Lenten Day Twenty-Six: Richard Rohr

March 11, 2024 Photo credit: Pixabay “Jesus Christ never said worship me.  Instead he said, ‘follow me.’”  Richard Rohr Franciscan priest and spiritual teacher, Father Richard Rohr, has perhaps had more influence on my spiritual journey than any other author.  I’ve read many of his books (my personal favorite is Everything Belongs) and I appreciateContinue reading “Lenten Day Twenty-Six: Richard Rohr”

Tuesday, Advent Week 3: Where?

The Psalms of Advent, December 13, 2022 You are invited to light a candle and join me as we continue our journey with Advent Psalm 42, found here:  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042&version=NRSVUE. As mentioned in the previous blog, the author of this poignant psalm-song-poem was most likely in Babylonian exile or had just returned to Israel, perhaps Jerusalem,Continue reading “Tuesday, Advent Week 3: Where?”

The Psalms of Advent

“The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms . . .”  George Santayana The Book of Psalms in the Old Testament of the Bible is a collection of ancient Hebrew poem-songsContinue reading “The Psalms of Advent”

Welcome, Welcome ~2

April 2, 2022 Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity. This poem, The Second Coming, wasContinue reading “Welcome, Welcome ~2”

A Way to Be

March 2, 2022 In the Christian tradition, today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the six-week period called Lent and is a day to ponder our own mortality.  Considering the last two years of perpetual Lent co-existing with the pandemic, it seems sometimes that pondering our own mortality is all we have been doing. AndContinue reading “A Way to Be”

When You Choose War

When You Choose War . . . you cannot stopthe Lenten rose’s pale white blossomsfrom unfurlingnor can you commandthe pink-tinged buds of tulip treesto fold inward.When you choose war, know thatthe grass still greens in spring,the titmouse seeks its “peter-peter,”the black and white cat curls herselfin the dust-moted spill of sun.When war is your choice,Continue reading “When You Choose War”

Covid-19 Infects Us All

August 3, 2021 The Old Testament of the Bible contains an odd story, among many odd stories: the story of Job.  For those not familiar with it, the plot revolves around a bet made between God and Satan in which Satan claims that no one is strong enough to remain faithful to God in theContinue reading “Covid-19 Infects Us All”

“Going” on the Prayer Path

July 26, 2021 Decades later, I still remember a cross-stitched saying in a plain wooden frame that hung on the wall of my family doctor’s office.  It read, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”  As a child of five or six, I recall being bemused by that quotation.  Were hurrier and behinder reallyContinue reading ““Going” on the Prayer Path”

“Looking” on the Prayer Path

July 20, 2021 On the spiritual journey, it helps to remember that we are created to be spiritual beings as well as human doings.  Life isn’t all about what we produce.  It also involves who we are becoming, and if we believe we are made in the image of Something Bigger than us, of aContinue reading ““Looking” on the Prayer Path”

Stopping on the Prayer Path

July 12, 2021 As a poet, writer, and spiritual seeker, the description of my blog, Spirit-reflections, reads:  “Walking the ancient path and shining the Light with prose, poetry, and prayer.”  I believe that we, as spiritual beings, have much to learn from our ancestors who also trusted in something bigger than themselves.  If we failContinue reading “Stopping on the Prayer Path”