Tag Archives: Presence
Foundational Hope
An Evolving Faith Foundational Hope Monday, May 31, 2021 Memorial Day in US The Jesuit scientist Teilhard de Chardin wrote that “Love is the physical structure of the universe.” [1] Our theological way of saying the same thing is “Let us create in our image” (Genesis 1:26), in the image of the triune God, who… Continue Reading Foundational Hope
Our All-Vulnerable God
Trauma and Healing Our All-Vulnerable God Tuesday, May 4, 2021 Very few of us can actually imagine God suffering. I bet almost half the prayers of the Catholic Church begin with “Almighty God” and when you’re “all mighty,” you don’t suffer! And yet if we believe that Jesus reveals the hidden heart of God, we… Continue Reading Our All-Vulnerable God
God Is Not Only “Over There”
The Contemplative Call to Nature God Is Not Only “Over There” Sunday, April 18, 2021 The core message of the incarnation of God in Jesus is that the Divine Presence is here, in us and in all of creation, and not only “over there” in some far-off realm. Indigenous religions largely understand this, as do… Continue Reading God Is Not Only “Over There”
A Presence That Continues
Communion of Saints A Presence That Continues Thursday, March 11, 2021 Theresa Torres’ description of receiving her faith through her grandmother is a wonderful reflection of how faith was once passed down generation to generation. Her grandmother, or abuelita, inspires spirituality not as a religious creedal statement or morality code, but as a healing and… Continue Reading A Presence That Continues
Nature, Cosmos, and Connection: Weekly Summary
Nature, Cosmos, and Connection Saturday, February 20, 2021 Week Seven Summary and Practice Sunday, February 14—Friday, February 19, 2021 Sunday Once we know that the entire physical world around us, all of creation, is both the hiding place and the revelation place for God, this world becomes home, safe, enchanted, offering grace to any who… Continue Reading Nature, Cosmos, and Connection: Weekly Summary
All Creation Has Soul
Nature, Cosmos, and Connection All Creation Has Soul Sunday, February 14, 2021 Nature itself was the first Bible. Before there was the written Bible, there was the Bible in things that are made. This creation starts with being very good (Genesis 1:31). We come to God through things as they are; spirituality is about sinking… Continue Reading All Creation Has Soul
Thomas Keating: The Secret Embrace, Part Two: Weekly Summary
Thomas Keating: The Secret Embrace, Part Two Summary: Sunday, October 25—Friday, October 30, 2020 To begin this second week exploring Thomas Keating’s final poems, I offer a basic overview of the stages of spiritual development that Thomas so authentically modeled in his life and teaching. (Sunday) All emotional drama has dropped out, since there is… Continue Reading Thomas Keating: The Secret Embrace, Part Two: Weekly Summary
The Sound of Silence
Thomas Keating: The Secret Embrace, Part One The Sound of Silence Tuesday, October 20, 2020 The silence of the Creator is thunderous, Drowning out everything else, And hiding in endless creativity. —Thomas Keating, “Out of a Stone” One of Thomas Keating’s greatest legacies will surely be his development and teaching of Centering Prayer, a Christian… Continue Reading The Sound of Silence
The Light Within
Mystics and the Margins The Light Within Friday, October 2, 2020 First gathering in 17th-century England as the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers have always existed on the margins of Christianity, but that doesn’t mean their impact has been small. In many ways, they were ahead of their time (and even our times) when… Continue Reading The Light Within