Gathered Wisdom, Sept 17, 2024

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

Peace in its most fundamental form is the connection of one human spirit to another.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, from A Network from Grateful Living’s Everyday Gratitude
Found at Well for the Journey

There is nothing good about violence, says the late Rev. James Lawson, writing in Daily Meditations. “It drains emotional, psychological, moral, and spiritual energy with no good consequences.”

Read the reflection.  

Found in Center for Action and Contemplation.

The sky is falling, and what can one little sparrow do about it? Our society is crumbling, and what can one little act from you or me do about it? Maybe the one little thing we add will be the yeast to bring about change.

Read the reflection.

From Daily Good.

There is much to fret about in our world today, but Psalm 37 calls us particularly to leave off fretting. Instead, we must “claim our own agency to make for right in what is within our own reach and power,” says Br. Curtis Almquist, “especially on behalf of the powerless and voiceless in God’s creation.”

Read the short reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

As we age, we tend to become bitter, angry, and judgmental, especially against those who have not done the right things like we have, says Fr. Ron Rolheiser. We become the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. How fair is it that someone who hasn’t gone to church in years gets the same mercy from God as we who are there every Sunday?

Read the reflection.

More about Ron Rolheiser.

Brother Lawrence knew how to pray without ceasing – while he was scrubbing pots, cooking, or buying wine for dinner. Henri Nouwen says to turn unceasing thoughts into prayers.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

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

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Gathered Wisdom, Mar 12, 2024

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

Gather up whatever has tumbled in the waves…
It all comes down to this:
In our imperfect world, we are meant to repair and stitch together
what beauty there is…

-Stuart Kestenbaum, “Holding the Light,” Only Now
Found in Well for the Journey

The cigar store manager took a photo of the store every day. To the casual observer, they all looked the same. You had to slow down and look deeply to see the differences. That’s what spiritual literacy is like.

Read the reflection.

From Daily Good.

Quaker spirituality has a phrase for discernment – “as way opens.” It means paying attention to which path feels right and which one is filled with obstacles. When a decision has to be made, even with a deadline looming,  there must still be a pause, a way of checking in with our heart and our own deep knowing.

Read the reflection.

From Awakin.

On average, 90,000 Christians are martyred every decade. While few of us will be called to die physically for Christ, all of us will be given the opportunity to be Christ’s witnesses. To do that, says Brother Curtis Almquist, something will have to die.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

You know that little indentation just below your nose and above your mouth? Some say that’s where God kissed you before you were born. Once we knew perfect oneness, perfect truth, perfect goodness, and perfect beauty. We long to know them again.

Read the essay.

From Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

When the east wind
breathes into your soul,
and the morning sun
warms your face.

Pause in the solitude.
Sink into stillness,

Read the rest of the poem.

From The Contemplative Mystic.

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

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Gathered Wisdom, Mar 5, 2024

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

Words may help, and silence may help, but the one thing that is needed is that the heart should turn to its Maker as the needle turns to the pole. For this, we must be still.

-Caroline Stephen (1834-1909), Quaker Strongholds
Found in Well for the Journey

Look, honor, and receive – three of the ways Jesus engages healing. What might you see, what might you learn, and from whom if you did the same?

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Before we check our email, before we watch the news or plan our day, go out into the garden, says Richard Rohr. There we will find what is real. “If we can find a way to be present to the ‘givens,’ especially the natural ‘givens,’ I believe we can be happy,” says Rohr.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Is it necessary to sit in the ashes of Lent? Some theologians say yes. In this and other mythical images, Fr. Ron Rolheiser gives us an explanation of aspects of Lent.

Read the reflection.

More about Ron Rolheiser.

We can choose to give away our last dollar. Or not.  If you take the dollar from your pocket, says Terry Hershey, you open yourself to change. It will require action and the acceptance of any consequences of that choice. However, the music you make will be life-giving to anyone around you.

Read the reflection.

From Sabbath Moment.

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. The Wisdom Years Lenten study on our website asks us to give up not just material goods but spiritual illnesses such as needing to be in control and rushing through life.

The study is designed for small groups and individuals. Do on your own or join our Zoom gatherings on Thursday afternoons.

To learn more

From The Wisdom Years.

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.