"Life, Love, & Light" with Veronica Mary Rolf

Veronica Mary Rolf

In the FIRST SEASON of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we delve into the wisdom of the beloved medieval mystic, JULIAN OF NORWICH, to discover how her "Revelations of Divine Love" may inspire, encourage, and guide us on our own spiritual path -- especially during this time of pandemic. The first episode is entitled "Sheltering in Place" and introduces Julian of Norwich, an enclosed anchorite who received sixteen Revelations of Divine Love and heard Christ tell her: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and thou shalt see thyself that all manner of thing shall be well." The season includes twenty-five episodes with Guided Meditations following each episode. In the SECOND SEASON, we meet a fascinating variety of Old and New Testament BIBLICAL MYSTICS. We discover men and women who faced major challenges and crises in their lives, made some really big mistakes, were forgiven, received mystical revelations, and then dared to act on those revelations. Their stories may become powerful inspirations in our own time of crisis, fear, and uncertainty. In the THIRD SEASON, we discuss THE MYSTICAL PATH and consider what is involved in following such a path – not only through the practice of contemplative prayer – but in every aspect of our daily lives. We explore the three stages of the mystical path and discuss how to deal with distractions, dullness, and agitation in order to focus on silence, stillness, and surrender, toward a deeper union with God. In the Guided Meditations, we practice becoming aware of thoughts, emotions, and memories that arise, without becoming attached to them. In the FOURTH SEASON, we delve into the all-important but rarely discussed topic of Resurrection, based on my recent award winning book, "LIVING RESURRECTED LIVES: WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT MATTERS," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD. In the first episode -- entitled "What is Resurrection?" -- we consider ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Hebrew ideas about the afterlife: what it was, what it was not. Then we examine biblical references to life after death in the psalms, prophets, apocalyptic literature, and the Book of Wisdom. Future episodes will closely examine the four biblical accounts of Christ's resurrection to discover the bedrock of Christian belief in bodily resurrection. We will also consider how we may begin living resurrected lives even now, as sons and daughters of the resurrection. At this time of great disharmony, fear, crisis, and suffering in our world, one thing remains certain: The love of God is everlasting. PLEASE SHARE these "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts. They are available on Apple, Google, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, and all the major directories as well as on https://lifelovelight.buzzsprout.com/. Podcaster VERONICA MARY ROLF is a medieval scholar, retreat leader, and master teacher of dramatic arts. She is the author of "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters" (Cascade Books, 2020), co-authored with Eva Natanya, PhD, which won a 2021 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Spirituality, and "Suddenly There is God: The Story of Our Lives in Sacred Scripture" (Cascade Books, 2019), which won a 2020 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Scripture. She is also the author of "An Explorer's Guide to Julian of Norwich" (IVP Academic, 2018) and "Julian's Gospel: Illuminating the Life and Revelations of Julian of Norwich" (Orbis Books, 2013), which have won numerous awards, including a First Place Catholic Media Association Book Award and the Nautilus Gold Medal for Spirituality. Veronica leads Virtual Zoom Retreats and blogs on two websites: www.VeronicaMaryRolf.com and www.JuliansVoice.com. Her "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts are also available on: https://www.lifelovelightpodcast.com/ read less

Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality

Start Here

Altered States of Consciousness?

Altered States of Consciousness?

In this week's episode of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we investigate more "alternate theories" that have been raised by some modern and postmodern theologians and scholars who consider the resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ to have been brought on by "altered states of consciousness." Were these appearances merely visions induced by wishful thinking? Or personal hallucinations? Or mass hallucinations experienced at the same time and in the same place by all the disciples? Or a mass ecstasy? Did Peter experience a psychotic delusion that, by a chain reaction, resulted in a group fantasy? And was the Apostle Paul also the victim of "chain reaction hysteria"?Why must we consider these objections? Because it is crucial that we understand the arguments and the flaws in these various theories so that when the bedrock foundation of resurrection belief is challenged, we are able to answer objections with clarity and conviction. And perhaps, when we ourselves question Christian faith in bodily resurrection, we need to be very clear and completely certain that the ancient Creed – “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting” – really does mean what it says.Especially in a time of ongoing pandemic, a brutal war, and the inconceivable suffering and death of soldiers and civilians, as well as the desperation of millions of fleeing refugees, we need the reality of Christ’s resurrection to reassure us every hour of every day that nothing we undergo will be lost – all our sufferings are being taken up into Christ’s own sufferings on the cross. And all are being transformed and glorified in the fullness of Christ’s resurrection . . . and eventually, our own. Without that grounding in resurrection faith, we may lose hope. Thus we must continually deepen our faith in the truth of Christ's bodily resurrection so that we live in its redemptive reality and find our peace in its promise – even amidst the crises of our daily lives.I dedicate these podcasts to all the brave Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom and their country against tyranny and invasion. May the Risen Christ be with them!

Season 5

Altered States of Consciousness?

Altered States of Consciousness?

In this week's episode of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we investigate more "alternate theories" that have been raised by some modern and postmodern theologians and scholars who consider the resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ to have been brought on by "altered states of consciousness." Were these appearances merely visions induced by wishful thinking? Or personal hallucinations? Or mass hallucinations experienced at the same time and in the same place by all the disciples? Or a mass ecstasy? Did Peter experience a psychotic delusion that, by a chain reaction, resulted in a group fantasy? And was the Apostle Paul also the victim of "chain reaction hysteria"?Why must we consider these objections? Because it is crucial that we understand the arguments and the flaws in these various theories so that when the bedrock foundation of resurrection belief is challenged, we are able to answer objections with clarity and conviction. And perhaps, when we ourselves question Christian faith in bodily resurrection, we need to be very clear and completely certain that the ancient Creed – “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting” – really does mean what it says.Especially in a time of ongoing pandemic, a brutal war, and the inconceivable suffering and death of soldiers and civilians, as well as the desperation of millions of fleeing refugees, we need the reality of Christ’s resurrection to reassure us every hour of every day that nothing we undergo will be lost – all our sufferings are being taken up into Christ’s own sufferings on the cross. And all are being transformed and glorified in the fullness of Christ’s resurrection . . . and eventually, our own. Without that grounding in resurrection faith, we may lose hope. Thus we must continually deepen our faith in the truth of Christ's bodily resurrection so that we live in its redemptive reality and find our peace in its promise – even amidst the crises of our daily lives.I dedicate these podcasts to all the brave Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom and their country against tyranny and invasion. May the Risen Christ be with them!

Season 4

What is Resurrection?

What is Resurrection?

In the Fourth Season of Life, Love, & Light podcasts, we delve into the all-important but rarely discussed topic of Resurrection, based on my recent award winning book, Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters, co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD. In this first episode -- entitled What is Resurrection? -- we consider ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Hebrew ideas about the afterlife: what it was, what it was not. Then we examine biblical references to life after death in the psalms, prophets, apocalyptic literature, and the Book of Wisdom. In the process, we discover that faith in the resurrection of the body and soul of the whole person to new life after death was based not on human merits or worthiness, but rather on the goodness and steadfastness of Yahweh. Hope in the eventual triumph of divine life over human death was grounded in the certainty that the Creator is all-powerful. What God creates, God can and will redeem and recreate. Sin and death have no hold over Yahweh.Future podcasts will closely examine the four biblical accounts of Christ's resurrection to discover the bedrock of Christian belief in bodily resurrection. We will also consider how we may begin living resurrected lives even now, as sons and daughters of the resurrection.Please let your friends know about this new season of Life, Love, & Light podcasts. They are available on Apple, Google, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, and all the major directories as well as on https://lifelovelight.buzzsprout.com/.At this time of great disharmony, fear, crisis, and suffering in our world, one thing remains certain: The love of God is everlasting. Blessings to all!

In this week's episode of Life, Love, & Light, we examine the four gospel accounts of the discovery of the empty tomb of Jesus Christ by the women. It has long been observed that there are numerous disparities in the empty tomb stories. Unfortunately, for some readers, these variations and inconsistencies have given rise to doubt and even disbelief. Since the four canonical gospels diverge not only in details, but in personal viewpoints, we must delve deeper to discover what was deemed absolutely necessary to convey. To deal with these issues, we ask: What is the historical bedrock of each resurrection story? What is dramatization for effect? What is the elaboration of tradition by the early church? And what is a developing theological understanding of Jesus as the Son of God?In the process, we discover that the diverse ways of dramatizing the details of the empty tomb story—who saw and heard what and when— matter less than the essential meaning and message of the story itself. The tomb was empty for only one reason: Jesus had risen from the dead. Inconsistencies in the telling do not rule out truthfulness. Some might even say they add to a story’s authenticity. Each eye witness remembered and recounted the experience differently. Each attributed greater or lesser importance to certain aspects of the revelation. But the women who discovered the empty tomb and all who later saw the risen Jesus contributed in some way to the earliest oral tradition. All were convinced that the Jesus they had known before had now returned from the dead, utterly transformed but entirely recognizable. They knew this to be true because they had seen him with their own eyes. Some inconsistencies may indicate that each evangelist was determined to retell the empty tomb and resurrection story in his own particular way, with his own unique emphasis, articulating his own theological viewpoint. But these “teaching agendas” did not change the essential nature of what had actually happened. On the contrary, the kerygma—that is, the apostolic “proclamation” of teaching about the empty tomb and the risen Christ—was based on the core tradition from which all the gospels were written. Please register for Notification of these weekly Life, Love, & Light podcasts and share them with your friends who may be seeking greater understanding of what the resurrection means and why it matters. Blessings to all!

"We Have Seen The Lord!"

"We Have Seen The Lord!"

In this week's episode of the "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we go in depth to examine the stories of Christ's resurrection appearances: to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in the gospel of Matthew; to Magdalene alone in the gospel of John; and to the two disciples, possibly husband and wife, on the road to Emmaus in the gospel of Luke. We realize that the weeping and disconsolate Magdalene did not recognize Jesus in the garden until he "called her name" and that the two disciples only recognized that the Stranger on the road was Jesus in "the breaking of the bread." We realize how imperative it is for us to recognize Jesus when he calls our own name in deep prayer (or through the loving voice of someone else), and when we hear him speak to us through Scripture and receive him in Eucharistic fellowship. We consider that we must grow more and more consciously aware that Jesus walks along the road of our lives with us and within us, with every step we take. We also examine the two different stories, in Luke and John, of Jesus' appearances to the disciples and their companions in the Upper Room. And finally, we enter into the story of the doubting disciple, Thomas. In reflecting on this scene, we ask: Did Thomas believe that Jesus was truly God (and therefore could rise from the dead) because he saw him . . . or was he empowered to see who Jesus actually was because he came to believe in him?All the stories of the resurrection appearances were written to enliven and strengthen the faith of the community of early Christians who were enduring great trials and for Christians who would believe and suffer throughout time. Indeed, we are enduring great trials right now. But we also see signs of resurrection because good people everywhere are responding so generously to the crises in our world. As in the gospels, these signs are meant to encourage us as well. These signs bear a message of light, hope, and courage: no matter how dire things get, because Christ is resurrected, he has overcome suffering, death, and everything else that could destroy us. PLEASE REGISTER to be notified of these ongoing "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts and SHARE them with your friends who may be in need of encouragement and hope. Blessings to all!

Questions, Doubts, and Faith

Questions, Doubts, and Faith

In this week's episode of "Life, Love, & Light," we discuss the epilogue to the gospel of John, in which the Risen Jesus appears to seven disciples as they return from a frustrating night of fishing on Lake Tiberias. This resurrection appearance includes another miraculous catch of fish, a breakfast with Jesus on the beach, and a poignant conversation between the Lord and Peter, in which the disciple who denied Jesus three times is given the opportunity to affirm his love three times.Then we examine repeated attempts at "alternative interpretations" of all Christ's appearances that have challenged faith in his bodily resurrection. Most Christians probably do believe that Jesus really died, that his tomb was empty, and that he came back to life. But how many Christians have really considered in what way he came back to life? Was it a resuscitation, only a spiritual resurrection of his soul, or a vision of a different Jesus altogether? Are the resurrection appearances merely pious legends or pre-scientific myths? Did the disciples truly believe that Jesus had risen in a glorified body? Or did they simply "feel" the continuing presence of the Lord in their midst? Does the New Testament language of the evangelists and of Paul really mean what it says? Or was the crucial "resurrection" event what happened to the disciples and not what happened to Jesus at all? Or does Jesus only live on in the salvific preaching of the church? We delve into these and other modern and postmodern interpretations and then consider the earliest creedal formulations in the four gospels, in the letters of St. Paul, and in the Acts of the Apostles to discover the bedrock of our faith: What Christ's Resurrection really means. Blessings to all!Please Note: This fourth season of podcasts is drawn from my book "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya PhD. It won a 2021 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Contemporary Spirituality and is available from the publisher, Wipf & Stock, and from Amazon worldwide: https://smile.amazon.com/Living-Resurrected-Lives-Means-Matters/dp/1725253240/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645836812&sr=8-2

Paul and The Resurrected Body

Paul and The Resurrected Body

In this week's episode of "Life, Love, & Light," we examine the teachings of St. Paul on the resurrected body. In his letters to the Corinthians and Galatians, Paul dealt with issues concerning the resurrection that are still being debated today: Was Jesus resurrected bodily? Will our own bodies be resurrected? If so, what kind of body will it be: physical or spiritual? Paul used both vigorous argument and evocative metaphor to make the concept of bodily resurrection abundantly clear for the newly converted Greeks . . . and indeed, for generations to come.We reflect on Paul's faithful proclamation of the teachings he received from the apostles in his First Letter to the Corinthians. We examine the strong resistance, even rebellion, of the Corinthians to Paul's preaching on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hear Paul answering the objections of the Corinthians with a stinging deconstruction of their arguments. And we delve into Paul's understanding of Christ's resurrection as the "first fruits" of our own. Finally, we examine Paul's elucidation of the difference between the "natural" body in which we live now and the "spiritual" body we will receive in resurrection.This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020). PLEASE SHARE these podcasts on resurrection with those you know who may be seeking a source of renewed hope, encouragement, and confidence that in spite of all the suffering and death we see in the world, no one dies forever. Blessings to all!

The Spiritual Body

The Spiritual Body

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast, we continue delving into Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians and examine the difference between the archetype of a human being -- namely Adam -- who came from the earth, and Jesus Christ, who came from heaven. We discuss in detail Paul’s glorious teachings on the “spiritual body.” For Paul, the spiritual body defines the transformed human person who has died completely to sin and lives in the resurrected glory of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. This resurrected, divinized spiritual body is the fully actualized human person, clothed in a transformed physicality, animated through and through by the Spirit of God, the heart of divine love.We also hear Paul's exhortation to hope in his Letter to the Galations: "let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up." The apostle is insistent that the work of the Lord we do every day will have a direct correlation to the eternal gifts we will receive in the consummation and recreation of the world. And in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that faith in resurrection is the ground of hope: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor 4:8–11). By examining Paul's luminous teachings, we realize that faith and hope in resurrection give meaning—eternal meaning—to even the smallest of our efforts. We know that nothing will be forgotten. Everything—joys, sorrows, losses, disappointments, rejections, physical and emotional suffering of every kind— will be transformed into eternal glory by the power of Christ's death and resurrection. At this critical time of war, incomprehensible devastation, and tragic death in our world, these teachings are essential for our spiritual lives. NOTE: This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020).PLEASE SHARE these "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts with your family and friends.Blessings to all!

Dust, Bones, & Identity

Dust, Bones, & Identity

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast, we recognize that Paul’s idea of a transformed spiritual body never addressed whether every single atom of the corrupted corpse would have to be reassembled by God to form a resurrected body. Nor did Paul discuss how the soul might continue to exist while separated from the body during the interim period after death and before resurrection. Furthermore, Paul did not specifically define where the singular identity of the human person lay. Was it inherent in the putrefied flesh? The liberated soul? The infused spirit? Or the resurrected body/soul/spirit unity of the whole person?We examine various theories on the resurrected body developed by ancient theologians Irenaeus and Tertullian, seeking to grasp their concept of a body that will be reconstructed by God from bits and pieces of decayed and organic matter scattered over millenia. We discuss the inconsistencies of their approach as compared with a modern scientific understanding of mattter. And with the philosopher and theologian Origen, we explore the thorny problem of Identity: How does personal identity remain stable when the physical matter of the body is corrupted? In order to be able to separate, gently and with discernment, the core teaching of Christian revelation from the complex theories of resurrection that were developed in answer to particular questions and controversies through the course of history, we must examine this history, however briefly. Then -- grounded in a richer context -- we may more confidently explore new ways of thinking about bodily resurrection that might make more sense to us in our current cultural environments. These explorations may also resonate more meaningfully with our own innermost spiritual longing and desire for transcendence.NOTE: This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020).PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with your family and friends who may have serious questions about bodily resurrection. Blessings to all!

Augustine & Aquinas on Identity

Augustine & Aquinas on Identity

This week's podcast of "Life, Love, & Light" examines the writings of Augustine and Aquinas on the nature of the resurrected body. The Augustinian doctrine of resurrection focused on the necessity of divine reconstruction by God of every aspect of the body parts, rather than the Pauline metaphor of the seed in the ground that centered on a radical transformation. Inevitably, because of the wide dissemination of Augustine’s writings, his staunchly physical interpretation of Paul’s “spiritual body” became the standard Western view of eschatology. As we discused in the previous podcast, generations of early apologists had linked personal identity with the “material bits” of the body. All these "bits" would have to be gathered up by God and reconstructed into the resurrected body, otherwise it would not be the same person who had died. Ancient theologians were convinced that if all the matter of an individual corpse were not resurrected intact, the identity of the person would be irrevocably lost. But they could not explain how the unique person could survive when the body was corrupted by death and decay.Aquinas broke with the ancient tradition. He employed Aristotle’s metaphysical view that every being is a composite of two principles—primary matter and substantial form. Even though Aquinas still held that God would reassemble all the particles of the corpse in resurrection, he did not ascribe personal identity to the physical matter of the body. Rather, Aquinas (like Origen before him ) located identity in the substantial form of the body: that is, in the rational soul. It was the soul that made a being to be what it is. This approach by so distinguished a scholastic theologian as Aquinas, was an important breakthrough.We consider the qualities of the glorified body, according to Aquinas, and question why it is we cannot imagine either a resurrected body or a resurrected mind.NOTE: This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020).PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with your family and friends who may have serious questions about bodily resurrection. Blessings to all!

Wisdom & Divinization

Wisdom & Divinization

In this week's episode of "Life, Love, & Light," we continue to explore how personal identity might be sustained after death and bodily decomposition. We consider the twenty-one qualities of Wisdom (Greek, Sophia) and the transformative process by which our minds are purified and transformed by the graced energy of the Holy Spirit. In both the Eastern Orthodox and Western Christian traditions, this process of radical transformation is called divinization (Greek, theosis)—that is, “becoming divine.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are given new eyes of wisdom and new hearts of compassionate love. And this power is what effects our ultimate transformation.We question: How would a mind that is transformed by the death process and infused by Divine Wisdom become capable of experiencing the infinite and subtle potentialities of matter in a resurrected body? And how might such a body accurately reflect the glorification of that transformed mind?Finally, we discuss various methods of actually perceiving Divine Wisdom at the core of our being -- through contemplative prayer. And we realize that it is Divine Wisdom within us -- the "Christic Mind" -- that alone will carry our personal identity through death into the vision of God.NOTE: This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020).PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with your family and friends who may be searching for answers about bodily resurrection. May your Holy Week be rich in blessings and Christ's resurrection on Easter fill you with joy and renewed hope!

Living Resurrected Lives

Living Resurrected Lives

During this first week of the Easter Season, today's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast examines how we might actually begin to live resurrected lives -- even now -- amidst our sorrows, sufferings, questions, worries, and fears. This is what Christ's resurrection calls us to do.You may ask: Why should we? Why does it matter? Because, one day – whether we like it or not -- we will be hit with the stark realization that we are going to die. A medical diagnosis, a near-fatal accident, the passing of someone we love: any one of these may bring home the full reality of our own death. It will also make us aware that unless the full scope of what it means to be resurrected among the saints becomes the primary focal point of our life as Christians, the idea of eternal life as supremely blissful will remain only a faint and even foolhardy wish. So we must dare to embark on living now in anticipation of the reality that we hope awaits us.We consider how we might actively prepare for a resurrected life in heaven through the life we live on earth. We examine the essential virtues of a living faith, a daring hope, a radical love, and a total trust in the fact of Christ's resurrection and the promise of our own. And we recognize that to live a resurrected life here and now means choosing a life of service in imitation of Christ. In all things, we seek to gain "the mind of Christ" and to say with St. Paul: “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).NOTE: This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020).PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with your family and friends who may be in need of hope during these troubled times. May you be filled with Easter blessings and great joy in the reality of Christ's resurrection!

A Contemplative Practice

A Contemplative Practice

In this final episode of the Fourth Season of the "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we examine a method of contemplative prayer that can help us come to a greater awareness of the reality of Christ’s resurrected life that lives within us. I draw on Part Two of our book, "Living Resurrected Lives," which was written by my daughter, Dr. Eva Natanya. Eva is a theologian, a scholar, translator, writer, teacher, spiritual director, and a dedicated contemplative.As Eva points out, the spiritual logic is simple. If we have any hope of coming to live a resurrected life, we must do our part in developing an ever more intimate relationship with the Lord, the very one in whose resurrected life we wish to share. If we can recognize that all our current problems are ultimately a result of our deep-seated spiritual blindness, then we must gradually learn to see ourselves and each other with "the mind of Christ." If all the negativity that festers within our subconscious and causes us to harm others, even in the slightest way, is a result of our failing to understand how and by whom reality is created in every moment, then we must strive to discover the supreme reason for loving our neighbor as ourselves. And this discovery can only be made in the silent depths of our own hearts.Thus it is imperative that we learn to meditate in a steady flow in order to gain the capacity to understand something that was always within, but that previously we were unable to recognize: Divine Awareness. And if we wish to break through to this Divine Awareness, to glimpse the true source of all things, then we must make contemplative practice our first priority, every day. With Eva's guidance, we discuss how to create a sacred space for meditation, how to choose a comfortable meditation posture, and most importantly, how to acquire a mind-body equilibrium that is essential if we are to experience the transformative reality of the resurrected Christ. As Eva writes, this is the goal of our lives: "to prepare for what Christ has always been preparing for us. And for which he begs us to be ready."PLEASE SHARE this essential podcast with your family and friends who may be seeking a spiritual practice that can lead them beyond their pain, suffering, and fear, and offer hope that the divine process of transformation into our resurrected minds and bodies is already happening, here and now. Easter blessings to all!NOTE: This series of podcasts is based on themes from my award-winning book, "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD (Cascade Books, 2020).

Season 3

What is Mysticism?

What is Mysticism?

In our third season of "Life, Love, & Light " podcasts, we will explore "The Mystical Path." We will discuss what is involved in following such a path – not only through the practice of contemplative prayer – but in every aspect of our daily lives. I will also be guiding you in forms of meditation that great mystics of the past, both East and West, have promised can inform and radically transform our lives. I hope these meditations will enrich your own daily practice. In our first episode, we consider "What is Mysticism?" in its scriptural, liturgical, and contemplative dimensions. We define mysticism in psychological and personal terms and question when mystical life begins. In examining the course of our spiritual development, we realize that the deep yearning for a mystical life is the result of a profound "conversion" of heart. We want to experience that Christ is really here, now, with us – within us – on this path. More and more radically, we want to surrender – not out of desperation, but out of love. We choose to live now not our own lives, but his. Finally, we consider the signs of true mysticism and discover that Christian Mysticism is really not a path at all . . . but a profound love relationship with a person: the person of Jesus Christ.PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family members and friends who may be searching for a spiritual path right now. Especially during this grace-filled season of Lent. Blessings to all!

The Role of Faith

The Role of Faith

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast on The Mystical Path, we focus on the essential role of faith, because what nourishes faith nourishes mysticism. We delve into the meaning of the words "contemplation" and "meditation," and discuss the difference between "cataphatic" and "apophatic" forms of mystical prayer. We also consider the ultimate end of the mystical path, which is union with God. And we focus on the importance of maintaining "a constant intention of the mind" in order to reach that end. We reflect on teachings from the Desert Fathers Abba Moses and John Cassian, as well as St. Benedict of Nursia and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, about the importance of developing "purity of heart" which is, in essence, perfect charity. Finally, I lead you in a "Guided Meditation" to help you toward greater relaxation, equilibrium, and clarity of awareness.PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with family members and friends who may wish to develop a meditation practice in their daily lives, especially during this contemplative season of Lent. Blessings to all!

Silence, Stillness, Surrender

Silence, Stillness, Surrender

As we continue our "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts on The Mystical Path, we consider three essential aspects of contemplation that Julian of Norwich and countless other mystics have practiced: Silence, Stillness, and Surrender. We examine what each of these practices means and why each is crucial to a mystical life. We discover that meditation is essentially learning to still the mind in the midst of the constant motion of thoughts, feelings, and memories that threaten to derail silent attention. We question why is it so hard to stay aware and watchful without getting distracted; to maintain a "naked intent" of love-longing towards God; to simply be still and rest in God? We realize that it is because we are of two minds -- the "Martha mind" and the "Mary mind" in Luke's Gospel story: the active and the contemplative. We need to make peace between our two minds. The Guided Meditation helps us do this by becoming aware of the subtle layers of bodily sensation, thoughts and images, and the emotional reactions we attach to them. As these thoughts and feelings arise, we simply let them go, gently and without grasping. We surrender our thoughts, emotions, and memories to the work of the Spirit within. Gradually, over time and with consistent practice, we will move further and further into the silence and stillness of Divine Awareness that is the very ground of our being and that never moves. And as we surrender more and more, we will experience the Divine Light that illuminates every moment of our own awareness. Then we may become a light for those in need. In this is the essence of The Mystical Path.PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family and friends who wish to develop a meditation practice in their daily lives, especially during this Lenten time of silence, stillness, and surrender. Blessings to all!

Overcoming Distractions

Overcoming Distractions

In this week's episode of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts on The Mystical Path, we deal with the all-important topic of distractions: the barrage of thoughts, images, memories, and emotions that rise up and clamor for attention in our mind just when we want to be silent and focused in meditation. We consider different types of distraction, from agitation and dullness, to spiritual inspiration and the desire to become a mystic! We discuss antidotes to distraction, as taught by the Desert Fathers, the Cloud of Unknowing, St. Teresa of Avila, and modern mystics. We examine the use of a mantra or sacred word to cut through distractions and refocus the mind on God. Yet we realize that if we’ve not yet had the direct experience of divine encounter (or even if we have and wish to return there), we don’t know what it means to "focus on God." On what do we focus? We discover that we need to become acutely aware of the movements of the mind and the heart in meditation, without grasping on to any of them, but letting them go, one by one. As we develop this technique, we may become aware of the very fact of being aware. And thus we may move closer and closer to an experience of Divine Awareness at the ground of our being.The Guided Meditation leads the listener through just such a meditation practice, first watching the movement of the breath and sensations in the body, then becoming aware of the thoughts and images in the mind as well as the emotions attached to those thoughts and images, and finally resting in the stillness of awareness. This is a mystical path of meditation that can radically transform our daily lives.Please SUBSCRIBE to these weekly Life, Love, & Light podcasts and SHARE them with family members and friends who wish to develop a meditation practice in their daily lives, especially during this Lenten time of silence, stillness, and surrender. Blessings to all!

Stages of the Path

Stages of the Path

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast, we go in depth to examine the three stages on The Mystical Path: the path of purification and recollection; the path of illumination; and the path of divine union. We discuss what "the path of purification and recollection" entails and why a daily practice of meditation is absolutely necessary to our growth in the mystical life. We reflect on the words of mystics like St. Teresa of Avila and Julian of Norwich, Johannes Tauler and St. John of the Cross concerning the value of self-discipline and mortification -- in order to gain our freedom from slavery to the senses. Then we consider "the path of illumination" as the glimpse of the Ground of Reality that is God and realize that it is only by entering into "the prayer of quiet" that we are able to surrender totally to the divine will. We see the need to "discern the spirits" that may arise as either revelation or distraction and acknowledge that while the stage of illumination may be filled with extraordinary graces, it is not yet the stage of perfect union. In "the path of divine union" we understand that the ingrained sense of being a self separate from the Divine Source disappears. Divine Reality is not only perceived and enjoyed as a “beholding,” but the contemplative becomes one with it. Drawing mainly on the Revelations of Julian of Norwich, we hear her description of the unitive prayer "that oneth the soul to God."The Guided Meditation offers a method of watching the sensations in the body, the thoughts and images in the mind, and the emotions attached to these thoughts and images, so that we may learn to let them go and become more and more focused on the stillness of awareness within the soul. It is in this silence and stillness that we may discover the Divine Awareness that is the ground of our being . . . that never moves.PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family members and friends who wish to develop a meditation practice in their daily lives, especially during this Lenten time of silence, stillness, and surrender. Blessings to all!

Essential Practices

Essential Practices

In this episode of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we consider the essential thoughts about the nature of reality and discuss the essential virtues that we need to cultivate on The Mystical Path. Drawing on the wisdom of the East, we examine four thoughts that turn the mind towards God: becoming aware of the preciousness of this body and this moment; realizing the impermanence of this life; recognizing that our actions -- good or bad -- have consequences; and finally, seeing the reality of suffering as a necessary part of the path of purification. We discuss the importance of renunciation and examine the four essential virtues: a living faith, a daring hope, a radical love, and total trust.The Guided Meditation helps us identify our own sufferings with those of every other living creature. We allow Christ to take on our sufferings and purify them in his fire of divine love. With great compassion, we envision his light shining forth, entering our own hearts and the hearts of everyone, everywhere -- reminding us, teaching us that he has always already been there. And we recognize that in the oneness of his presence is the oneness of us all, united like rays of light, from star to star; each perfect, each unique.PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to these weekly "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts and SHARE them with family members and friends who wish to develop a meditation practice in their daily lives. And if you would like information about my books on the mystical path -- Suddenly There is God and Living Resurrected Lives (co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD) -- or about my two books on the Revelations of Julian of Norwich – please visit my website: https://www.veronicamaryrolf.com/ Blessings to all!

Night of the Soul

Night of the Soul

In this Good Friday episode of our "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we consider the dark "night of the soul" that every mystic must endure on the Path of Illumination. We relate this dark night to the passion of Jesus Christ. We reflect on the words of the beloved medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich, as she describes her visions of Christ's sufferings -- the most graphic account of the passion in all medieval literature. We hear Julian speak of Christ's "precious plenty of his dearworthy blood" that flows from his body and is "ready to wash all creatures of sin who are of good will, have been, and shall be." She describes the drying and the dying of his body as well as his intense "thirst." Julian reveals that Christ's pain became her pain as she suffered with him on the cross. And she understands that Christ took on the pain of all human beings who ever lived and that in his "failing" all creation failed "out of "sorrow for his pains."At one point, the suffering that Julian sees is so excruciating that she is tempted to look away from the cross. She longs to fly up to heaven. But she realizes that only in the cross of Christ is there safety and salvation. She makes the courageous decision not to turn away from the dark night of the cross, but to endure it as long as necessary and to choose Jesus to be her heaven. Julian understands that the love of Christ for souls is so strong that he willfully chose his cross “with great desire, and patiently suffered it with great joy." This is an astounding insight that cuts through and completely transforms Julian’s personal pain at watching Christ suffer. She is convinced that any soul that is “touched by grace” to meditate on the cross shall see all pains “turned into everlasting joy by virtue of Christ’s passion.”Julian’s Revelations on the passion give us clear insight into how we may endure our own darkest nights of soul (and body) on the mystical path. We may choose, like Julian, not to avoid or escape the suffering, however painful and long it may be, but to take it into our daily meditation practice and release the thoughts and emotions bound up with our suffering. We may wish to become more intimately united to Christ in his suffering as he is with ours. And we may pray never, ever to turn away and abandon him at the foot of his cross. Or our own.PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with family and friends who may be enduring their own dark night of the soul, their own time of great trial, and who would be greatly reassured by Julian's Revelations. Many blessings of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday to all!

Path of Illumination

Path of Illumination

Today, in our series of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts on The Mystical Path, we consider the Path of Illumination. We hear Julian of Norwich describe her own experience of illumination when she saw the sudden and blissful transformation of Christ on the cross -- from suffering to perfect joy. Julian herself was lifted up in a transport of ecstasy. This is the illumination that the disciples, male and female, experienced at Easter. Like them, Julian was overwhelmed by the reality of resurrection -- that Christ had conquered suffering and death once and for all. Yet she understood that right now we still abide in the reality of the cross; we still live within the passion of Christ: “in our pains and in our passion, dying.” However, Julian envisioned that, at the last moment of our lives, suddenly Christ will “change his countenance toward us, and we shall be with him in heaven.” By this she meant that Christ will instantaneously convert all our suffering into joy, simply by transforming our mind’s ability to perceive him.We reflect on the fact that as we move from the Path of Purgation onto the Path of Illumination, we, too, may experience moments of deep inspiration, vivid images, graces that come pouring out upon us, voices telling us what to do, all good things. We may have glimpses of light and momentary “beholdings,” as Julian of Norwich called them. However, we must not think we have already reached perfect union with God. There’s a big distinction between the glimpses that arise in our minds in the early and later stages of the Path of Illumination. So as not to be misled, we must continue to be faithful to our contemplative practice, morning and evening -- becoming aware of our thoughts but not grasping onto any of them. We must remain open to the presence of God and not crave spiritual "perks." We don’t want to be satisfied by the insights and inspirations that come from our own mind; we want only those that arise direct from the Divine Source. Cultivating greater awareness and stillness in our meditation practice will also enable us to deal more capably with the life situations in which we find ourselves -- after meditation. Teresa of Avila linked the Path of Illumination with the Prayer of Quiet. At this point, we are able to remain silent and focused more easily in meditation -- and for longer and longer periods of time. We begin to experience a different level of Divine Reality and to rest in this "divine milieu." Then, as our awareness of Divine Presence becomes sustainable, we learn to trust it more and more. Perhaps for the first time, we feel truly "alive"!PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with family member and friends who are seeking a mystical path and a contemplative practice in their lives. And let them know about the upcoming Virtual Retreat I will be leading on the Revelations of Julian of Norwich: "All Shall Be Well" (May 1st-2nd, 2021). Information and Registration are on my website: https://www.veronicamaryrolf.com/retreats.html ALL ARE WELCOME!