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Who is Stephen?

Stephen's Personal Blog

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I was raised in the protestant tradition. I attended the First Presbytarian Church of Pitman as a child and teenager. In College I met and married a wonderful Lebanese Maronite women. I discovered Eastern Christianity which combined my Christian upbringing with eastern spirituality in a Monastic tradition. St Sharbel a Maronite Monk sets the tone and reverence of the Divine Liturgy.

In 1978, after a year of study with the local Maronite Priest, I converted and became a Maronite Catholic. You can visit St Joseph's Maronite Church website click here.

May God be with you in your search for the source of life and truth. Ultimately I believe you will find God within you and within others who believe.  

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, `Here it is,' or `There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21) This last line has also been interpreted as the "kingdom of God is within your midst".

You must discern for yourself which meaning rings true. For me the silence of prayer and regular attendance at the Maronite Divine Liturgy is the best way to discern this. Silent prayer is best practiced as Centering Prayer, as taught by Fr Thomas Keating and discussed in the Cloud of Unknowing.

Thank you Fr Keating and others in the Centering Prayer and contemplative network, my connection to you sustains my hope in the Lord, which is supported by unending Love provided to me at St Joseph Maronite Church in Waterville, Maine.

Peace Be with you.

Stephen

  Below are some other links that may help you in your spritual search:

• The World Community for Christian Meditation
• Eastern Monasticicm (a definition)
• Western Monasticicm (a definition)
• Pray the News
• A Christian Way to Transformation by M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O.
• Society of Friends
• Centering Prayer Articles by Fr Thomas Keating


• The Welcoming Prayer
• Centering Prayer
• Who's Who in Western Mysticism, by Professor Bruce B. Janz
• Provides text for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer
• Another explanation; also provides Text for the major Hours
• from Yale University, provides some good history into the development of the Hours
  Copyright (C) 1997 - 2008 Stephen C. Crate
  Permission is granted for academic use of this material if cited appropriately.