Category: wisdom

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.

Story Time with The Wisdom Years

Story Time with The Wisdom Years

Marjorie George

Why should the kids have all the fun? This summer The Wisdom Years is going to read some of the great books we have read to our children – this time to see what they say to the grown-ups. What can we learn from the wise horse in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse?  Where can we find the answers to Nikolai’s questions in The Three Questions? What does it mean to look for cherries now according to Kay Mijangos in Looking for the Cherries?

You don’t even have to buy the books; we will read to you. You just need to bring your blankie and listen. Every week will include conversation around what we can learn when we take the broader view.

All sessions will meet online using Zoom from 4 to 5:15 p.m. (Central time)

Our reading schedule:

Thursday, June 12, 4 p.m.
The Three Questions
by Jon J. Muth

Young Nikolai has three big questions around the right thing to do. He gets answers when he acts from compassion. Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy.

Thursday, June 19, 4 p.m.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
by Charlie Mackesy

Four friends share their greatest fears and most important discoveries as they learn about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship, and love. The story speaks of life lessons, some that perhaps we still need to learn.

Thursday, June 26, 4 p.m.
Looking for the Cherries
by Kay Mijangos

The San Antonio author will read to us from her own book that is based on something her late husband used to say: “Always look for the cherries.” Look for the good. Kay’s husband was a well-known San Antonio artist, and the book is illustrated by his daughter.

To get the Zoom invitation code for each week, send your name and email address  to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com. Each week will use a different Zoom code, but you only need to submit your name once.

If you wish, you may purchase the books from St. Mark’s Bookstore bookshop. Search for the books at https://bookshop.org/shop/stmarksbookstoresa or your favorite book seller.

Questions? marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com

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.

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.

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.