Tag Archives: Barbara Holmes
Living Inside God’s Great Story: Weekly Summary
Living Inside God’s Great Story Saturday, September 4, 2021 Week Thirty-Five Summary and Practice Sunday, August 29—Friday, September 3, 2021 Sunday I would gather my siblings and neighborhood friends and have them sit on a bench in the backyard. I would hold my penny catechism upside down since I couldn’t read yet, and I would… Continue Reading Living Inside God’s Great Story: Weekly Summary
Nurturing Body and Spirit
Living Inside God’s Great Story Nurturing Body and Spirit Tuesday, August 31, 2021 The countless “me” and “our” stories reveal the infinite ways that God draws us—as individuals, communities, and cultures—to God’s Self. None of our smaller stories are complete until they are joined to God’s Great Story. Today, my friend and colleague Barbara Holmes… Continue Reading Nurturing Body and Spirit
Jesus and the Universal Christ
Unveiling the Universal Christ Jesus and the Universal Christ Thursday, August 26, 2021 Today Barbara Holmes shares the benefits of believing in a God who is both personal (Jesus) and universal (Christ). [As an African American woman,] I grew up with a preference for the flesh and blood divinity of Jesus because of the suffering,… Continue Reading Jesus and the Universal Christ
Included from the Beginning
Unveiling the Universal Christ Included from the Beginning Monday, August 23, 2021 Our Living School faculty member, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes, understands the Universal Christ as a grand revelation of love at the foundation of the Universe. She says: There is so much to be gained if we allow the life space to unveil… Continue Reading Included from the Beginning
The Artistry of the Blues
Finding God in the Arts The Artistry of the Blues Tuesday, August 17, 2021 My friend Barbara Holmes describes the creation of blues music as an act of radical critique that can bring its listeners into a contemplative and holy space, far closer to God than we might be otherwise: Some sacred spaces bear none… Continue Reading The Artistry of the Blues
Crisis Contemplation: Weekly Summary
Crisis Contemplation Saturday, July 31, 2021 Week Thirty Summary and Practice Sunday, July 25—Friday, July 30, 2021 Sunday Living in a transitional age such as ours is scary: things are falling apart, the future is unknowable, so much doesn’t cohere or make sense. Our uncertainty is the doorway into mystery, the doorway into surrender, the… Continue Reading Crisis Contemplation: Weekly Summary
God is Right Here
Crisis Contemplation God is Right Here Friday, July 30, 2021 God is not out only “out there.” This week’s meditations have explored how God is radically “right here,” even in times of crisis. Just as it was hard to see the divine image in Jesus, it is hard to see it in ordinary people like… Continue Reading God is Right Here
Crisis Contemplation and Joy
Crisis Contemplation Crisis Contemplation and Joy Thursday, July 29, 2021 In my Franciscan tradition, joy comes from an inner realization of true experiential union with God (or Reality, Consciousness, and Life itself!). This realization descends upon us at ever deeper levels as we walk our faith journey. Authentic joy, however, takes place through our pain—not… Continue Reading Crisis Contemplation and Joy
Communal Lament
Crisis Contemplation Communal Lament Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Psalms of lament are powerful expressions of the experience of disorientation. They express the pain, grief, dismay, and anger that life is not good. They also refuse to settle for things as they are, and so they assert hope. —Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms Most of us… Continue Reading Communal Lament
Crisis Contemplation
Crisis Contemplation Crisis Contemplation Monday, July 26, 2021 CAC faculty member Barbara Holmes brilliantly teaches about contemplation but not in the way we typically think about it. She understands contemplation as the soul’s arising even in the midst of the most challenging crises humanity faces. Her new book Crisis Contemplation describes how this is the… Continue Reading Crisis Contemplation