This study is a self-paced study from The Wisdom Years and is appropriate for individuals, small groups, or congregations at any time. Each week includes an introduction, assigned readings, questions for reflection, and additional readings on the subject.
We make journeys. We take journeys. Sometimes journeys take us. Geographical journeys move us from one address to another – across the city or across 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 challenges of this time of life.
Mark Nepo reminds us that:
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.
In this eight-week course we will be guided by The Soul of a Pilgrim: Eight Practices for the Journey Within written by Christine Valters Paintner (publisher: Sorin Books). Paintner is a Benedictine oblate and the online Abbess at AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery integrating contemplative practice and creative expression. She is a poet and the author of 16 books on the spiritual life. Christine lives on the wild edges of Ireland with her husband, John, where they lead retreats and other programs online for a global ecumenical community (From U. S. Catholic webpage)
Course content:
Click the title of each week for the material.
(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. )
The Wisdom Years 