Voices of the Community
Voices of Community
[The Governing Board held an in-person meeting January 6-10, 2017and follow-up conference call on January 24, 2017.] Greetings from the Governing Board and the Transition Advisory Team! I write as [...]
HORIZON
Voices of Community
I look our across fog.Gray ocean meets gray sky,and I think of my young friend,cancer battle in full force,of my struggle to accept. There’s no line drawnbetween here and there,and [...]
Voices of Community
Is humility to look down at others, wear not too lavish clothes, not standing up for yourself? I think that humility is to take a break from our personality and [...]
Voices of Community
Facilitating is a ministry that empowers people and enables group process. As a ministry, it helps group members to become more aware and more loving. Empowering others in this way is [...]
Union
Voices of Community
I sometimes wonderas I see the early morning frost.Could it be that the blanket of white that covers everything Is compassion?And the sky’s soft glow after sunset is empathy?Could it [...]
The Story of the Cloak: A legend Attributed to St. Bridget, Patroness of Ireland, circa 452 – 525
Voices of Community
As the story is told, Brigid went to the King of Leinster to tell him she needed land upon which to build a monastery. “You do, you do,” replied the [...]
Voices of Community
Well, just what is Centering Prayer? Is it OK for a Catholic to engage in this practice? I often hear these, or similar questions asked. Now that I [...]
Voices of Community
At the initiative of Thomas Keating, the founder of Contemplative Outreach, the founders of three other major Christian contemplative organizations were invited to meet with him in early October at [...]
Spiritual Bushwhack
Voices of Community
During a recent Centering Prayer retreat at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, I ventured forth on an afternoon hike, scrambling up a steep cliff to check out some rock [...]
Voices of Community
“The Lord said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord,for the Lord is about to pass by.'”– 1 Kings 19: 9,11 The [...]
Perspective
Voices of Community
I sit on my porch,glimpse through the open doora painting, “Morning for Writing Letters”,a flask of coffee, the back of a chair,a blue and rust-colored afghanon the back of the [...]
Voices of Community
“I became aware of how powerful Centering Prayer was because it was a container for my consenting to not only God’s presence in my life, but also God’s action in [...]
Shutters
Voices of Community
Through the shutters of my soulsunlight rarely shines.Her voice demanded obedience,blocked out the light of childhood.As I grew older I replaced it with worries. On this rainy dayin a retreat [...]
Hokey Pokey Spirituality
Voices of Community
“You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out. You put your right hand in and you shake it all about.You do the hokey pokey and you [...]
Voices of Community
“Who put the bop in the bopshubopshubop, who put the ram in the ramalamadingdong … ” Those were the typical contents of my brain during my sporadic attempts at meditation [...]
Voices of Community
I often think about these words from Jesus, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” [...]
Let Your True Self Shine
Voices of Community
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before their eyes. His face became as dazzling as [...]
The Crooked Keel
Voices of Community
I loved to go lobster fishing with my uncle. I loved being out on the open water; the fresh sea air, the confident growl of the engine, the lobster boat [...]
Voices of Community
I remember 50 years ago riding in an UH-34D helicopter heading west over the South China Sea. A clear blue morning greets me under a cloudless sky. We are U.S. [...]
Moments
Voices of Community
In this silent momentsee how the palm treehas shrugged off old bark,how trim and stately it standsagainst an azure sky, comes the next momentand the next—the mind races aheador remembers [...]
Voices of Community
Some of us are blessed with good health, relative prosperity and long lives. But in even the most charmed life, there are times when things do not go as planned, [...]
Voices of Community
Our Centering Prayer group has recently finished watching the Sounds True Centering Prayer DVD series featuring Fr. Thomas Keating, Gail Fitzpatrick- Hopler and Fr. Carl J. Arico. A number of [...]
Our God of Surprises …
Voices of Community
Many years ago while taking a morning hike on Mt Tamalpais, north of San Francisco, I felt the urge to sit down and to silently pray to the Lord. I [...]
Voices of Community
Breathe in —the tide rolls out to the Mother Sea of Source in air-sucking return to the oceanic womb of life,pulling consciousness like a uterine contractionat three centimeters dilation Breathe out —the tide rolls [...]