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.
With Thanks to the Field Sparrow, Whose Voice is so Delicate and Humble
By Mary Oliver
I do not live happily or comfortably
with the cleverness of our times.
The talk is all about computers,
the news is all about bombs and blood.
This morning, in the fresh field,
I came upon a hidden nest.
It held four warm, speckled eggs.
I touched them.
Then went away softly,
having felt something more wonderful
than all the electricity of New York City.
—— From Devotions, the Selected Poems of Mary Oliver, page 73
Overflowing with Gratefulness
An online study from The Wisdom Years.
For four weeks,
starting April 15, 2021
4 to 5:15 p.m. (Central time)
When we are grateful, says Brother David Steindl-Rast of The Network for Grateful Living, our hearts fill up and overflow like a bowl with joy and contentment. Our culture teaches that we should fill our bowls with material goods, and when the bowl is full we should get a bigger and better one and buy more goods to fill it. But then it never overflows.
There is a better way. A way that recognizes that enough is enough and true joy consists of being grateful for what we have.
In our four-week study, we will
– consider how we can live knowing that what we have and what we are is all we need
– learn to “hold space” for the possibilities for joy and contentment our God reveals to us
– look at practices that open us to awareness of blessings that call forth grateful living
To learn more and sign up for the study.
or send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.
Slowing Down
From Daily Good, April 5, 2021.
This meditative video from Green Renaissance goes on a journey of slowing down and appreciating more of nature. It reminds us to slow our own pace so we can feed our souls. Green Renaissance is a passionate collective of four creatives, on a journey to share positive stories.
Visit https://www.patreon.com/greenrenaissance to see more videos and consider supporting their work.
A Second Look at the Resurrection
By Joanna Seibert
How do we explain the fact that no one recognized the resurrected Jesus? “The disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection did not recognize [Jesus]. Mary Magdalene did not recognize him. The disciples meeting Jesus on the beach were not sure who he was. Jesus came and went through closed doors. The resurrected Jesus gave fishing tips, cooked meals, and ate dinner with his friends.”
Following Jesus – Be Ready for Some Surprises
By Fr. Ron Rolheiser
“We often attempt to imitate Jesus by trying to copy his actions. It works this way: Jesus did certain things, so we should do them too. He taught, healed, consoled the downtrodden, went off into the desert by himself, stayed up all night occasionally and prayed, and visited the homes of sinners. So we should do the same things: We should become teachers, nurses, preachers, counsellors, monks, social workers, and non-judgemental friends to the less-than-pious.”
It Couldn’t Be Clearer
–by Betsey Crawford, syndicated from kosmosjournal.org, Apr 03, 202, found in Daily Good
“It will be years before we comprehend the full effect of this pandemic. But we can already see that we are all completely, intimately, and sometimes desperately interrelated.”
Read the essay. (It’s long, but worth a serious read.)
Contemplative Earth Awareness
An online retreat day from Shalem Institute
Material available April 7 – June 23, 2021.
This individual online retreat day consists of video and audio teaching, which you can access on your computer or tablet, poetry for reading and contemplation, guided meditation audio, reflection questions and invitations into silence. Ann Dean, a spiritual director and nationally-known leader of retreats and conferences for deepening the life of prayer, invites you to deepen your contemplative Earth awareness by opening more fully to the divine loving Presence in all living beings.
Living from the Spiritual Heart
An online course from Shalem Institute
Material available April 11, 2021 – May 23, 2021
Join Tilden Edwards, Shalem’s founder and senior fellow, for six weekly sessions. With material designed specifically for this eCourse, Tilden offers video teachings, guided meditations, reflection questions, and midweek check-in emails. Material may accessed at any time within the course date timeframe. Material will be available for an extra 2 weeks after the course ends.
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
ww.wisdomyears.org.
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