“In cultivating photography as a contemplative practice, the camera becomes a tool to develop our ability to see more deeply, clearly, and truly, beneath the surface realities of the world around us and into the sacred presence shimmering in the world.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice
How do you want to cultivate your ability see more deeply, clearly, and truly?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with extra resources and guidance, click here. Use code HEART20 to take 20% off through May 31st, tomorrow.
“Attuning to the senses means celebrating the Celtic vision of the sacrament of all creation — that everything, every living being is a sacrament, a sign or a symbol of the visible presence of the Divine.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, Virtual Celtic Pilgrimage: The Wisdom of Saints Colman, Sourney, and Patrick — A Self-Study, Online Retreat
How can you attune to the sacrament of creation today?
“God Who Cares for the Oppressed, give us the strength and circumstances to be a people of safety. Through prayer, contemplation, and spiritual practice, we seek to become like Melangell’s cloak, like the wings of a mother hen who protects her chicks.”
—Abbey of the Arts, Dancing Monk Feast Days: Reflections, Creative Invitations, and Prayers
What parts of yourself are longing for protection and sanctuary?
I am eagerly awaiting the release of the Holy Father’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas!
For an algorithm, an error is a flaw to be corrected; for a person, however, an error can be a catalyst for profound change.
– Pope Leo XIV, “Magnifica Humanitas”
Source: Sojourner’s Verse and Voice
“Monastic wisdom tells us the sacred is right here, right now.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice
How do you attune to the sacred in the here and now?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with extra resources and guidance, click here. Use code HEART20 to take 20% off through May 31st, this Sunday.
I have found that Saint Teresa’s call to focus on the goodness of God when I need to discern helps me fight the demons of despair, self-rejection, and fear, and has overcome the powers of darkness with the power of God many times. I have often prayed the prayer of Saint Teresa, “Solo Dios basta, God alone is enough,” when I have needed to discern whether what I was hearing and experiencing was of God or not. Praying these words slowly and out loud can help me enter into God’s presence, where there is peace and certainty that God is always with me and loves me.
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you.
Those who cling to God
will lack nothing
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
God alone is enough.
Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict. Everything in the world is interconnected. Certainly differences can cause frictions. But let us face them constructively and nonviolently, so that “tensions and oppositions can achieve a diversified and life-giving unity,” preserving “what is valid and useful on both sides” — Against War: Building A Culture Of Peace, p. 79
A beautiful offering from our dear friends and Abbess of the Abbey of the Arts, a wonderful online community. Her book of blessings, like her other writings, is absolutely beautiful!
Spirit of courage,
we stand huddled too,
like the disciples in the upper room,
wondering what is real and true anymore.
Reveal to us the pulse of your fire
in each of our hearts
and send us with bread and roses
out into a world
hungry for nourishment.
Bless us with visions of peace;
carry it across every sky
on wings of a dove.
Help us understand one another
so that we might know
our common purpose in love.
Let the winds of change
rush in and upend all our fears.
Empower us for a more
just and loving future
where we dance with your wild grace.
~Christine Valters Paintner, A Book of Everyday Blessings: 100 Prayers for Dancing Monks, Artists, and Pilgrims (Ave Maria Press)
With the current US administration being fixated on the violent attacks on the sovereignty of other nations and the incredible audacity of saying they will take those countries over, these words of Pope Francis speak truth to power.
…this piecemeal violence, of different kinds and levels, causes great suffering: wars in different countries and continents; terrorism, organized crime, and unforeseen acts of violence; the abuses suffered by migrants and victims of human trafficking; and the devastation of the environment. Where does this lead? Can violence achieve any goal of lasting value? Or does it merely lead to retaliation and a cycle of deadly conflicts that benefit only a few “warlords”? Violence is not the cure for our broken world. . . . — Against War: Building A Culture of Peace, p. 77
I realized that war was monstrous. If it didn’t kill those it touched, it took away a piece of their souls, so they could never be whole again.
– Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing (2020)
From today’s Sojourner’s Verse and Voice
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 