“Wandering along the cobblestone paths, Sophia’s shoulders felt heavy and her back ached. Nevertheless, she stopped in various shops to say hello to friends and tell them where she was headed.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Journey to Joy: A Fairy Tale for Thresholds & Transitions
What is your current relationship to the concept of community? Do you experience it as a support system, a burden, something longed for, an ambiguous unknown?
Verse of the day
As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.
– Philippians 4:9
Voice of the day
This God that kills and wages war cannot be the God of love that is revealed through Jesus…It is against this God who kills that we are fighting and resisting.
– Alexya Salvador
Prayer of the day
Strengthen our backbone to speak out against those who proclaim warped versions of you. Lay down your seal of peace.
St. Hildegard Has a Vision (excerpt)
Is this what can happen
when we surrender fully?
What can enter through the open heart?
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, What Enters Through the Open Heart: Poems
What holds you back from surrendering fully, and what have you received through an open heart?
Join us for a book launch celebration in October!
The Bible, especially in the words of the Prophets, reminds individuals and peoples of God’s covenant with humanity, which entails renouncing our desire to dominate others and learning to see one another as persons, sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters. We should never encapsulate others in what they may have said or done, but value them for the promise that they embody. Only by choosing the path of respect can we break the spiral of vengeance and set out on the journey of hope. — Against War: Building a Culture of Peace, p. 82
“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.
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 