“Sometimes the grief we carry comes from generations before us, our ancestors who were wounded in their own ways through war and heartbreak. We can call upon these ancestors, this Communion of Saints, to support us in our dark journeys.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness
Whether known or unknown, how can you invite your ancestors, with their own experiences of grief, to walk alongside you and lend you support?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with additional resources and guidance, click here. Use code MIDWINTERGOD20 to take 20% off through October 31st.
Verse of the day
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
– Isaiah 58:6
Voice of the day
Learn from the Master of truth, who preached virtue only after he had practiced it.
– St. Catherine of Siena
Prayer of the day
God of truth, let our practice of faith be rooted not solely in rituals, but in a vigorous commitment to liberation.
“Curiosity is the birthplace of compassion, but the greater the psychological distance between us and the other, the less curious we are about one another.”—Rabbi Sharon Brous, The Amen Effect
“If you are not struggling to love people, if you are not trying to build understanding with those you disagree with, then you are not really doing the work of building Beloved Community. The work of building Beloved Community is understanding that we’re not trying to win over people, but to win people over. Historically, winning a war has meant defeating the opponent. There is a clear winner and a clear loser. . . . But in nonviolence, there is no real victory until everyone is on the same side.”—Kazu Haga, Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm
Verse of the day
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose.
– 1 Corinthians 1:10
Voice of the day
In community practice, every move you make affects others. Just like a domino game. One shift can create a chain reaction.
– Rick Lowe
Prayer of the day
Loving God, allow us to remain mindful of the impact that our lives have on our neighbors, so we can continue to stand in solidarity with one another.
Verse of the day
Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
– Mark 10:27
Voice of the day
The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary.
– Ursula K. Le Guin
Prayer of the day
God, in your image we were created. Light a spark within our hearts to imagine a better world and bring us into building one in return.
Verse of the day
How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.
– 1 John 3:17-18
Voice of the day
Activism is the body of justice. It invites you into embodied declarations of dignity and worth. As you participate in its body, you find yourself increasingly grounded in your own.
– Cole Arthur Riley, “This Here Flesh” (2022)
Prayer of the day
God who became flesh to draw closer to us, embolden the body of Christ to immerse ourselves in causes that deny degradation and affirm dignity.
“We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earth’s beings.”—Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
“Nonviolence is not just an option for peace. It is the only chance for our survival.”—Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee
“The archetype of Apocalypse, which essentially means unveiling, has been activated during wars, pandemics, and other kinds of societal collapse. Apocalypse also is pointing us to the new beginnings that emerge out of those end times; we can look at this as more of a circular pattern.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Orphan, Fool, Sovereign, Prophet: Creating New Beginnings in Times of Unraveling – A Self-Study, Online Retreat
What is your felt response to the invitation to acknowledge the possibility of emerging beginnings amid endings on both a micro or macro scale?
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