Darkness as Essential to Transformation I have often described myself as a transformation junky. The resurrection narrative has always been my deep draw to the Christian faith. I believe in Martin Luther King’s view, that “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice,” and I have worked for that justice…
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Time to Pause, Move Toward the Center
Time to Pause We have a labyrinth in our backyard which, weather permitting, is where I do my walking prayer every day. One day, while I was preparing for a group to come and join us for a walk, my husband caught this photo of our dog, Bella, sitting in one of her contemplative postures…
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Unpredictable: The Invitation to Come Home
Unpredictable: The Invitation to Come Home My summer had surprising experiences with several unpredictable happenings. My body was telling me in no uncertain terms to pay attention to my aging process. More than one round of issues with blood pressure and wellness told me that I needed to let go of a few events I…
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We Can Forgive Even the Most Heinous Wrongs Done to Us
We Can Forgive Even the Most Heinous Wrongs Done to Us Is there a more difficult command given to us by Jesus than to forgive those who wrong us? We know we are called to forgiveness; every time we recite the Lord’s Prayer, we express the plea, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those…
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What Discernment Means to Me
What Discernment Means to Me Two questions have plagued me over the years: How does one bring God into the process of making decisions, and how does one know if a thought is appropriate? As a Benedictine Oblate, I knew of the Benedictine Center’s School of Discernment but did not immediately make the connection that…
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Being Real (Part 4): The Playlist
Recently, my long-time friend and colleague, Eily Marlow and I developed a day-long workshop called Being Real: Practicing Humility, Courage, and Authenticity in Everyday Life. The stories and the challenges that Eily and I shared as we were preparing for the workshop have stayed with me and continued to evolve over time. So have the lessons…
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Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems
Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems Writers too infrequently have the opportunity to witness people in the act of receiving their work. I was recently afforded that privilege as I shared a poetry reading with my friend and colleague Victor Klimoski. The experience encouraged me to annotate a handful of poems for…
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Rooted in Love: My Sustained Lectio Divina
Rooted in Love My Sustained Lectio Divina “I pray . . . that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” Ephesians 3:17 I have prayed with the Scriptures using a simple form for years. It was Guigo II in the twelfth century that gave the…
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Writing from the Center: In Praise of Mary Oliver and Her Call to Attentiveness
Writing from the Center In Praise of Mary Oliver and Her Call to Attentiveness We recently convened a gathering at the Monastery to celebrate the life and work of poet, Mary Oliver. She died January 17 at the age of 74, leaving behind a body of work that will sustain generations of readers. As a…
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Life, A Continuous Advent
According to Saint Benedict, “The life of a monastic ought to be a continuous Lent.” However, what Benedict presents is life as a continuous Advent. We can confidently stand ready and raise our heads because our redemption is at hand.