PM writes: "
My children attend a Catholic Primary school in Australia. They tell me they do meditation at school and use the word 'Maranatha.' Is this in line with Catholic teaching? Should I exclude them from these sessions. I just read a blog of yours about centering prayer, (John Main). This seems to be exactly what they do, empty their minds and repeat the word 'Maranatha'. What do you think?"
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JM writes:
“Where does Gregorian Chant come from? Someone recently told me that it has roots in the New Age and occult. Is this true?”
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It’s trendy these days to incorporate non-Christian forms of worship into Christian practices, but Scripture is replete with warnings from the Lord about why this fad should be avoided.
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We recently had a caller on EWTN’s Wacky Wednesday radio show who said a local Catholic retreat center was offering biospiritual focusing. She wondered if this was a New Age practice and if it was something that belongs in a Catholic retreat facility.
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PC writes:
"Over the weekend I had a conversation with a few people (felt like a firing squad really) where they were saying it is perfectly fine for a Catholic to also be a Buddhist. Their argument was that Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy for interior peace and nothing is contradictory to what Jesus said and did (to me Galatians 5:22-23 debunks this issue as God sends the Holy Spirit that gives us everything; therefore, Jesus is truly the "all in all"). The lengthy part of the argument was to say that Buddhism gives the peace that Christianity does not. Of course I argued the opposite to all of this but did not make a dent. Do you know of any good resources that I can look at?"
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JB asks:
"I would like to know if relaxation exercises such as visualization and abdominal breathing who have proven to relieve anxiety are accepted by our Faith. I'm not talking about visualizations where one's soul supposedly "leaves the body" or anything weird like that but those where one thinks about a scenery and after a while releases fears and stress somewhere (perhaps a cloud, a hole in the ground, etc.) or sees them fade or disintegrate."
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Groundbreaking new research has discovered a link between those who practice mindfulness meditation, aura reading and other “energetic therapies,” to feelings of spiritual superiority and smugness.
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M asks: “
Have you ever heard about stacking rocks or stones? This seems to be a recent fad being seen in areas large and small. I'm just wondering how much connection the habit has to New Age beliefs. I have seen small structures being built along our walkway in our neighborhood. I wondered what would be a proper way to respond to their existence, or if I should ignore them.”
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We recently had a question from a reader about the legitimacy of the Healing Room movement and whether or not it's okay for Catholics to participate.
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A new study has found that at least eight percent of persons who practice mindfulness meditation experience a worsening in depression or anxiety, and even an onset of these conditions for the first time.
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