A Spiritual Break

Posted on May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 by Michael J. Cunningham · 1 Comment

Resistance

For those of you who recall physics in school or college you may remember the meaning of electrical resistance. The “resistance” of a wire determines how much current and voltage flows through it based on its character, its essence. During some recent retreats it seems this relationship can also be applied to the way we enter into prayer and communion with God.

Perhaps this is nowhere truer than in contemplative prayer, particularly meditative prayer forms where we are encouraged to “tune out” the rest of the world and listen for that small, still voice mentioned in scripture so frequently. Eucharistic Adoration, Centering Prayer and even imaginative prayer all call the issue of our “resistance” to listen and stay quiet to hear what God wants us to receive.

One major factor limiting our growth in this area is an unwillingness to give in to God’s will, but rather make requests to suit our own benefits. While there is intrinsically nothing wrong with prayers of petition; we all do them all the time … it does not place us where we need to be when we take a contemplative prayer route. In contemplative prayer, we are putting ourselves in a disposition of “opening our heart to God, without an agenda or goal”, we are trying “to rest in Him” and let go of all of our own needs. (St. Augustine comes to mind. “My heart is restless till it rests in thee”.) The Our Father and many places in scripture describe this fully in the words “Thy Will Be Done”, which also means, God’s will be done, not my will.

Placing ourselves in this position requires us to drop all resistance, which keeps the electrical current that God wants to provide us with… grace… flowing at full tilt. When we surrender to His will, the agenda, our needs, and our requests are gone. We place ourselves near the Cross and rest in Him.

During my own journey, I can think of many times when I was grateful to God, but I still resisted the call to be close to Him. No because He was not present, but rather because I was unwilling to drop my internal resistance. I was unwilling to be vulnerable, to be humble, to be open to His complete love by dropping my guard entirely. I needed to rest in His arms as a small baby would do in the arms of their parents or grandparents.

Perhaps it is time to reexamine my own resistance to surrendering to God. Am I fully on board with “Thy Will Be Done” and leave my own will at the door? My answer is I still have some way to go.

So perhaps the old saw, “Let Go and Let God,” still has much relevance in my spiritual life today. I will work on it. Perhaps you are being called to look at resistance in this new light.

Just a thought.

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Michael J. Cunningham

Head and Heart

I’ve recently been reading a book called The Heart of Trauma by Bonnie Badenoch. Bonnie is a therapist who has been dealing with trauma patients for several decades. She is a well-known expert in this field. She has a great capacity to identify with the technical aspects of therapy and its spiritual intersection. Something that is often missing from modern therapy. Many enter therapy expecting results in a short period of time, in the same way as we have come to expect results from getting our car fixed or medication that will cure us of our illnesses. The results of this strategy are not good. A recent study shows that empathy amongst many in society has declined by a massive 75%, as society becomes more focused on self-fulfilling needs versus helping others less fortunate.

When it comes to the brain, and in this case the heart, life is not so simple, as we all know. Miss Badenoch explains that some of the single-minded thinking that seems to dominate our world today, comes from my reliance on using the left hemisphere of our brain more than the right. Now without getting into the details of her book the interesting observation that I made, was the relationship between the implicit results-oriented left brain, and the explicit meaning of what is happening in our lives that the right brain controls.

There has been some debate in these circles for many years, that the left brain and the right brain thinking tends to dominate our personalities. The simplistic view we have been given is that the scientific aspect of our brain is the left-hand side, and the artistic side is the right-hand side. It turns out, just in the same way as our lives, that both sides are dependent on each other. In the same way that our heart often determines our decision-making process, in conjunction with our head, therefore making decisions that have some meanings built into them rather than just opinions or results.

This interdependence between our head and our heart is the core of the healing that Miss Badenoch and her clients search for together in her therapy groups. In the same way, as we are searching for meaning in our own lives, we cannot deal with problems in isolation, we have to search for meaning and understanding in order to be able to reach some semblance of peace as a result.

I guess my point in this reflection is that science is starting to recognize that our heart, our spirit, and our soul are a much more important compass for us to manage our way through our lives. And of course, with God at the center of all of those, we can be assured that the movement that we make toward peace and reconciliation will be better as a result of being guided by Him.

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Michael J. Cunningham

No Matter What

No Matter What

Have you ever thought about what “no matter what” really means? We say it often – to our children, to our loved ones, sometimes even to ourselves. But do we truly grasp the depth of that promise? It’s easy to love when the sun is shining, when life flows smoothly like a gentle stream. But unconditional love asks for more.

This kind of love doesn’t pause to check the weather. It doesn’t measure the temperature of the room before entering. It simply is. Present. Constant. Unwavering. Like the sacred space within us that holds the divine, this love creates a sanctuary that remains intact through every storm.

Most times, we struggle with this concept because we’ve learned to put conditions on everything. If you do this, then I’ll do that. If you meet these expectations, then you’ll receive this reward. But real unconditional love throws away the rulebook. It doesn’t keep score or maintain an internal ledger of rights and wrongs.

Consider, for a moment, how God’s love operates. It doesn’t diminish as we stumble. It doesn’t withdraw when we question. It doesn’t fade when we forget to look up and acknowledge God’s presence. Like the air we breathe, it simply continues to sustain us, asking nothing in return except that we allow ourselves to receive it. And, it takes some effort to avoid breathing!

This is the kind of love that Francis of Assisi embodied when he embraced the leper, when he spoke to the wolf of Gubbio, when he called the sun his brother and the moon his sister. He understood that love transcends our human categories and conditions. It flows freely, like living water, nourishing everything it touches.

Perhaps the greatest challenge isn’t in giving this kind of love – though that’s certainly difficult enough – but in accepting it. In believing that we are worthy of being loved “no matter what.” In trusting that the love will remain even when we can’t see it through our tears or feel it through our pain.

Take a moment to reflect: When was the last time you allowed yourself to be loved unconditionally? Without trying to earn it, deserve it, or repay it? This is the gift we’re all offered, waiting to be unwrapped every single day.

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Michael J. Cunningham · 3 Comments

The Heart’s Wisdom

The Heart’s Wisdom in Difficult Moments

In the Christian contemplative tradition, a sacred space exists between reaction and response—a moment where wisdom emerges in the pause between our thoughts. This pause becomes our sanctuary of discernment when faced with persecution or intimidation.

The Dance of Grace and Truth

As spiritualbreak.com reminds us, harmony often emerges in the space between our breaths. This truth becomes especially vital when navigating challenging encounters. The key lies not in choosing between kindness and firmness, but in allowing both to flow from a heart aligned with Christ’s teachings.

The Power of Heart-Centered Response

Recent scientific discoveries have shown that the heart is more powerful than previously thought, but those of us walking in faith have always known this truth. When we respond from a heart centered in Christ’s love, we naturally find the balance between gentle strength and unwavering truth.

Consider these heart-centered approaches:

Pause and Reflect
Before responding to hostility, create that sacred space where wisdom dwells. Let your response emerge from a place of centered peace rather than reactive fear.
Speak Truth with Open Hearts
As we learn from spiritual wisdom, an opening of hearts is the only way to open a mind. When we speak truth from this place, we maintain our integrity and compassion.
Leave a Positive Trace
Every interaction leaves what we might call a spiritual trace—something that remains after our encounter with another. Choose to leave behind evidence of Christ’s love, even in difficult moments.

Living the Balance

The path of Christ-like response requires neither passive acceptance nor aggressive defense. Instead, it calls us to stand firmly in truth while remaining rooted in love. This might mean:

Setting clear boundaries with gentle determination
Speaking truth without attacking
Maintaining dignity without pride
Showing compassion without compromising principles

A Moment of Prayer

Divine Master, grant us the wisdom to recognize the space between stimulus and response as holy ground. Help us stand firm in Your truth while radiating Your love. May our responses to difficulty reflect Your perfect balance of grace and truth. Amen.

Remember: Our strength lies not in our ability to overpower others, but in our capacity to remain anchored in Christ’s love while standing firm in His truth. This is the way of transformative response—one that changes ourselves and, potentially, those who oppose us.

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Michael J. Cunningham · 1 Comment

Less fortunate 2.0

Less fortunate

They were/are less fortunate than I,

Sitting in their lot of life,

Where sadness swamps their day,

And tears are no longer enough.

Where upward movement seems unlikely,

Yet depression holds its teeth from biting,

And softly stays on the edge of daily life.

Close enough to be grateful for what is there.

Living next door to misery can last forever,

As gratefulness comes in small containers,

A hot meal, shelter and a dog that loves unconditionally.

As all dogs do.

Seeing sorrow is sorrow itself,

Not knowing if empathy or help is needed,

As their sorrow flows through my veins

Like an infusion of drugs.

And Mater Dolorosa’s pain becomes real.