mercycenterstl

Focus

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 16 May 2022 08:00:14 GMT

"In Sabbath we focus on what we love. In work we focus on what needs repair."

-Wayne Muller,

Author and Minister

In Sabbath we celebrate the world and rest in its delights. In work we engage in “tikkun olam”, the repair of the world. How is this balance of reverence for Sabbath and commitment to work revealed in your life?

Flight

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 09 May 2022 08:00:13 GMT

" The soul that is attached to anything, however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of Divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for until the cord be broken, the bird cannot fly.”
- John of the Cross, Mystic

Many great religious traditions teach the value of detachment. What do you need to loosen your grasp on so that you can fly?

Endless Day

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 02 May 2022 08:00:06 GMT

"I saw and I understood that our faith is our light in darkness, and this light is God, our endless day."

- Julian of Norwich, Anchoress

Our eternal life in God is “la fête sans fin,” the feast without end, the day that never sets. This week let us remind ourselves often of our profound reasons for rejoicing.

Dark

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 08:00:04 GMT

"Be patient when you sit in the dark. The dawn is coming."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

2 Peter 1:19 tells us that God’s message is “as a light shining in a dark place, until the first streaks of light appear and the morning star rises in your hearts.” If your schedule allows some day this week, rise early, wait in the early hour darkness, and treat yourself to dawn.

Soul on Fire

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 08:00:21 GMT

" Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.”

-John of the Cross, Mystic

In a poem about the road to Emmaus, theologian John Shea calls Jesus, “The arsonist of the heart.” When has God set your heart on fire? When has a holy passion for justice been enkindled in you? When has love’s fire touched you?

Entry

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 08:00:04 GMT

"Silence is a privileged entry into the realm of God and into eternal life. For silence is a language that is infinitely deeper, more far reaching, more understanding, more compassionate, and more eternal than any other language."

-Meister Eckhart OP,

German Theologian

St. Augustine of Hippo prayed, “You who teach the hearts of the faithful without the din of words, teach us, we pray.” When have you heard the voice of God speaking to you without the din of words? When has a silence beyond words spoken in your depths? How might you immerse yourself in silence this week in order to listen deeply?

Liberty

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 08:00:03 GMT

"Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?"

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

In 2 Corinthians 3:17 we read, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” From what do you seek liberation? What restrains you, keeping you from the fullness of life? What forms the “bars” of your self-constructed prison?

Simplicity

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 08:00:03 GMT

"God enters the human heart by its own ways: He enters the wise through wisdom. He enters the simple through simplicity."

-St. Oscar Romero,

Archbishop of San Salvador

Lao Tzu teaches, “Manifest plainness. Embrace simplicity. Reduce selfishness. Have few desires.” If you had fewer desires, what might they be? What desires would you have to relinquish in order to live more simply?

Witness

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 08:00:04 GMT

"There is no proof of the existence of God, only witnesses."

-Abraham Joshua Heschel

Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner, said, "The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all." How are you growing to know God personally, to pray to God intimately, and to witness God’s presence universally?

Four-chambered Heart

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 08:00:04 GMT

"For many native traditions, the 'four-chambered heart,' the source for sustaining emotional and spiritual health, is described as being full, open, clear, and strong."

- Angeles Arrien, Author

These traditions feel that it is important to check the condition of the four-chambered heart daily, asking: 'Am I full-hearted, open-hearted, clear-hearted, and strong-hearted?' Can you ask these questions of yourself each day this week?

Stillness

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 09:00:09 GMT

"Be silent that the Lord who gave you language may speak."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Rumi goes on to tell us, “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” Where can you find stillness around you? How can you find stillness within you?

Outrage

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 09:00:08 GMT

"Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are."

-Benjamin Franklin

St. Augustine said, “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” How do anger and courage serve hope in your life?

Questioning

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 09:30:03 GMT

"Great questioning, great awakening; little questioning, little awakening; no questioning, no awakening."

-Zen Saying

The Buddha teaches, “The one who asks a question is a fool for a minute. The one who does not remains a fool forever.” What questions about spirituality or religion do you hesitate to ask? How might your questions deepen your spirituality?

Home

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 10:00:03 GMT

"If you lived in your heart, you’d be home by now."

–Bumper Sticker

Signs on highway billboards proclaim to commuters, “If you lived in Pheasant Ridge, you’d be home by now.” How much better to come to the deeper home of our heart, our true center. What would it take for you to dwell there more often?

Contemplation

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:00:07 GMT

"The mind is always bored in the present. So it must be trained to stop running backward and forward. This is the role of contemplation."

-Richard Rohr OFM, Franciscan Friar

Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh counsels, “Many of us have been running all our lives. Practice stopping.” Even slowing down might help, but coming to both outer and inner stillness is even better. Take your foot off your accelerator, start gently breaking, and see how it feels.

Broken

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 11:00:11 GMT

"God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken

clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength."

-Vance Havner, Southern Baptist Pastor

Kintsugi (golden repair) is a centuries-old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery and transforming it into a new work of art by filling the cracks with gold. Where are the cracks of brokenness in your life? How might they grow stronger and more beautiful filled with the gold of healing?

Struggle

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:00:10 GMT

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is engaged in a great struggle."

- Philo of Alexandria, Philosopher

The lesson of the butterfly is that the wings of transformation are born of patience and struggle. Where are the struggles of your life? What struggles are those around you dealing with? Which ones call for great patience?

Moment

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 11:00:08 GMT

"Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn says, “What is required is a willingness to look deeply at one’s present moments, no matter what they hold, in a spirit of generosity, kindness toward oneself, and openness toward what might be possible.” Make space and time to do this. Sit with quiet dignity. Breathe.

Soul

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 11:00:05 GMT

"Between the soul and God there is no between."

-Julian of Norwich, anchoress

Spiritual writer James Finley describes the state of divine union as, “where we and God disappear as other than each other…You and God can no longer tell each other apart from each other.” Is this what Jesus longs for when he prays in John 17:20, “May they all be one”?

Brokenness

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 11:00:03 GMT

"God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open."

-Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi Teacher

Psalm 34:18 tells us “God heals the broken-hearted. Those crushed in spirit God saves.” God always acts to heal. While curing indicates a return to health and absence of symptoms, healing—on the other hand—is a deep restoration of wholeness. What in you longs for God’s healing touch?

Walking

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 11:00:04 GMT

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

The teacher continues, “When we practice walking meditation, we arrive in each moment. Our true home is in the present moment...Breathing in, we say to ourselves, I have arrived. Breathing out, we say, I am home.” Happy homecoming!

Language

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 11:00:03 GMT

"Listen with ears of tolerance! See through the eyes of compassion! Speak with the language of love."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

When asked what was really important, Jesus responded with a call to love with all we’ve got—heart, mind, soul, strength—and to love God, neighbor, and self in equal measure. He calls us to speak that language of love.

Heart

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:14:27 GMT

"The heart is the seat of wisdom for the Jews, the hub of the universe for Hindus, the throne of God for Sufis, an important quality for Buddhists, the essence of what it means to be human for Confucians, and the abode of the kingdom of God for Christians."
www.foundhearts.com

The path of heart is fulfilling and fruitful and leads to deep meaning and joy. How would your life be richer if you balanced the path of mind and the path of instinct with the path of heart?

Prayers

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 12:00:07 GMT

"Cultivate personal rituals of solitude. Learn to be with it all. Become immense. Set your prayers on fire."
Mary Ellen Lough, Poet

When one of the Desert Fathers, Abba Lot, came to his teacher, Abba Joseph, and asked, “What more should I do?” The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not become fire? …So what’s stopping you?

Spring

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 12:00:08 GMT

"We began as a mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states,
except in early Spring when we slightly recall being green again."

Rumi, Sufi Poet

The Benedictine Abbess Hildegard of Bingen coined the term “viriditas,” the greening power of God, the animating life-force within all creation, giving it life, moisture, and vitality. When have you experienced this energy flowing through you? When has your soul felt “green” again? What action might you take to protect some aspect of creation, to keep our world green and growing?

Lectio Divina

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 12:00:10 GMT

"Read under the eye of God until your heart is touched, then give yourself up to love."
Dom Marmion, Benedictine Monk

The process is simple: Seek in reading; ask in prayer; find in meditation; hold in love.

So find a text, find a quiet time, find a secluded place, and do your sacred reading.

Mindfulness

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 12:00:08 GMT

"Each time for the first time. Each moment, the only moment."
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Teacher of Mindfulness

Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, “Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. Every time you go there, and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.” What daily mindfulness practice will bring you happiness this week?

Outdoors

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 12:02:02 GMT

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."
John Muir

When has immersion in nature given you sense of the Holy, of God’s presence? When has life around you deepened your awareness of life within you?

Wake

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 11:00:02 GMT

"The cock will crow at the breaking of your own ego. There are lots of ways to wake up!"
John Shea, Theologian and Storyteller

The Sufi poet Kabir asks, “You have slept for millions and millions of years. Why not wake up this morning?” And Christian Scripture resounds with calls to be alert, to wake from sleep. So the question is are you sleep-walking through life? Are you fully awake?

Compassion

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 11:00:03 GMT

"Compassion: Your pain in my heart."
Unknown

The Jesuit moral theologian James Keenan defines mercy as, “The willingness to enter into the chaos of another.” This means that we let the issues, problems and crises of another be our own for a time. We let their needs touch our lives, our hearts, and our minds. What/who cries for your compassionate response? What are you willing to let in, even for a time?

Unity

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 11:00:04 GMT

"To live well, beautifully, and justly are all one thing."
Saying on a Poster

Titus 2:12 gives us three more adjectives for our living: “live simple, just, godly lives in this present age.” So here is a checklist for us: Is my life simple and healthy? Do I strive to act justly? Do I seek the beauty and holiness of God?

Speech

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 11:00:44 GMT

"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?"
Sufi Saying

Mahātmā Gandhi said, “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions.” At the end of each day, reflect on whether your words passed through the three gates on their way to becoming your actions.

Call

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 11:00:03 GMT

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet."
Frederick Buechner, American Theologian

Listen to your life. Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your purpose and path to God. When you listen deeply, what do you hear?

Tending

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:00:03 GMT

"There is no separation between inner and outer, self and other. Tending ourselves, we tend the world. Tending the world, we tend ourselves."
Jack Kornfield, Buddhist Author

In his book “Resistance and Contemplation,” peace activist Jim Douglass speaks of “The yin and yang of a non-violent life.” And so we alternate back and forth, now seeking inner liberation and healing in our own depths, now offering that liberation and healing to the broader society. How does this rhythm manifest itself in your life?

Music

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 11:00:03 GMT

"Sacred music is an attempt to convey that which is within our reach but beyond our grasp."
Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi

The Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita teaches, “Seek not to grasp God. Seek to be grasped by God.” When has sacred music taken you to a space where this can happen? When has God/the Divine/the Holy touched you through music?

Elements

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 15:12:37 GMT

May we change like the water, receive like the earth, wander like the wind, nurture like the light.
-Anonymous

Thomas Berry, scholar of the world’s religions and “geologian,” tells us, “The universe is the primary revelation of the divine, the primary scripture, the primary locus of divine-human communication.” Today spend some time reflecting on earth, air, fire, and water to see what they might reveal to you of the divine.

Wisdom

cheld@mercycenterstl.org (Carolyn Held) — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 15:11:54 GMT

"Along the way to knowledge, many things are accumulated. Along the way to wisdom, many things are discarded."
Lao Tze, Chinese Scholar

It is in the letting go, the surrendering of things, of people, of tasks, of wishes, that we can actually have them. Until you let those go, you will never have them but they will have you. Where is the call in your life to seek deeper wisdom by letting go?

Words

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 19:47:32 GMT

"I love to chase God through the bright blessing of words. I love to discover God in the dark blessing of silence."

Renee Yann, RSM Author of the Blog Lavish Mercy

Prayer with content or contentless prayer…prayer with words or prayer in deepening silence…prayer with forms or the prayer of no-forms—all can bring us closer to the God we seek. When, through the “bright blessing of words” and when through the “dark blessing of silence” has God spoken to you?

Dawn

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 18:30:09 GMT

"Only that day dawns to which we are awake."

Henry David Thoreau, American Philosopher

Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron teaches that [our negative feelings] are like clouds that temporarily block the sun. But all the time our warmth and brilliance are right here. This is who we really are. We are one blink of an eye away from being fully awake. What reflections, what spiritual guidance, what practices might bring you closer to being fully awake?

Pain

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 18:01:16 GMT

"If we don't transform our pain, we transmit it."

Richard Rohr OFM, Franciscan Friar

We must all carry the cross of our own reality until God transforms us through it, empowering us to become the wounded healers of the world. Those who have fully faced their wounds are the only ones who heal anyone else. What wounds in you have become the source of healing for others?

Within

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 16:22:40 GMT

"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes."

Carl Jung, Swiss Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst

The Sufi poet Rumi tells us, “The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself. Everything that you want, you already are.” How do you cultivate your inner life? What silence, what meditative practices help you “look inside” so that you might more fully awaken?

Seed

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 17:52:54 GMT

"They tried to bury us. They did not know we were seed."

Mexican Proverb

Dawna Markova ends one of her poems with, “I choose to… live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.” What powerful seeds have you planted with your life that may go on to blossom and bear fruit?

Silence

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 14:00:02 GMT

"It is in silence that we love most ardently; noise and words often put out the inner fire."

Charles de Foucauld, Catholic Priest and Hermit

The British theologian Nicholas Lash suggests that the opposite of silence is not sound, but noise—noise which keeps other people distant and drowns out the darkness and fear in our hearts. What would help you acquire the courage to be silent, to keep your eyes open in the dark?

Presence

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 14:03:06 GMT

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk

Flowers bloom when they are nourished by rich soil, provided ample water, and bathed in abundant light. Those we love will bloom when they are given our nourishing love, provided our focused attention, and surrounded by our constant care.

Taste God

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 14:08:10 GMT

"If you but once taste the joy of God, your desire to argue takes wing. The bee, realizing the joy of sipping honey, doesn't buzz about any more."

Sri Ramakrishna, Hindu Religious Leader

The Psalm 34 invites us to “Taste and see the goodness of our God.” When have you last taken time to savor the presence of God within you or around you? There’s a beautiful vacation cabin in the woods named “Linger Longer.” When have you lingered long with the Divine Presence in your life?

Fire

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 14:00:07 GMT

"What makes a fire burn is space between the logs, a breathing space.

Too much of a good thing, too many logs packed in too tight, can douse the flames almost as surely as a pail of water would."

Judy Brown, Poet

How could you create more breathing space in your life? Do you have too many projects? Too many diversions? Too many words in your prayer? Make some space for the Spirit to breathe.

Enlightenment

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 14:00:02 GMT

"The dawning of enlightenment does not arise from a sudden drenching but as the result of a long, slow journey through a mist that eventually soaks you to the marrow."

Buddhist Master

How are you open to the soaking mist of God’s influence in your life? How do you stay present to it, not evading, not avoiding, not sheltering from it, but open to its power to transform you?

Merciful

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 14:00:03 GMT

"Whatever God works, the first breaking forth is Mercy."

Meister Eckhart OP, German Theologian

In “The Merchant of Venice,” Shakespeare reminds us that mercy blesses both the one who gives and the one who takes, and so is “twice blessed.” When have you experienced this mutuality? When has showing mercy to another brought gifts for your life? Where is there need for mercy in our world?

Gateway

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 18:56:15 GMT

"The only gate is now."

Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Buddhist monk

Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow a dream. Our reality is the present moment. Be alert today to the treasure of each moment and it is given to you.

Kinship

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:26:09 GMT

"Service is only the door to kinship. We only serve others to begin to connect and discover that we are already one."

Greg Boyle SJ, Director of Homeboy Industries

Kinship is not serving the other, but being one with the other. It is refusing to forget that we belong to each other. When has service led you to this deeper reality of kinship?

Our Tears

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 18:43:07 GMT

"Let us unlock the treasure of our tears. Could we all but weep, our weapons would lie rusting in the deep."

Anne Hillman, Author

The American author Washington Irving once wrote, “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.” What messages have your tears delivered to you from your deeper self?

Obstacles

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:21:48 GMT

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere."

Frank A. Clark, American Author

A Zen proverb tells us, “The obstacle is the path.” What obstacles lie before you, seeming to prevent you from achieving your goals? Can you, like the river, flow around the rocks in your way, rendering them a smooth and beautiful part of the landscape of your journey?

Pilgrimage

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 14:51:11 GMT

"Faith is not clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart."

Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi

For as long as humans have walked, they have walked to get closer to their gods, and have named this journey pilgrimage. What would a “pilgrimage of the heart” entail for you? What must be left behind? What uncertainties must be embraced? What patience will be called for by the duration of the journey? How do you envision journey’s end?

Dragons

Sat, 12 Sep 2020 13:43:16 GMT

"DRAGONS: Anyone can slay a dragon ...but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero."

Brian Andreas, American Writer

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke says, “Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” What is just waiting for your love?

Inclusive

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:31:22 GMT

"Oh, that my monk's robes were wide enough to gather up all the people in this floating world."
Ryokan, Zen Monk

You may pray in a place of solitude, but you are not just alone with God. How are the concerns of our families, our communities, our nation, and our global family present? How might you widen your “prayer robes” to include them?

Normal

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 19:59:35 GMT

"We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequality, exhaustion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment, one that fits all of humanity and nature."
Brene Brown, Professor and Lecturer

What have been the gifts of these times of stay-at-home orders and social distancing? How will you move these gifts forward into a new time as more usual activities resume?

Patience

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 12:58:47 GMT

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Colossians 3:12

“Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Perhaps you are being invited by this time to slow down, to seek a more natural pace and rhythm of living, and—in the midst of our culture which so values speed—to discover the beauty of slow things.

Confidence

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:52:55 GMT

“We should never falter in our confidence that God makes all things turn to the best.”

C. McAuley

“While we place all our confidence in God, we must act as if it all depends on our exertion.”

C. McAuley

Am I doing my part to keep harmony and health in my home-or my place of employment ~trusting that God will use my actions to strengthen the common good?

Joy

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 17:23:02 GMT

“Some joyful circumstance will soon prove that God is watching over your concern~ but without the cross, the crown cannot come.”

C. McAuley

“I will turn their mourning into Joy; I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.”

Jeremiah 31

Joy is often found in small things. Though I may not be able to visit my favorite vacation spot, can I find joy in the beauty of spring’s unfolding in my own neighborhood?

Sabbath

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 13:08:46 GMT

“What if you thought of [this time] as the Jews consider the Sabbath—the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life.”

Lynn Ungar, Unexpected Sabbath

“During the Sabbath, we set aside a sanctuary in time, disconnect from the frenzy of consumption and accomplishment, and consecrate our day as an offering for healing all beings.”

Wayne Muller

What if this isn’t just a time of forced distancing and isolation? What if this isn’t just a time for binge-watching Netflix or catching up on postponed tasks? What if you could regard it as a rich gift of contemplative leisure and holy Sabbath?

Mercy

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 16:11:16 GMT

“This is what I shall tell my soul and so recover hope: every morning God’s mercies are new.”

Lamentations 3

“May God in mercy bless and protect you.”

Catherine McAuley

Can I see God’s mercy in this pandemic- in the courage of health care workers, first responders and others in essential jobs~ in the wisdom of leaders who encourage us to see the bigger picture and remember the common good?

Neighbor

Sun, 31 May 2020 16:02:55 GMT

“Good exercise for the heart: reach out and touch your neighbor.”

Mark Twain

“Which of these do you think was a neighbor to the one who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Jesus of Nazareth

In this time of a health crisis, our neighbor might not live down the block but in the local jail, in a group home, or on the streets. If you can’t deliver help directly to these neighbors, can you connect with groups that can?

Global

Wed, 20 May 2020 22:53:10 GMT

“A pandemic (GK. pan = all; demos = people) is an epidemic of disease that spreads across multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of people.”

Wikipedia

“The task before us is to realize the error of continuing along the same competitive, individualistic lines we’ve taken till today, and to awaken a globally considerate, cooperative, collaborative and connected way of heading into the future.”

Kabbalah.org

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the truth that we are one, interdependent global community. Nations cannot stand alone. Isolation from others is not a strategy for survival. How might you become more aware of our global interdependence?

Solidarity

Wed, 13 May 2020 19:52:29 GMT

“Like a new flame this Good News [that Christ is risen] springs up in the night: the night of a world…oppressed by a pandemic severely testing our whole human family.”

Pope Francis

You may find that your basic needs are taken care of right now, but many of our sisters and brothers face desperate needs for food, supplies, or income. Is there any way you can reach out to them?

Generosity

Wed, 13 May 2020 19:33:35 GMT

“It is not a disposition to bestow gifts…that bespeaks generosity…It is bestowing ourselves more freely and relying with unhesitating confidence on the Providence of God.”
Catherine McAuley

During a ‘stay-at-home’ mandate, many people experience loneliness. Am I able to share myself through a phone conversation with a lonely neighbor? Or a handwritten note to thank a courageous nurse or bus-driver?

Mindful

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:08:42 GMT

“Try to meet all with peace and ease…attend to one thing at a time.”
(Catherine McAuley)

Though crises tend to make us anxious and scattered, they also provide an opportunity to simply be present to one another and to focus on the task at hand.

Hope

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 19:17:03 GMT

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness."
Desmond Tutu

In this season of Eastertide, when simultaneously we are experiencing a severe global health crisis, we cling, not to facile optimism, but to firm hope in God.

Photo Credit : R. DePew

Prayer

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 16:10:47 GMT

"God never refuses grace to those who ask it."

Catherine McAuley

Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy

God has promised to be with us! Let us often hold in prayer all who are suffering with COVID-19 as well as those who are putting their own lives on the line to care for them.

mercycenterstl

Focus

"In Sabbath we focus on what we love. In work we focus on what needs repair."

-Wayne Muller,

Author and Minister

Flight

Endless Day

"I saw and I understood that our faith is our light in darkness, and this light is God, our endless day."

- Julian of Norwich, Anchoress

Dark

"Be patient when you sit in the dark. The dawn is coming."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Soul on Fire

" Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.”

-John of the Cross, Mystic

Entry

"Silence is a privileged entry into the realm of God and into eternal life. For silence is a language that is infinitely deeper, more far reaching, more understanding, more compassionate, and more eternal than any other language."

-Meister Eckhart OP,

German Theologian

Liberty

"Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?"

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Simplicity

"God enters the human heart by its own ways: He enters the wise through wisdom. He enters the simple through simplicity."

-St. Oscar Romero,

Archbishop of San Salvador

Witness

"There is no proof of the existence of God, only witnesses."

-Abraham Joshua Heschel

Four-chambered Heart

"For many native traditions, the 'four-chambered heart,' the source for sustaining emotional and spiritual health, is described as being full, open, clear, and strong."

- Angeles Arrien, Author

Stillness

"Be silent that the Lord who gave you language may speak."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Outrage

"Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are."

-Benjamin Franklin

Questioning

"Great questioning, great awakening; little questioning, little awakening; no questioning, no awakening."

-Zen Saying

Home

"If you lived in your heart, you’d be home by now."

–Bumper Sticker ﻿

Contemplation

"The mind is always bored in the present. So it must be trained to stop running backward and forward. This is the role of contemplation."

-Richard Rohr OFM, Franciscan Friar

Broken

"God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken

-Vance Havner, Southern Baptist Pastor

Struggle

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is engaged in a great struggle."

﻿

- Philo of Alexandria, Philosopher

Moment

"Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Soul

"Between the soul and God there is no between."

-Julian of Norwich, anchoress

﻿

Brokenness

Walking

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth."

Language

"Listen with ears of tolerance! See through the eyes of compassion! Speak with the language of love."

-Rumi, Sufi Poet

Heart

"The heart is the seat of wisdom for the Jews, the hub of the universe for Hindus, the throne of God for Sufis, an important quality for Buddhists, the essence of what it means to be human for Confucians, and the abode of the kingdom of God for Christians." www.foundhearts.com

Prayers

"Cultivate personal rituals of solitude. Learn to be with it all. Become immense. Set your prayers on fire." Mary Ellen Lough, Poet

Spring

"We began as a mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states, except in early Spring when we slightly recall being green again." Rumi, Sufi Poet

Lectio Divina

"Read under the eye of God until your heart is touched, then give yourself up to love." Dom Marmion, Benedictine Monk

Mindfulness

"Each time for the first time. Each moment, the only moment." Jon Kabat-Zinn, Teacher of Mindfulness

Outdoors

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir

Wake

–Bumper Sticker

"The heart is the seat of wisdom for the Jews, the hub of the universe for Hindus, the throne of God for Sufis, an important quality for Buddhists, the essence of what it means to be human for Confucians, and the abode of the kingdom of God for Christians."
www.foundhearts.com

"Cultivate personal rituals of solitude. Learn to be with it all. Become immense. Set your prayers on fire."
Mary Ellen Lough, Poet

"We began as a mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states,
except in early Spring when we slightly recall being green again."

Rumi, Sufi Poet

"Read under the eye of God until your heart is touched, then give yourself up to love."
Dom Marmion, Benedictine Monk

"Each time for the first time. Each moment, the only moment."
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Teacher of Mindfulness

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."
John Muir

"The cock will crow at the breaking of your own ego. There are lots of ways to wake up!"
John Shea, Theologian and Storyteller

"Compassion: Your pain in my heart."
Unknown

"To live well, beautifully, and justly are all one thing."
Saying on a Poster

"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?"
Sufi Saying

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet."
Frederick Buechner, American Theologian

"There is no separation between inner and outer, self and other. Tending ourselves, we tend the world. Tending the world, we tend ourselves."
Jack Kornfield, Buddhist Author

"Sacred music is an attempt to convey that which is within our reach but beyond our grasp."
Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi

May we change like the water, receive like the earth, wander like the wind, nurture like the light.
-Anonymous

"Along the way to knowledge, many things are accumulated. Along the way to wisdom, many things are discarded."
Lao Tze, Chinese Scholar

"I love to chase God through the bright blessing of words. I love to discover God in the dark blessing of silence."

Renee Yann, RSM Author of the Blog Lavish Mercy

"Only that day dawns to which we are awake."

Henry David Thoreau, American Philosopher

"If we don't transform our pain, we transmit it."

Richard Rohr OFM, Franciscan Friar

"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes."

Carl Jung, Swiss Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst

"They tried to bury us. They did not know we were seed."

Mexican Proverb

"It is in silence that we love most ardently; noise and words often put out the inner fire."

Charles de Foucauld, Catholic Priest and Hermit

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk

"If you but once taste the joy of God, your desire to argue takes wing. The bee, realizing the joy of sipping honey, doesn't buzz about any more."

Sri Ramakrishna, Hindu Religious Leader

"What makes a fire burn is space between the logs, a breathing space.

Too much of a good thing, too many logs packed in too tight, can douse the flames almost as surely as a pail of water would."

Judy Brown, Poet

"The dawning of enlightenment does not arise from a sudden drenching but as the result of a long, slow journey through a mist that eventually soaks you to the marrow."

Buddhist Master

"Whatever God works, the first breaking forth is Mercy."

Meister Eckhart OP, German Theologian

"The only gate is now."

Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Buddhist monk

"Service is only the door to kinship. We only serve others to begin to connect and discover that we are already one."

Greg Boyle SJ, Director of Homeboy Industries

"Let us unlock the treasure of our tears. Could we all but weep, our weapons would lie rusting in the deep."

Anne Hillman, Author

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere."

Frank A. Clark, American Author

"Faith is not clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart."

Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi

"DRAGONS: Anyone can slay a dragon ...but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero."

Brian Andreas, American Writer

"Oh, that my monk's robes were wide enough to gather up all the people in this floating world."
Ryokan, Zen Monk

“We should never falter in our confidence that God makes all things turn to the best.”

C. McAuley

“While we place all our confidence in God, we must act as if it all depends on our exertion.”

C. McAuley

“Some joyful circumstance will soon prove that God is watching over your concern~ but without the cross, the crown cannot come.”

C. McAuley

“I will turn their mourning into Joy; I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.”

Jeremiah 31