Bishop Phonsie Cullinan
photo: youtube While Bishop Phonsie Cullinan drew media attention for recent comments critical of yoga and mindfulness in Catholic schools, the hierarchy has said that secular mindfulness has awakened in people a sense of the spiritual nature of life.
A Reflection on Mindfulness – Rediscovering the Christian Tradition of Meditation and Contemplation was apparently approved by the bishops’ conference more than a year ago but has only been published online in recent days. It is not clear how widely circulated the document has been.
In it, the bishops warn Catholics “to be careful not to be seduced by deceptive ideas that would actually take us away from a Christian notion of salvation, human fulfilment and holiness”.
Attention
However, it also points out that “secular mindfulness has drawn the attention of many to the need to be attentive to the present moment, the spiritual dimension of our lives and the need to make time in our busy schedule for spirituality.
“That is a good thing,” the document says, “but while secular mindfulness and Christian meditation might seem to share many characteristics, they are fundamentally distinctive.
“Both practices speak of dwelling in the present moment, but the Christian practice does so with the intention of opening our heart to God’s presence.
“From a Christian perspective, prayer, holiness and salvation are not simply the results of our techniques but rather the outcome of God’s gift to us, the God who loves us first, the God who calls each of us uniquely by name,” the bishops say.