in our conversation, we may have never gotten to know each other the way we did, and Alex’s conception of Hallow might have taken the form of a journal entry, rather than a phone call to a friend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fast forward two years. For the third year at McKinsey, you can choose to do one of many “third-year rotations”, including anything from externships at technology companies, to living abroad for a year, to an internal rotation with the company. I had my mind set on one in particular: an externship with The Gates Foundation. It would have me performing very meaningful social justice work in a cool position at an impactful and inspiring organization. I thought I had the necessary skills, passion, and intention to be a valuable asset to their work. I had very favorable performance reviews and had spoken to prior externs and I felt good about my chances. Instead, I got my second choice – working in the Fast Growth Tech practice at McKinsey (now called Fuel). During my rotation with Fuel, I spent the year serving tech startups on go-to-market and growth strategy. The projects on which I landed could not have been more pertinent to the work that I do at Hallow today. Perhaps even more importantly, if it weren’t for this rotation, I certainly would not have moved to San Francisco to begin with, and I have a hard time believing I would have left Chicago for a new business venture later if I hadn’t already been there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Then, shortly after hearing about my third-year rotation, I applied to business school. I fell in love with Stanford’s program, and, once again, thought that I was doing it for the right reasons and that this was the path on which I belonged. I was going to use Stanford’s Social Entrepreneurship resources to build up my skills to have an impact in the social justice world. I fit in well with the culture, and I was even already living in San Francisco. I applied and I got an interview, and I thought it went well. I didn’t get in. I had no idea why. But if I had, there is not a doubt in my mind I would have accepted an offer; had I done that, I know that I would not have been able to dedicate myself to Hallow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In my other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hallow.com/blog/how-prayer-led-me-to-quit-my-job-and-move-across-the-country">post</a>, I mention that at this point in my life I so nearly moved back to Chicago that I applied for two full-year leases with my old roommates. We had the income levels and the credit scores we needed to get the places, and I had never been rejected for a rental application in my life. We didn’t get it. If we had, I would’ve been locked into a lease in a different city. In that instance, I am uncertain I would have pursued Hallow. Even if I did, then I certainly wouldn’t have been able to dedicate myself to it to the same extent as I have.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Now, when I applied to live in Chicago, I obviously told my roommates in San Francisco that I was leaving. Even though I was leaving, they decided to re-sign our 3-bedroom place and decided they would search for a replacement on their own. However, by the time I changed my mind and decided to stay in SF (less than 3 weeks before my planned last day in the city), they hadn’t yet committed my room to anyone. If someone had taken my room, I am not sure I would have stayed – I was lucky enough to be living in a place with very low rent and moving would likely mean paying 50-100% more each month, which is tough to justify with a new absence of income.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Of course, I did not understand the eventual implications of any of these things as they happened. In fact, I was severely disappointed when most of them happened. I had really wished I had gotten the call that said I was going to the Gates Foundation. I was severely disappointed when I found out that I didn’t get into Stanford. I was praying that the place in Chicago would accept our application to live there. And these weren’t long shots for me either. I was confident going into each of these situations that the result would be the opposite of what ultimately occurred. It’s not easy to overcome these initial reactions, and I didn’t put the pieces together on my own. It was through my days of prayer in discernment that I realized how all of this had come together to put me in the perfect position to pursue the project about which I was so excited. If I hadn’t met Alex, or if I had gotten my first choice for rotation, or if I had gotten into Stanford, or I had been accepted for a lease in Chicago – any of these seemingly extremely likely events would have almost certainly prohibited me from joining Hallow full-time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Now you may read all of this and be happy to chalk it all up to coincidence, or just making the best of the cards I was dealt. And I cannot stop you if you do. But to me, I see a guiding hand behind it all. Some divine nudges here and there. And I choose to call&nbsp;it a recognition of His will. It wasn’t me thinking long and hard about it, slowly coming to convince myself, but rather the realizations came flying in all together at once.&nbsp;<strong>It was almost as if someone decided to sit me down and say, “Sorry for how all those things turned out, but step back and look at everything I lined up for you. Don’t just throw all that away to take the less scary path.”</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I must clarify, I do not think that following this path&nbsp;means everything will work out perfectly, that Hallow will be a booming success, or that it'll be where I spend the rest of the life. It simply means that I believe it is the right thing to do at this time, in this place of my life. Maybe it's all just to learn a few lessons before everything fails and I move elsewhere, or maybe it's the beginning of something bigger - only time will tell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In prayers of petition, I used to explicitly ask for specific outcomes. Now, whenever I pray, “Lord, please let X happen” or “help me to do Y”, I’ll always add: “I mean, I guess unless You think there’s something better for me like all those other times.” This is the heart of Hallow’s Letting Go ‘Praylist’. Jesus probably said it better with “Not my will, but Yours”, but I prefer my version; it sounds more like me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Coincidence or God? [post_excerpt] => Erich reflects on how God led him to Hallow. 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