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Gathered Wisdom, Jan 30, 2024

Marjorie George

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

May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart.

-John O’Donohue, “For Belonging,” To Bless the Space Between Us

A Lenten Fast to Live By

For what do you hunger? Can you even name it? Peace, yes, and freedom from fear. Safety for our children. A sense of spiritual well-being. And yet, our very daily practices undermine what we claim as our desires. Join the Wisdom Years community for a Lenten fast that invites us to lay down the old patterns and habits that deplete us and obstruct our full access to the divine image into which we were created.

Our study is from Feb 15 to March 21. We will meet weekly on Zoom for conversation, or you can use the material on you own.

To learn more

From The Wisdom Years.

Vocation: The Call is Lifelong

Your vocation, your calling in life, what you are to be now, will come out of your greatest strength and your greatest need, says Brother Curtis Almquist in this reflection on vocation. “When we are younger,” says Bro. Almquist, “our vocation – our calling – is more about what we are to do. When we are older, our vocation – our calling – is more about what we are to be.”

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Prayers for Election Season

Like Christmas decor at Walmart, the U.S. presidential election season arrives earlier and louder every time around, says Brian Morykon, director of communications for Renovare.  Unlike Christmas, the election season—and politics in general—seems to many of us to have little redeeming value. To help us bring the presence of God into our lives in this election season, Renovare offers this prayer for the election season.

Read the prayer.

From Renovare.

Grieving as a Spiritual Exercise

Henri Nouwen once wrote, “The great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through.”  The choice we face in grieving, says Fr. Ron Rolheiser, is whether we are taking our hurts to our head or to our heart. “You need to let your wounds go down into your heart. Then you can live them through and discover that they will not destroy you.”

Read the reflection.

From the blog of Ron Rolheiser.

Sanctuaries of Silence

No place on earth is silent any more, says acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. And yet the silence of the natural world connects us back to the land in a way that nurtures and enchants us. Hempton says in silence he disappears.

Watch and listen to this peaceful video.

Found at Karmatube.

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.

Correction to yesterday’s Gathered Wisdom

Marjorie George

Apparently there was an error in yesterday’s Gathered Wisdom post. Blame it on the Internet, which often tries to out-guess me.

In the “save the Date” announcement about the upcoming “Claiming My Now” workshop, the email for Marjorie George does not work.

Correct email is

marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com

Or text me at 210-857-5387.

Thanks for your patience.

Here is the entire workshop announcement.

Marjorie

SAVE THE DATE

July 15, 2023

For “Claiming My Now”

A half-day hybrid workshop in-person at the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio and on Zoom.

For adults in the last third of their lives

From The Wisdom Years

$20

“I will start from here,” said Bishop Steven Charleston. In this workshop we will ask ourselves, 
Where is my “here” in this season of my life? 
What nurtures my soul? 
What obstacles do I face? 
How can we navigate together the outrageous joys as well as the deep sorrows of these years?

Join us for reflection, conversation, sharing of wisdom, and time on the grounds of the Bishop Jones Center.

Registration for “Claiming My Now” opens in mid-June. To indicate your interest in the workshop, send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com. Or text to 210-857-5387.

Pilgrims Journeying Within

Marjorie George

Sept 8 – Oct 27

Thursdays, 4 to 5:15 p.m. (Central time)

On Zoom

An online offering from The Wisdom Years.

To journey without being changed is to be a nomad.
To change without journeying is to be a chameleon.
To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim.
– Mark Nepo, The Exquisite Risk

We make journeys.  We take journeys.  Sometimes journeys take us. Geographical journeys move us from one  address to another – across the city or the state or the world.

Life journeys take us from one season to another – we grow up and leave home, get married and unmarried, start a career and end a career.

Now in this last third of our lives we embark on another journey – we are pilgrims. It is the journey of coming to ourselves – stripped down, unencumbered, gently guided by God’s spirit through the blessings and burdens of this time of life.

Author Christine Valters Paintner will lead us on this pilgrimage journey through

  • hearing the call and responding
  • packing lightly
  • crossing the threshold
  • making the way by walking
  • being uncomfortable
  • beginning again
  • embracing the unknown
  • coming home

Join us as we read together The Soul of a Pilgrim: Eight Practices for the Journey Within. We will gather online for conversation each Thursday starting September 8 at 4 p.m. (Central time) as we seek wisdom from each other and from our own souls.

You will need to buy your own book, but there is no other charge. 

If you want to join us for this study (we hope you will) or have questions, e-mail Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.  

To learn more about The Wisdom Years, a ministry dedicated to spiritual formation in the last third of our lives, visit us at www.wisdomyears.org.

To support independent book retailers, order this book from St. Mark’s Bookstore at www.stmarksbookstore.com.  Have questions or need help? Contact Carla Pineda at stmarksbookstore@gmail.com.  

Soul Stirrings Lenten Retreat

Soul Stirrings Lenten Retreat

Marjorie George

Friday, March 11

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

At the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio

An offering of The Wisdom Years

Our in-person Lenten retreat will look at some of the wisdom figures in scripture and in the words of writers who present ancient understandings of the wisdom characteristics of God.

The day will include:

  • some brief presentations
  • time on the grounds to reflect and respond by painting, taking photos, journaling, writing, or just sitting and enjoying nature. (Bring your own supplies.)
  • small-group work
  • lunch
  • Eucharist

Cost of $30 includes box lunch.

To save your space and for further registration information, email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com. Participants will be limited in number – only 24 spaces available.

The Bishop Jones Center is located at 111 Torcido, San Antonio TX 78209 in a calm and beautiful natural setting.

For everyone’s safety, we ask that those who attend be fully vaccinated against COVID and willing to wear a mask indoors.

For more information about The Wisdom Years, visit our website at www.wisdomyears.org.

Gathered Wisdom, Feb. 8

Marjorie George

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

Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through…
Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.

-Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

From Well for the Journey.

The Hero We Need

A beautiful and inspiring song from The Makepeace Brothers lifts up everyday, simple heroes and invites us to be one.  You will listen to this again and again.

Watch and listen.

From Karmatube.

Alicia Doyle: Fighting Chance

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life,” said Muhammad Ali. Alicia Doyle learned lessons from professional boxing after she left the ring.

Read the reflection.

From Daily Good.

Caring for the Dying

“Being with someone who is dying is a sacred ministry. It can be one of the greatest gifts given to someone. Attending the dying is like the privilege of being at a birthing. It is a sometimes-painful celebration of a new life,” says Joanna Seibert.

Read the reflection.

Learn more about Joanna Seibert.

Members of One Diverse Family

Mungi Ngomane, granddaughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, talks about ubuntu. The African concept means that my humanity is caught up and bound to yours. We are nothing without each other.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2021

Every year Spirituality and Practice recommends the most spiritually literate films of the previous year. Pick one or more and settle in for some inspiring viewing.

See the list.

More about Spirituality and Practice.

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.

Gathered Wisdom, Jan 11, 2022

Marjorie George

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

Hope has holes in its pockets. It leaves little crumb trails so that we, when anxious, can follow it.
Hope’s secret: it doesn’t know the destination—
It only knows that all roads begin with one foot in front of the other.

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, “Hope,” How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope (James Crews, editor)

Found in Well for the Journey. 

Crones Don’t Whine 

We think of a crone as a wizened old woman – the wicked witches of Disney. But at one time, a crone was a revered member of the community, acknowledged for her wisdom. Author Jean Shinoda Bolen re-introduces that concept in her book Crones Don’t Whine. Crones, says Bolen,  choose their path with heart and speak the truth with compassion. The Wisdom Years Thursday-afternoon group will read and discuss Crones Don’t Whine starting January 20. 

Visit this page for more information.

Visit the Wisdom Years.

Rise Up Again

If we are going to survive the divisions that confront us right now, we will need to create room for all of us to collaborate. We may set up boundaries, but we all live on the same planet. That is the message of this short film from Green Renaissance.

Watch the wideo.

From Network for Grateful Living. 

What We Do in Private

Why is it true that our every action has an effect on others, whether or not we intend that? Because we are part of the Body of Christ. What we do in one part of the body – for good or ill – affects the entire body, says Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

Read the reflection.

From the blog of Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

The Pain of Disconnection

We’ve been told we are all on our own, hence as a society we feel disconnected from each other. But if we say we believe in God, we must realize that our soul is like a homing device that will always guide us back to one who loves and cares for us.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Blessing for a New Beginning

by John O’Donohue

At the beginning of this new year, we turn to John O’Donohue for a blessing for the way forward.

In out-of-the-way places of the heart, 
Where your thoughts never think to wander, 
This beginning has been quietly forming, 
Waiting until you were ready to emerge. 

Read the rest of the poem.

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.

Our pre-Lent study: Crones Don’t Whine

Marjorie George

A new Offering from The Wisdom Years.

January 20, 27, February 3, 10 

Thursdays, 4 to 5:15 p.m. (Central time) 

for 4 weeks

Online by Zoom

In earlier times, the word “crone” referred to an older, wise woman who was revered in her community. Often, she was a midwife, healer, or leader. But as women’s roles became diminished in a patriarchal society – and with the help of Disney – crones became characterized as withered, malicious, mean old women. 

No more, says author Jean Shinoda Bolen, who is putting a new face on the old, haggard one.  In Crones Don’t Whine, Bolen introduces today’s crone – an older woman with wisdom, compassion, humor, courage, and vitality. Crones, says Bolen, have learned to trust themselves and know what they know.

A crone has matured into “letting go of what should have been, could have been, might have been,” adds Bolen. The past is the past, and the wise crone accepts what was and capitalizes on what her life is now.

In our four-week exploration of ourselves as crones, we will read Crones Don’t Whine on our own, then gather weekly by Zoom for reflection and small-group discussion. 

The book is available from St. Mark’s Bookstore – https://www.stmarksbookstore.com – and other book retailers. Or contact Carla Pineda at carlaleedpineda@gmail.com.  

There is no charge for the course.

Make your reservation by emailing Marjorie George at 

marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com

Gathered Wisdom, Jan. 4, 2022

Marjorie George

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

Something new is being born in us if we but let it.

We stand at a new doorway, awaiting that which comes.

Daily Faith Reflections Dec 31, 2021 from Well for the Journey.

Women’s Christmas Retreat 2022: A Path Called Solace

Annually, artist and poet Jan Richardson produces a Women’s Retreat to be celebrated on Epiphany – or any time of the year. Originating in Ireland, Women’s Christmas began as a day when the women, who often carried the domestic responsibilities all year, took Epiphany as an occasion to enjoy a bit of respite and celebrate together at the end of the holidays. The retreat offers poetry, reflections, and wonderful artwork by Richardson. The retreat is downloadable at no cost, although a donation is a recommended option.

 Find the retreat.

From Sanctuary of Women.

10 Insights from 2021 That Give Us Hope

In what seems to be never-ending world-wide calamity and chaos, Daily Good captures the stories of quiet and unassuming heroes who made the world a better place in  2021.  We are reminded to do what we can right where we live.

Read the article, enjoy the photos. 

From Daily Good.

What Will You Do With Your Fear In 2022?

No doubt we are all hoping and praying that this new year will be better (whatever that means to each of us) than 2021. But, says the Rev. Mike Marsh, maybe the change  for which we are seeking isn’t about 2022 but about ourselves. “Will you and I in 2022 be different from and better than we were in 2021? I think the answer to that question depends on whether and how we deal with our fear,” says Marsh.  

Read the reflection. 

From Interrupting the Silence.  Used with permission.

Make good news!

This Christmas reflection from Brother Geoffrey Tristram of Society of St. John the Evangelist invites us to enter the new year bringing the light of good news into our homes, families, and communities.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Our Churches as Sanctuaries

The Church prides itself on its long history of being a place of refuge for the persecuted: refugees, homeless persons, immigrants facing deportation, and others who are endangered. But is the Church a sanctuary for those who are searching, confused, wounded, broken, and the non-religious as well?

Read the reflection.

From Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

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.

Gathered Wisdom, Dec 7

Marjorie George

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

Miriam: Singing Her Own Song

This week in our Toward Incarnation study we travel with Miriam through her life from primarily being the older sister of Moses to finding her own voice as a prophet for Israel. Read the essay and use the reflection questions for your own journey. Find it here.

Hero to Elder: an Archetypal Shift

In later life, a healthy spirituality means moving from self-centeredness to taking on “a higher purpose for the sake of others, for the sake of our souls, and for the sake of the world,” writes Connie Zweig, a Jungian-oriented therapist. We move from being heroes to being elders.

Read the reflection.

From Jung Platform.

Reasons to Celebrate Christmas

We expect a holy man, an ordained priest and former president of a Catholic seminary, to eschew the frivolities of Christmas. Yes, says Fr. Ron Rolheiser, the Christmas of our culture has too many excesses, but Christmas celebrations are also essential because we have a God-given need to participate in joy.

Read the reflection. 

More about Ron Rolheiser.

Telling Our Story This Advent

Our family members, especially our grandchildren, need to hear the stories of our lives. And we need to tell them.  As we do so, we become more grounded  to our roots and more aware of how God has been at work in our lives through the days and months and years.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

The Advent of Patience

Practicing patience is not only a Christian virtue, it is also a good strategy for maintaining one’s sanity. St. Paul knew having an attitude rooted in patience for other’s mistakes was essential for any Christian to survive, says Brother Jack Crowley of the Society of St. John the evangelist.

Read or listen to the short sermon.

For more about the Society of St. John the Evangelist.

The Marvel of the Incarnation

Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th century defender of the doctrine of the Trinity. In this classical explanation of the Incarnation, he affirms that in Jesus, God purifies “like by like.” He takes to himself “all that is human, except for sin.”

Read Gregory’s essay. 

From Renovare.

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.