Many of us are familiar with the Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, composed as we know it in 1861 but with roots sunk as far back as the Roman Catholic monastic life of the 8th century. Not as many of us are familiar with the ancient O Antiphons, on which the hymn isContinueContinue reading “The Vespers and a Poem for Advent”
Category Archives: spirituality
Star Gazing during the Winter Solstice
Today is December 21, the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year with the longest night. It is also the occasion of a much-anticipated planetary event, the conjunction of two of the largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, so low in the sky that they will look like one huge star, an event that hasn’tContinueContinue reading “Star Gazing during the Winter Solstice”
The Art of Waiting
The year of 2020 will no doubt go down in history with many different names, none very complimentary, but if I could name it, I’d call it “The Year of Waiting.” We have all waited to see how a pandemic would unfold, having never experienced one before. We have waited, and are waiting, to beContinueContinue reading “The Art of Waiting”
Soul Song
Ancient guides, ancient paths, ancient stories. Winter seasons throughout the beginning of time have drawn humanity to seek solace in these places, to discern wisdom in the darkness of shadows. I have always found it to be Truth that when I am on a journey through the shadows, the Spirit somehow knows what I needContinueContinue reading “Soul Song”
Keeping Hope in Hopeless Times
A neighbor in an adjoining subdivision to ours is Jewish. At least that is my supposition since the family keeps an 8’ metal menorah cemented to the ground in their front yard year-round. We pass this house when we head to town, and I’ve come to call it “The Menorah House.” I am moved byContinueContinue reading “Keeping Hope in Hopeless Times”
The Power of Stillness
In this sometimes bittersweet season, where joy can be so elusive because of all the activity, anxiety, and noise which surround us, I turn in this journey to the Light to the wisdom of a current guide, Brother David Steindl-Rast, an American monk born in 1926 who still is leading us forward. What draws meContinueContinue reading “The Power of Stillness”
The Meaning of Joy in Advent
In the Christian tradition, the focus or theme of the third week of the four-week season of Advent is joy. In this dark time of year, in a “holiday” season that for many of us will be different from what it has ever been before, where do we find joy? If this is our firstContinueContinue reading “The Meaning of Joy in Advent”
Loss of a Mother in December
Today marks the sixth anniversary of my mother’s death. Catherine H. Rice, as she always called herself, was 94 when she died due to complications from Parkinson’s and dementia. Her illness was what a friend accurately called “the long goodbye” as this woman who was once the matriarch and centerpiece of the house slowly gaveContinueContinue reading “Loss of a Mother in December”
Lighting Our Own Flame
Today, December 11, marks the second day of the eight day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, the festival of lights. For those not familiar with this celebration, here is a synopsis: In the second century BCE, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture andContinueContinue reading “Lighting Our Own Flame”
Sky Lights
If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. Ralph Waldo Emerson In this winter seasonContinueContinue reading “Sky Lights”
Spirit Reflections 