Tag: journey
It does not matter
I took Luke to the dentist today, a moved up appointment, which was good, he needed an emergency root canal, so we gladly took the appointment. It is a very nice drive to the office, no traffic, pleasant day, again no rain, which I wish was otherwise. Nice days can be way overrated if you ask… Read More ›
Alone before God
We all carry the monk archetype in our souls A man came to me and asked me why the monastery was so important to him. He went on to say that when he is here staying at our retreat house, he feels at peace and more centered. However when he leaves it seems to go… Read More ›
To seek is to find
Experience with a retreatant One day about two years ago we had a retreatant here who stood out among the others. She was perhaps in her late forties or early fifties, intelligent, with some piercings and a number of small tattoos on her arms. We talked a couple of times and I always found her… Read More ›
Questions about ‘Ultimate Reality’
When talking to people about their inner lives and how they pray and process, I find that I have talked to no one who fits into any kind of preconceived all size fits all spirituality. Each person is unique in how they deal with the mystery of who they are and how they relate to… Read More ›
Everyone is in labor (quote from a woman in a dream)
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not… Read More ›
Summer Driving Lessons
It’s that time of year when folks are driving a lot and so perhaps it’s appropriate to think in terms of driving cars. Are there spiritual lessons? Life is like a trip, like a road. That’s one lesson. At times it can be a winding one, it can be straight and tedious, it can be… Read More ›
By love we make our journey
Eternal life is knowing the true God; the true way to it is to love with one’s whole heart. Love, then, is the way, truth the life; truth is the image, love the likeness; love is the price, truth is the prize; by love we make our journey, in truth we stand fast. Moreover, since… Read More ›
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
John Climacus became famous . . . through his work, entitled The Climax, in the West known as the Ladder of Divine Ascent (PG 88, 632-1164). Composed at the insistent request of the hegumen of the neighbouring Monastery of Raithu in Sinai, the Ladder is a complete treatise of spiritual life in which John describes the monk’s… Read More ›
Amazing stories of the moment of death
What happens at the moment of death? Many have experiences to relate. Recently, we spoke to a home-care aide, Mary Ann Buchan, of Western New York, who told us how common it is for folks to wait for some sense of completion before turning serene and making the passage. Most deaths are that way: peaceful…. Read More ›
Believers are called to follow Christ in the “desert”
1. Last Wednesday, with the rite of the imposition of ashes, we entered Lent, a penitential journey of preparation for Easter, an occasion for all the baptized to renew the spirit of faith and to reinforce their commitment of evangelical consistency. As today’s Gospel suggests (Mk 1,12-15), during the 40 days of Lent, believers are… Read More ›