Another healthy young person committed suicide after attending a 10-day Vipassana retreat, known as a Goenke retreat, raising questions about the safety of these programs which require participants to sit in a silent meditative state for 10-11 hours a day.
Category Archives: Prayer/Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation vs. the Sacrament of the Present Moment
Don’t Substitute Eastern Meditation Techniques For Christian Prayer!
KB writes: “My husband practices this mindfulness type of meditation, including a body scan meditation. He does a shorter one in the morning, about 15 or 20 minutes, and the body scan in the afternoon, which takes about 45 minutes, for stress reduction and as a way of dealing with anxiety. The other day he chose to skip family prayer time in favor of this meditation . . . ” Read the rest…
Mind-Blanking and Mental Prayer are Not Synonymous!
KM writes: “I have tried to teach my children, the prayer of silence, where I ask them to sit and close their eyes and just to focus on God and to try not to think of anything else. Is that O.K? I thought that was what contemplation was, but sometimes it’s difficult to figure out. I hope that is not the Catholic equivalent of mind-blanking.”
NYC Mayor Requires Mindful Breathing in Public Schools
Why Mind-Blanking Exercises are Dangerous for Children
PM writes: “My children attend a Catholic Primary school in Australia. They tell me they do meditation at school and use the word ‘Maranatha.’ Is this in line with Catholic teaching? Should I exclude them from these sessions. I just read a blog of yours about centering prayer, (John Main). This seems to be exactly what they do, empty their minds and repeat the word ‘Maranatha’. What do you think?”
What’s Wrong With Transcendental Meditation?
Testimony from Former Member of the Self-Realization Fellowship
We recently received a very candid testimony from a former member of the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), which is supposedly about acquiring self-realization through yogic control of the mind and body, but members say it’s more like a cult. Thankfully, Our Lord rescued this member from the SRF through faith in the promises of the Miraculous Medal.
Neale Donald Walsch and “Conversations with God”
Some of today’s hottest selling New Age books were written by a middle-aged man who turned to God after four divorces, countless career changes and a car wreck that left him with a broken neck. In the middle of a February night in 1992, Neale Donald Walsch picked up a pen and wrote an anguished letter to God. “What does it take to make life work?”
Why centering prayer should not be taught to children
JD writes: “I tuned into your program on the New Age movement and it suddenly brought a question to light for me. Last week I purchased a children’s book entitled Journey to the Heart – Centering Prayer for Children by Frank X. Jelenek. I purchased this at a very conservative Catholic bookstore with the intention of reading it to my daughter’s kindergarten class at a Catholic school. After your show, I pulled out the book and found no apparent “Catholic” connection within the book. The content is a little concerning in light of your program. Is it possible for you to comment on the legitmacy/intention of this book and if it is or is not recommended by you.”