Living Prayer
When I was in my early twenties, before my time with a spiritual teacher, Dr. Thomas Hora, I happily belonged to a Catholic Charismatic group. I lived in two of its communal houses and embraced community life with great enthusiasm. Such Pentecostal groups view the miraculous as common and healing as the reachable result of sincere and dedicated prayer.
Faith was alive. Prayer was common. Dedication was the norm.
All expected their lives to improve and whole-heartedly dedicated their days to God, in much the same way as many religious orders do. It was also fun and full of laughter from so many young people who were drawn to the lively community. It was, indeed, a wonderful time. I felt very fortunate to find a religious group that was alive, vibrant, and flourishing. I was able to live like a member of a religious order while being a layperson. I would say that the short-coming of such groups is the vulnerability to fundamentalist thinking and its associated problems.