Peter Kreeft, the prolific Catholic author and philosophy professor at Boston College, wrote the foreward. I have found both the written book and the audio book very helpful in different aspects of practicing mindfulness, and being aware of my thoughts without fighting them, as well as staying in the present moment. Bottaro repeats often and encourages readers to adopt, is “Ever-present God, here with me now, help me to be here with you.” Bottaro also offers exercises to practice every day to increase a readers ability in this area.
#Mindful catholic full
The Mindful Catholic is full of research and other information about why mindfulness-“paying attention the present moment, without judgment or criticism” is so healthy for humans, and how God made us this way. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart.” –Catechism of the Catholic Church 2729 It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. “The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction. The Catechism of the Catholic Church even addresses distraction in prayer and how that “turning back” is a key part of prayer: Bottaro explains often that acceptance is key to encountering mindfulness-not fighting against our thoughts but having curiosity, and gently turning our thoughts back to what we intend, such as prayers that we are. Rather than getting frustrated with this wandering or “autopilot” mode, mindfulness allows for awareness of this, and tips to practice mindfulness.ĭr. Surely I am not the only person whose mind wanders during a Rosary, Mass, or another prayer.
Practicing mindfulness is what actually changes a person’s brain, so the book offers exercises at the end of each chapter for readers to use to exercises and meditations. As Catholics, “we want to fill our minds with reality,” says Bottaro. The latter often instructs people to “empty” their minds. This quote shows one of the ways that Catholic mindfulness is vastly different from Eastern-based forms of meditation. “(M)indfulness does not mean turning off the thoughts in your mind, but using them a a door to greater awareness of yourself.” -Dr. That is especially helpful in these unprecedented times. Gregory Bottaro, a clinical psychologist and director of the Catholic Psych Institute, is a helpful resource that demonstrates how mindfulness practiced from a Catholic perspective can be spiritually and psychologically fruitful. But what is a way to improve our attention to the present moment so we can focus on those?Ī new book, The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time, (and a companion children’s picture book) used evidence-based research to improve mindfulness and attention for the reader, from a Catholic perspective. We are fortunate that in our Catholic faith offers so many opportunities to reflect on beautiful things, from mysteries of the Rosary to Scripture to holy art. Teresa of Avila), so those of us who do so as well are in good company.
Therese of Lisieux) or “wandering of the mind” (St. How do we achieve-or renew-that serenity? Many saints and other holy people struggled with distractions (think St. It is normal and even healthy to have genuine worries and concerns about what the coronavirus means for our families, our health care system and our world in the coming weeks and months.īut at the same time, we all would do well to pray (on repeat) the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Right now we see our world-not end, perhaps, but change in dramatic and enduring ways. Charles Borromeo said, “I would finish this game of cards.”Ī few years ago, thinking of that was a nice reminder that if one’s life is well-ordered, whatever we are doing at the moment can be the right thing.īut thinking of that story during our extraordinary times is another thing.
One priest said, “I would run to Church to be with our Lord.” The other priest said, “I would call upon the name of the Lord.” Someone near them asked what they would do if they knew the end of the world were to happen within an hour. The story goes that he was playing cards with two priest friends. Charles Borremeo, the16th century saint and archbishop. Years ago, in a column here, I told the story I love about St. Following is my column that appears in the current print edition of The Catholic Post.
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