Category: spirituality

Falling Upward – our Fall 2025 Study

Falling Upward – our Fall 2025 Study

Marjorie George

Living our most authentic spirituality in the second half of life.

This fall, the Wisdom Years will take on our most profound study of spirituality yet as we explore in depth Richard Rohr’s classic work, Falling Upward. In Falling Upward, Rohr explains that there are two tasks in human life. The first task is to build a strong “container” or identity; the second is to find the contents that the container was meant to hold.

In the first half of life we are concerned with surviving successfully. But at a certain life-stage we begin to long for more – a deepening spirituality that seeks to know what our personal “container” was truly meant to hold. The second half of life is a further journey, a deeper journey, in which we find that the failings of the first half of our lives are actually the foundation for the second half.

Starting September 4, we will divide the 13 chapters plus introduction of Falling Upward into two seven-week sessions.
Sept. 4 to Oct. 16 and Oct. 30 to Dec. 18. (No sessions on Oct. 23 or Nov. 27.)

We will each read Falling Upward on our own, then gather weekly on Thursdays at 4 p.m. (Central time) by Zoom for gentle but fruitful conversations.

If you would like to join the Wisdom Years community for this dynamic study using Falling Upward, send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

There is no charge for this course, but you will need to provide your own book. (Note that Falling Upward was first published in 2011 then revised in 2023. You may use either edition for this course.) Purchase the book at St. Mark’s Bookstore (https://www.stmarksbookstore.com/) through their bookshop link (https://bookshop.org/shop/stmarksbookstoresa) or from your favorite book retailer.

Never let the cost of the book keep you from joining us. Scholarship funds are available.

Questions? Email to marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

Richard Rohr is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation which is dedicated to offering Christian contemplative wisdom through teachings, practices, and community engagement. The goal of CAC is to help people live out this wisdom in practical ways—so that they become instruments of love, peacemaking, and positive change in the world.

Lenten Conversations

Lenten Conversations

Marjorie George

Lent beckons us to set aside some time to consider how Jesus the Christ is present in all of our life. “You can do nothing without me,” Jesus said (john 15:5), and how often do we look back on a particular time, good or bad, and say “Ah, there was Christ all along.”

The Wisdom Years community will gather on four Thursdays in Lent for gentle conversation around how Christ reveals himself to us and how that strengthens us for the journey ahead. We will read articles, essays, and reflections that address our everyday lives to see where we find Christ and how we are called to respond. We will gather for some gentle conversation to see what Jesus is speaking into our lives.

Four Thursdays in Lent 2025

March 20, 27, April 3 and 10

We will meet by Zoom from 4 to 5:15 pm (Central time)

For the Zoom link, send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

Each week will be a different link.

For details of each week’s conversation, click here.

Gathered Wisdom, Oct 22, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Attention is the most concrete expression of love. 
What we pay attention to thrives. 
What we do not pay attention to withers and dies. 
What will you pay attention to today?

-Karen Maezen Miller, Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life
Found in Well for the Journey

Called to Love 

What do we do when we are faced with a decision to make? How do we discern what God would have us do? It is a matter of love, says Ruth Haley Barton. The questions to ask is, “What does love call for in this situation? What would love do?”

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Come to Me 

It’s not so much that the Church is being persecuted these days as it is that so many people are indifferent to the Church. Jesus met the same obstacle, says Br. David Vryhof of Society of St. John the Evangelist. And yet so many are carrying burdens that Jesus would help with if only people knew to ask and were willing to trust.

Read the reflection.  

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

The Chat Checkout

Few of us willingly choose the slow checkout line at the grocery store. But Dutch grocers now offer a “chat checkout” where people choose the slow lane just for the conversation. The idea is catching on in other locales – in France they are called “Blablabla checkouts.”

Read the article. 

Found in Daily Good.

Forest Dwelling

We can age as wise elders, or we can just age. A program from Oblate Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, has as its aim living into the diminishments of aging in such a way that we live our last precious years with more grace, an open heart, and a deeper awareness of the presence of God.

This series of videos shares some of the wisdom offered by the program.

To learn more about Forest Dwelling.

Facing The Unknown

Trust is our currency and wisdom is our direction says Bishop Steven Charleston. “When we follow the Spirit, the unknown is only a bend in the road.”

Read the reflection.

Found in Joanna Seibert blog.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Pilgrimage for the Later Years

Pilgrimage for the Later Years

Marjorie George

A Wisdom Years study for the Easter season, 2024.

In an ideal world, a human life should be a constant pilgrimage of discovery, says the late Celtic poet John O’Donohue (from Eternal Echoes). For it is in the discoveries that we come to know ourselves and our relationship with God in new ways.

We will follow the path of pilgrimage, the path of discovery,  for our Easter season study using Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life by Jane Marie Thibault and Richard L. Morgan. The authors offer seven “gateways” to spiritual growth in our later years, and we will explore each of these gateways, traveling as pilgrims and open to whatever God reveals to each of us.

The first six gateways we will cover in six weeks of study and conversation 
starting April 18 and ending May 23.

The gateways include

  • facing aging and dying
  • living with limitations
  • doing inner work
  • living in and out of community
  • prayer and contemplation
  • redeeming loss and suffering 

The seventh gateway is “leaving a legacy,” and we will spend some extended time with this gateway – June 13-27 – because it is so crucial in this season of our lives.

Each week of the study we will post on the Wisdom Years website some commentary for each gateway, questions for reflection, and additional resources.

On Thursdays, April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, and 23 we will gather for conversation by Zoom from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Central time.

We will then take a short break and pick up with the gateway of “leaving a legacy” on Thursdays, June 13, 20, and 27. Our summer break will encompass July and August.

If you are unable to join us for our Thursday Zoom gatherings, you are welcome to use the material on your own.

Participants in this study will need to buy their own copy of Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life by Jane Marie Thibault and Richard L. Morgan. The book is available through St. Mark’s Bookstore at stmarksbookstore.com.  Order by clicking the bookshop link.  Or use your favorite retail book store.

If you want to participate in this study or if you have any questions, please send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

This study is offered by The Wisdom Years, a ministry of deeper spirituality for our elders years through study, connection, and community. Visit us at ww.wisdomyears.org.

The Way of Sabbath

The Way of Sabbath

Marjorie George

On Our Website starting February 23

and Gathering by Zoom

Thursdays, 4 to 5:15 pm (Central time)

February 23 to March 23

Pulling from the wisdom of The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel, we will look at Sabbath not as a set of rules for one day of the week, but as a model for living all the days of the week.

Our time with friends and family on the Sabbath can make us more sensitive to the needs of other human beings.  Celebrating the grandeur and beauty of nature on Sabbath, we are made more sensitive to the needs of the earth and reminded that God calls us to serve as co-creators of a just and compassionate world. Time for silence on the Sabbath shows us the value of solitude and silence every day. As we celebrate Sabbath, we can carry with us something of the sabbath through the rest of the week.

Sabbath, says Abraham Heschel, is not only a day of detachment from material things. “It is a day of attachment to the spirit.”

Together we will read The Sabbath by Heschel, then gather on Thursdays from 4 to 5:15 (Central time) for conversation by Zoom.

The study material will also be posted on the Wisdom Years website for use by congregations, small groups, or individual study.

There is no cost for the study. Participants will need to buy their own book: The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel, publishers Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

To indicate your interest in this offering or if you have questions, please send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com or to wisdomyears2020@gmail.com. 

To support independent book sellers, order from St. Mark’s Bookstore at https://www.stmarksbookstore.com

We apologize if you receive this notification more than once. We just don’t want anyone to miss this exciting news.

Exploring Sophia; Seeking Wisdom

Exploring Sophia; Seeking Wisdom

Marjorie George

May 12 through June 30

Thursdays 4 p.m. (Central time)

By Zoom

Is knowledge the same thing as wisdom? Not necessarily. Knowledge is what one knows; wisdom is when and how and where to apply it.

Seven books of scripture (including two from the Apocrypha) offer us wisdom about life – addressing topics such as relationships with each other and with God, why suffering and injustice exist, and what to do about good and evil. We call it the wisdom literature. It typically appears as a collection of pithy sayings and short, didactic teachings, or as long monologues, or even as poetry.

The ancient Hebrews sought to gather wisdom from their lives and experiences and pass it on to their children, especially their sons. Ironically, in scripture wisdom is often considered a feminine characteristic. 

Wisdom, it is said, comes to us only as a divine gift, and it belongs to the very nature of God, revealing God’s feminine side. Many refer to her as Sophia – the Greek word for wisdom.

In our study we will consider where we can find Sophia/wisdom in scripture and how we can benefit from her teachings. How can we companion with her to live full and meaningful godly lives?

We will also read from The Star in my Heart by Joyce Rupp to follow how Sophia has guided her life. Participants will need to buy the book.

Then we will gather by Zoom on Thursdays at 4 pm (Central time) for discussion. Together we will learn from each other and from the Holy Spirit as we listen for what the spirit has to teach us. 

If you want to join this study, please send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.  The study will be led by Marjorie George, Carla Pineda, and the Rev. Patricia Riggins.

We invite you to join us. 

Questions? Contact Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

The Star in My Heart  is available from St. Mark’s bookstore at https://bookshop.org/shop/stmarksbookstoresa.

This entire study will be posted on this website, suitable for use by congregations or individuals who wish to join us but are not able to meet by Zoom on Thursday afternoons.