Spiritual Conferences by Fr John Markey

 

From October 22 to 24, Fr. John Markey, O.P. offered the monks of New Melleray several conferences on the theology of the Holy Spirit.  Among some of the more interesting “take-aways” – an interesting and helpful distinction between natural gifts and charisms.  Charisms, it was pointed out, are natural gifts taken up by the Holy Spirit with a person’s consent and employed in the service of God through the members of Christ’s body, the church.  Fr. Markey is a professor at the Oblate School of Theology where he offers classes on spirituality and theology.  He is the author of several books including “Who is God?  Catholic Perspectives Through the Ages.”  Trappist monks take a vow of “conversion of manners” and consider spiritual conferences such as these a concrete way of living out our promise to God to cooperate with his grace to conform us more and more to Christ under the influence of the Holy Spirit.