Rev. Catharine Is Currently
On Medical Leave

Sleeping Beauty

Dear, dear beloved— Thank you for “being here.” Thank you for being with me, some of you, for something like five years! Some changes are coming to Reflections, and I look forward to hearing from you. Not only those of you who have been faithful readers (and responders!) for years, but also from those of you […]

Why Writing? Part Three

The Examination of Consciousness The Examen, also called the Examination of Conscience or Examination of Consciousness (learned that last one from a Dominican Sister), is the last of the writing practices I’ll go over in this week’s posts. Unlike writing Morning Pages, journaling, or gratitude lists, the Examination of Consciousness is done in the evening. […]

Why Writing? Part Two

My Wariness of Gratitude The Stoic philosopher Epicteus said, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Why be wary of gratitude? I mean really, Catharine, gratitude is a great thing! Epictetus (and a bunch of other awesome people) says so! Nonetheless, […]

Why Writing? Part One

Where Has Spiritual Practice Been? It’s been a while since I’ve written about spiritual practice. It’s been a while since I’ve talked about gentleness and persistence in the context of spiritual practice. It’s been a while since I’ve written about the ancient and powerful art of writing as spiritual practice. And frankly, it’s been a […]