Welcome

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Welcome to my space!

Before we get to the meat of this blog, it is probably good to know why I picked the title I picked. A clochan is a small beehive-looking hut used by Celtic monastics in both Ireland and Scotland. They are places of prayer, meditation, contemplation, and study. They are places where we consider the transcendent and move beyond our every-day thinking. They are places where we invite God into our lives by opening our hearts, minds, and spirits to the infinity of God and the limitless possibilities inherent in the creator, redeemer, and sanctifier of all reality. 

I'm hoping that this space will be an online clochan where we can come together to reflect, discuss, pray, and nurture our spiritual lives - a place where we can interact with one another and examine how we can best cultivate our spiritual lives so that they can be carried into the world. And while we will consider spirituality from a diversity of sources, the primary focus of this blog will be spirituality as examined through the lens of both ancient and contemporary Christianity. 

Christianity is a rich and deeply spiritual tradition. It is a tradition that invites God into our hearts through silence and mantra. It is a tradition of reception rather than control. A tradition of service rather than dominance. A tradition of humility rather than false pride. A tradition that says, "Be still and know I am God" (Ps. 46.10). It is also a tradition of grace. A tradition that acknowledges our flaws and faults, all the while accepting the idea that Jesus, the enfleshed God, gave Godself up to suffering and death in the name off forgiveness, grace, and hope. 

Darkness cannot overcome the light of Christ (Jn. 1.5). We invite that light into our hearts, minds, and souls so that we too may become illumined by the light, awakened to the light of our creator, the light that is fully and completely present with us because the Spirit of God dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3.16). May this space be a place where the light is placed upon the lamp stand (Mt. 5.15) of faith and fueled by the oil of curiosity. 

God's peace be with you!

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 20, 2022 at 4:27 PM

    I love the lamp and oil metaphor! Also the idea that the spiritual perspective is one of reception rather than control. I have a question about the "mantra' you mention, which invites God into our hearts. Is this the same as ritual? Or that plus?

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    1. Rev. Daniel Johnson, O.P.A.February 21, 2022 at 6:04 PM

      Thank you for the comment! The mantra I was referring to is something I learned from the World Center for Christian Meditation where you say the word Maranatha over and over again as you sit in Contemplative Prayer. Maranatha is an Aramaic word that means "O Lord, Come." It is used in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and is also recorded in the the Didache 10:14. Thank you again!

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  2. UnknownFebruary 25, 2022 at 12:36 PM

    Very interesting. Could you explain what the Didache is?

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    Replies
    1. Rev. Daniel Johnson, O.P.A.February 28, 2022 at 8:53 AM

      Good morning and sorry for the late reply! The Didache is the oldest surviving Christian catechism. It addresses ethics, baptism, eucharist, and Church organization. For more information please see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didache; for a translation of the text please see: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/didache.html. Thank you for the question and thank you for visiting my site!

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