A weekly collection of inspiration and resources for the journey, gathered from websites, books, and pass-alongs that have been shared with us. From The Wisdom Years – Spirituality for the Last Third of Our Lives.
Encounter
Our encounters with God will generally come to us through secondary causes—that is, in the concrete, flesh-and-blood lives of Image-bearing humanity. Let us remember with thanksgiving all those human feet who have brought us good news, and let us pray also for the grace to be those feet that bring God’s good news to the world. -Br. Sean Glenn
Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Nine Days of Prayer for the Election
Forward Movement and The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations are calling Episcopalians and all others to join in “A Season of Prayer: For an Election.” Starting October 27 and continuing through the day after the election, we are invited to pray for the election of leaders in the United States. Prayers are drawn from The Book of Common Prayer. Sign up to receive daily prayers in your email or download a PDF brochure.
FROM: Forward Movement
Prayer Service for Hope
On the eve of a historic election and in the midst of pandemic and racial reckoning, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will call Americans together for a live-streamed prayer service from Washington National Cathedral Nov. 1. The Holding on to Hope service will be held at 3:00-4:30 pm CST, and viewers can join in a variety of ways.
To read more and learn how to join the service
FROM: The Episcopal Church
Healing the Heart of Democracy
In 2011, Parker Palmer published his book Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit. In the prelude, Palmer writes, “For those of us who want to see democracy survive and thrive—and we are legion—the heart is where everything begins: that grounded place in each of us where we can overcome fear, rediscover that we are members of one another, and embrace the conflicts that threaten democracy as openings to new life for us and for our nation.” Never more than today has democracy been in need of healing.
Read or watch a podcast on Five Habits of the Heart that Help Make Democracy Possible adapted from the book
FROM The Center for Courage and Renewal
A Prayer for Stillness
In the midst of the strident voices and endless clamor that assault us, being still is more than a refuge. It is our way to God. “Scripture assures us that if we are still we will come to know God,” says Ron Rolheiser, “but arriving at stillness is easier said than done. As Blaise Pascal once stated, ‘All the miseries of the human person come from the fact that no one can sit still for one hour.’ Achieving stillness seems beyond us, and this leaves us with a certain dilemma – we need stillness to find God, but we need God’s help to find stillness. With this in mind, I offer a prayer for stillness.”
FROM the blog of Ron Rolheiser
If you have something to add to Gathered Wisdom, send it to Marjorie George at
marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com
Gathered Wisdom is from The Wisdom Years, a ministry that invites older adults to deepening spirituality in the last third of their lives. If someone forwarded this to you, learn more about The Wisdom Years and subscribe to the site at
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