While you may see pots of gold and lucky four-leaf clovers pop up in March for St. Patricks Day, thats not necessarily the luckiest time of the year.

In fact, spiritual advisorMeghan Roseclaimed the luckiest day of the year is here now and reveals how to best manifest all the luck in the air.

According to Rose and other astrology experts, Jupiter and Neptune will collide in Pisces on April 12, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

In fact, the last time this occurred was 1856.

Explaining why this astrological happening is so special, Rose told The Sun: Jupiter is the planet of expansion, so it amplifies anything that it encounters and when its encountering Neptune, which is the psychic planet of ideals, intuition, spirituality, compassion, and dreams, what were seeing is an amplification of all of those elements in our lives.

She added that this will be an especially exceptional day for romance.

This is going to be an extremely luckydayfor love, new romance, a new romantic vision that will transcend time and space and actually ask us to open our hearts to unconditional love and take an inventory where unconditional love has previously had difficulty entering our lives, she noted.

This means that people who have struggled with relationships in the past may make a move to be more open to accepting love and friendship, while relationships that are currently struggling may find a positive groove.

Furthermore, Rose said those who have a strong relationship with their career may also thrive and see the recognition they have been working so hard to get.

As this is such a unique event, it makes sense to want to take advantage of it, and Rose revealed to The Sun the best way to use the energy of April 12 to your advantage.

A lot of it is going to be listening to your own inner voice, she stated.

Thats going to be the first and most important thing that someone can do.

She said everyones own voice will call on them in a different way.

If youre feeling called to stay into rest, to connect to yourself, thats the path that youre going to be asked to go into.

If youre feeling like theluckis only going to happen if you put yourself out there, step outside of your comfort zone, and start networking and connecting with others, its going to be a very fruitfuldayif you push yourself outside your comfort zone and those limitations, Rose explained.

She also said an ideal way to kickstart the positive energy during Neptune and Jupiters collision is to begin the day with a healthy morning routine such as journaling, intuitive movement, or getting outside.

Rachael Hartley, a dietitian and nutrition therapist,describesintuitive movement as the practice of connecting with your body and its internal cues and using that to determine what type of movement, how long, and the intensity youd like to engage in.

This can be anything from practicing yoga to embarking on your favorite hike for as long as your body feels motivated to do so.

Describing why she recommends such practices, Rose said: These things very clearly help us raise our vibration and when we get into that higher vibrational state, other people can see it, so then we start to see our external reality changing.

She added that its important to set boundaries for yourself so you can show up authentically and compassionately throughout the day.

And while Neptune and Jupiter will align in Pisces, its actually currently Aries season.

Rose previously told The Sunwhat each star sign can expect during this time of the year,which runs through April 19.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.

Read more here:

Spiritual adviser explains what to do on the luckiest day of the year - New York Post

Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - The life of prayer, the consolidation of the relationship with Christ in order to help the faithful who are facing a crisis of faith, the new ways of evangelizing in the midst of a pandemic: these are some crucial points that emerged during the monthly meeting of the Seminary Family of the Archdiocese of Beijing, which was held on March 24. According to information gathered by Agenzia Fides, the intense synodal journey of spirituality of Lent, preceded by a long meditation before the Blessed Sacrament and the Crucifix, marked the usual sharing of the seminarians, guided by the formators and the spiritual assistant. Each class, group of seminarians and teaching staff presented their studies, their pastoral and missionary work carried out in the parish but also online, given that the pandemic situation does not yet allow the normal development of the life of the Church. The seminarians also took part in the monthly community spiritual retreat, on the theme "Contemplation in prayer", on March 25 and 26. They were invited "to always respond with the Fiat of the Virgin Mary to the Lord". In addition, some seminarians are preparing, with great commitment and the support of the entire seminary community, for the Beijing Civil Authority Higher Education Examination, which will take place from April 16 to 17, that is, on Easter Sunday. Along with prayer and encouragement, the Seminary's Office of Academic Affairs provided them with the classroom and the necessary material for their studies, since cultivating knowledge is part of the integral formation of the Seminary, in preparing candidates for the priesthood. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 12/4/2022)

Read the original here:

ASIA/CHINA - Prayer, relationship with Christ, new ways of evangelizing: the Beijing Seminary continues its synodal journey in the spirituality of...

Actor Jim Carrey has never been shy about any of his beliefs, from the political to his faiths. At one point, he even revealed that his faith helped him when journeying through hot Arizona. During his travels, Carrey recalled a particularly harrowing incident, where he feels he was comforted by a higher power.

Mega-blockbuster star Carrey embraced a more spiritual philosophy about life he wasnt shy about sharing with the world. Some of the lessons the In Living Color alum learned during this perceived spiritual awakening was that there was no Jim Carrey.

I dont exist, so They are all characters that I played, including Jim Carrey, including Joel Barish, including any of those things, Carrey once said at the Toronto International Film Festival. They are all characters.

This philosophy has even helped Carrey overcome extreme emotional issues.

So when I tried to go back and play Jim Carrey, I got depressed, and now I dont try to do that anymore, he continued.

But Carrey didnt limit himself to following just one religion.

Im a Buddhist, Im a Muslim, Im a Christian. Im whatever you want me to be, Carrey once told CBS News. It all comes down to the same thing. You are either in a loving place, or you are in an unloving place. If you are with me right now, you cannot be unhappy. Its not possible, just try.

Carreys newfound spiritual awakening has seen him through many trying times. In addition to granting him a certain level of peace, The Mask star once asserted it even saved his life. Speaking to The Mirror, Carrey recalled a time he went on an Arizona vision quest with the Lakota Indians.

I didnt plan on it, he said. I just went to a spa and I met a guy who was connected to the tribe and he told me about this vision quest which they dont let outsiders on. But I went and talked with the chief and he knew my heart was in the right place, so he decided that I could do it.

The journey would eventually take Carrey to the mountains.

I fasted for four days, I spent time in a sweat lodge and then they came in the middle of the night with a pick-up truck and blindfolded me and drove me to the top of this sacred mountain where theyd had these vision quests for a thousand years, he said.

Eventually, Carrey would feel he received help from a higher power during his quest.

Then at night I got tired of standing and I lay down on this little Indian blanket and I was really frightened. The coyotes were howling and the place was full of rattlesnakes, and I actually spoke out loud and said, God Im scared, be with me, he remembered. And at that point, the mountain range that was above me became the perfect shape of a man laying on his back beside me. All the fear left my body and I lay there thinking, This is really happening. Im actually seeing God and I cant believe it. Im so lucky.

Carrey was well aware of how some in the media viewed his newfound awakening. He compared it to how the industry once treated Tom Cruise.

Everyone gets to be the big joke for a year. Thats this business, he told The Times. Last year it was Tom Cruise. I could be the next Kathie Lee Gifford. But you have to say to yourself, Wait a minute, dude, thats not you.

Carrey was proud of the experiences his spirituality gave him. So much so that the Sonic actor considered writing a book about it.

It will be more representative of who I am than anything Ive ever done, he said. I feel like I know something. These thoughts make me feel like Im wearing gold shoes.

RELATED: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Actor Jim Carrey Reveals Only 5% of His Jokes Make It Into Movies

Read the original post:

Jim Carrey Once Felt He Saw God After Going on a Spiritual Journey - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) - The spirituality, the "lesson and missionary legacy" of the first Cardinal of Malaysia are contained in a book entitled: "The Cardinal: The Life and Times of His Eminence Anthony Soter Cardinal Fernandez". The project of the publication, to commemorate the contribution left to the local Church by the figure of Cardinal Fernandez, was led by E. Samson, with an editorial staff made up of people who worked closely with Cardinal Soter, who passed away on October 28, 2020, at the age of 88. "Cardinal Soters vision was so pastorally oriented as leader of the Church, not only in Malaysia but also in the region. He had a vision that was so farsighted. He did not think in a singular way but thought holistically. He did not just have one focus in mind, he had many things that built up the Church", said Samson the author, at the launch in recent days, at the Stella Maris International School in Damansara. The book contains tributes and memories from the young and old, featuring people from all walks of life and different religious backgrounds as well as those whose lives that the Cardinal touched in one way or another. Father Clarence Devadass, Director of Catholic Research Centre, who expressed gratitude for the gift of Cardinal Soter "whose life touched the hearts of many and left memories to last a life time". "May this book not only inspire many but also be a tool to spread love, joy, peace, goodness, and faithfulness. Help us all to grow closer and nurture the bonds of community, values that Cardinal Soter exemplified by his life", said Father Clarence. In his speech, Dato' Richard Robless, Chairman of the Board of the Yayasan Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon Foundation, which manages Catholic private educational institutions, spoke about the inspiration and legacy of Cardinal Soter which was the impetus behind the formation of the Stella Maris group of schools. "In 1987 - recalled Robless - the then Archbishop Soter had conveneda conference amongst Catholic educators, religious teaching congregations and lay persons, at the Infant Jesus Convent in Cheras, to discuss the situation and circumstances surrounding Christian mission schools, and to discern the Churchs mission and response to the changes and challenges that were taking shape. The conference resulted in the formation of the Malaysian Catholic Education Council and, subsequently, the birth of the Archdioceses agenda in private education". "The first Stella Maris School - he continued - opened its doors in 1994 in Jalan Robertson, Pudu. Encouraged by the success of this first school, Archbishop Soter initiated the incorporation of Yayasan Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon to control and house under one roof, all of the Archdioceses interests in private education. The Foundation today owns and operates four private schools, including one that offers an international curriculum,"said Dato' Richard Robless. "The schools stand brightly lit as stars born from the burning desire and quest of one man. This is his legacy. This is his testament. And while we may have lost our mentor, we look at what he has left and we stand thankful and grateful to God for this great and loyal servant of His", he added. "His vision for education was something close to his heart. And despite all the handicaps and challenges that we were confronted with, he always encouraged us on. He used to say, whatever your cross, whatever your pain, workin the Lords vineyard will always be very difficult. But be encouraged for He will always be with you", he concluded. The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Julian Leow, speaking at the presentation and praising the initiative of such a publication, expressed the hope that "the book will serve as a historic legacy for the younger generation, and for those who may not have had the opportunity of knowing Cardinal Soter. Let us continue to keep alive this legacy that Cardinal Soter has left us. Let it not die but let it continue to grow and to bloom. And to take the Church in Malaysia to the next level. Inter-faith dialogue and ecumenism were foremost in Cardinal Soters mind, to build the Church and to contribute to the growth of this nation", concluded Archbishop Julian. (SD-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 9/4/2022)

Go here to read the rest:

ASIA/MALAYSIA - In a book, the spirituality and missionary legacy of the first Malaysian Cardinal - Agenzia Fides

In a video recording captured a few years ago, Tom Leonhardt led a chant of the Hindu Gayatri mantra at the Crown Point Ecology Center in Akron.

Leonhardt in his early 80s at the time stood in a barn, surrounded by a small group of chanters. He wore a black T-shirt and a beaded South Asian meditation necklace as he taught the mantras words in the ancient language of Sanskrit.

"So it's call and response; is that going to be OK for you?" he asks the group.

The question seems to put them at ease. They smile and nod.

This is hardly the traditional picture of an ordained Catholic priest which Leonhardt once was.

But according to his many followers, untraditional was Leonhardt's way an approach he practiced until his death in December, at age 87, of complications from COVID-19.

"The people for whom he was most important were those who were neglected by or couldn't make it work in more institutional settings," said John McKinney, a psychiatric social worker from Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood.

McKinney first met Leonhardt more than 30 years ago. Leonhardt eventually became his spiritual director teaching him how to meditate, for example.

"He used a prayer from the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hahn, who said, Breathing, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know that I'm breathing out," McKinney said.

Drawing from different spiritual traditions was not an approach for which Leonhardt prepared early in his career.

Born in Toledo in 1934, he studied medieval Latin and religion in college. In the 1970s, he taught theology at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, eventually becoming ordained as a Catholic priest.

Tom Leonhardt was an ordained Catholic priest when he started Hope House of Prayer. [Carolyn Horvath]

Then, in 1981, he started forging his own path. He rented space in an apartment house on West 69th Street, in Clevelands Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. He paid the rent with his own money. Two or three times a week, he'd host Catholic services that included teachings from other religious traditions.

Now called Hope House of Prayer, the space is still in the same building today.

A small gathering room is filled with overstuffed armchairs. On the walls are colorful paintings and photographs, many related to the liturgy, meditation, reiki and dance workshops he led here for more than 40 years.

"We can always pull in more chairs if we get a lot of people," said Carolyn Horvath, Tom's wife, who survived him, led Hope House of Prayer with him and lives there today.

Yes, wife. Tom left the priesthood in the late 1980s to marry Carolyn. She'd been a Catholic nun who met Tom during a retreat at Hope House, and she, too, needed to leave her Catholic order to get married.

Carolyn Horvath, Tom Leonhardt's wife, stands in front of a tapestry showing a symbol Leonhardt designed honoring nature and unity. [Justin Glanville / Ideastream Public Media]

Their newfound independence freed them to become even more far-reaching in their offerings, apparent from the wide array of art and artifacts that decorate the room.

"This picture over the couch is the cover of the book that he wrote, Praying with Aramaic Jesus," she said, pointing at a framed rectangle of rainbow colors. Then she pointed to a corner with a smiling Buddha statue.

"That's our Buddha corner, because we have meditation on Mondays," she explained.

The space is physically small, but spiritually large a feeling that's intentional, according to Horvath.

"What people tell us is that it's very peaceful. They feel welcomed," Horvath said. "And from the beginning also we have said the door is open to everyone."

Welcoming everyone and forging their own path wasnt always easy or luxurious.

For the first 10 years after they got married, when they were in their 50s and 60s, Tom and Carolyn cleaned houses to pay their bills.

Later, they added to their income by working as "simulated patients" at the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine, giving feedback so students could practice their bedside manner.

Dr. Edweana Robinson of Kent State hired them more than 20 years ago.

"I want to be like Tom," she said. "I want to be a kind and gentle person."

Robinson said Leonhardt, with his shock of white hair and often sporting a rainbow peace symbol on his windbreaker, became a familiar and beloved presence on campus. Not just for his words but his way of being.

"Sometimes we are so rushed, we are so pushed that we forget all we want to do is get the job done as opposed to working to make the world better," Robinson said. "And he did. And that's what I want to remember is how I should treat other people."

Tom Leonhardt and Carolyn Horvath had been married for 32 years. [Carolyn Horvath]

Slowing down, being present, being kind Carolyn Horvath said those are her husband's greatest legacies.

Since he died a few months ago, she's been going through a dog-eared copy of The Little Prince. He used it as his only textbook early in his career as a theology teacher. It's full of passages he underlined, one of which Horvath read aloud:

"And all day, he says over and over, Just like you, I am busy with matters of consequence, and that makes him swell up with pride. But he is not a man, he is a mushroom."

Horvath laughed, her eyes welling.

"I like that one a lot," she said.

More here:

Spiritual leader for Cleveland's non-conformists leaves a legacy of slowing down and opening up - ideastream

For Christians, walking the Way of the Cross can be an unforgettable spiritual journey. As they stop to pray at each of the 14 Stations, the faithful are symbolically treading the path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary while reflecting on the suffering He endured.

The devotional prayers may be conducted personally or by an officiating celebrant who may move from station to station as congregants respond. The path begins when Jesus is condemned to death and concludes when he is placed in the tomb. In 1991 Pope St. John Paul II created a new scriptural version of the Stations.

Artistic depictions of the stations can be found on interior church walls as well as outside on the grounds and gardens. Catholics as well as Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and other Protestant churches mark this significant season of the year by visiting the stations during Lentbetween Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Via Dolorosa

The origins of the practice of praying the Stations of the Cross are believed to be connected to early Christians retracing Jesus steps from the site of his condemnation by Pontius Pilate to the place of his death. That practice continues today on the path known as the Via Dolorosa (The sorrowful road.)

Angie and Willliam Platfoot of Tipp City are among those who have participated in the meaningful tradition in Jerusalem. Angie, who grew up near Minster, Ohio has early memories of praying the Stations with the Sisters at school on Fridays with her classmates.

Everybody was farmers there so we did the stations on Sunday afternoon with our families, she remembers. Then, when our children were little we started doing them again.

Bill and Angie Platfoot walk on trails that circle the Lange Estate, which is home to the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal. The wooden structures, in the background, that line the paths are the way of the Cross that depicts the journey of Jesus to the place of his crucifixion. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Bill and Angie Platfoot walk on trails that circle the Lange Estate, which is home to the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal. The wooden structures, in the background, that line the paths are the way of the Cross that depicts the journey of Jesus to the place of his crucifixion. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The couple has made two pilgrimages to Israelone in 2017 and another in 2019. On one of them, nine brothers and sisters and three in-laws accompanied the couple.

The experience, says Bill Platfoot, was very moving. You are following in the footsteps where Jesus walked and carrying a big wooden cross as you go from one station to the next, he explains. " You pray the rosary, youre meditating, its very spiritual. Its one of the highlights of my life, an experience I never dreamed Id have.

The Platfoots, who belong to West Milton Church of the Transfiguration, are fortunate to have access to stations both indoors and outdoors at their church as well as the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal in Ludlow Falls.

A beautiful outdoor walk

One of the loveliest places to walk the Stations is at the Transfiguration Center. Located on 173 acres of gently rolling land bordering the Stillwater River, the Center, endowed by Kathryn Lange as a retirement community for priests, is open to the public on weekdays and includes wooded trails, natural grasses, wildflowers, native birds and wildlife.

The Rev. John D. MacQuarrie, now pastor of St. Bernard parishes in Springfield, was serving in West Milton at the time the Center was created and says the stations were hand carved by local woodcarver, John Bookwalter.

John had a wood shop in West Milton for a good number of years, MacQuarrie remembers. He was a very creative fellow and people loved his art. He grew up in Transfiguration Parish and we asked him to make new stations for outdoor prayer and meditation based on Pope John Pauls more accurate scriptural references.

Bookwalter was given a book to follow with simple pictures and Bible references. According to our business manager and grounds keeper at the Lange Estate, John used different species of wood but mainly walnut, ash and oak. It took him about six to eight months; he finished in 2003. He died about six years later and I celebrated his funeral.

The Schoenstatt Shrine is on a pathway at the Lange Estate, which is home to the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The Schoenstatt Shrine is on a pathway at the Lange Estate, which is home to the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

MacQuarrie adds that the sculptures were almost destroyed during the tornado and had to be moved to a new location outside of the woods.

Walking for social justice

For more than 30 years, a number of local faith organizations have collaborated to host a downtown Dayton Good Friday Walk for Justice and Peace in which the traditional devotional practice is paired with contemporary social justice issues.

The idea is to bring attention to the suffering of many people in our world and how from a faith perspective we are called to be aware of their suffering and think of ways in which we might help to alleviate it, explains Nick Cardilino, director for the Center for Social Concern at the University of Dayton. People have used the Stations of the Cross as a way to compare the suffering of various people to the suffering of Christ.

A Walk for Justice and Peace is held annually on Good Friday in downtown Dayton. Participants stop at various locations for the traditional stations of the cross Jesus walked to bring awareness to social issues. FILE

A Walk for Justice and Peace is held annually on Good Friday in downtown Dayton. Participants stop at various locations for the traditional stations of the cross Jesus walked to bring awareness to social issues. FILE

Examples? The first station, when Jesus is condemned to death, is recited in front of the Old Courthouse where the death penalty is referenced. In front of the YWCA, there is a focus on the lack of affordable child care tied to station number four where Jesus meets his mother.

Participants gather annually in downtown Dayton for a Walk for Justice and Peace on Good Friday to bring awareness to social issues. FILE

Participants gather annually in downtown Dayton for a Walk for Justice and Peace on Good Friday to bring awareness to social issues. FILE

A similar annual walk is held at UD. Like other Catholic churches around the world, UDs Chapel of the Immaculate Conception features the 14 stations prominently displayed on its walls, explains Scott Paeplow, associate director of Campus Ministry. Campus Ministry has led gatherings every Friday afternoon throughout Lent to pray the Stations together as a faith community as we journey through this liturgical season towards the celebration of the High Holy days of the Church.

In years past UD students, faculty and staff have also prayed the 14 stations through the lens of social justice and care for the marginalized through the annual observation of the Romero Stations of the Cross.

Praying at home

Stores that specialize in selling religious items offer a variety of products to enhance the devotional experience of praying the stations. Dayton Church Supply in downtown Dayton is a fourth-generation, family-owned business that carries products for both churches and home.

A wide variety of meditation booklets and pamphlets are available at the store, including those written especially for children.

There are home-bound people who want to do the stations but cant get to a church, explains Karen Klepacz. We have beads for meditation and prayer with the Stations on them, an olive wood crucifix with the stations and a new item for children with little windows that can be closed after they pray each station.

The stores second floor has a wall of sample stations that can be special ordered. Materials range from fiber glass and mosaics to wood carvings and fabric.

The store, located at 136 E 3rd St, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Phone: 937- 223-2521.

Bringing the stations to life

One of the eagerly anticipated Lentin events at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Dayton is an annual dramatic reenactment by young church members incorporating narration, meditations, acting and song. Thirty children, dressed in tunics created by volunteer moms, participated this year.

Youth at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Dayton participate in a Living Stations of the Cross. CONTRIBUTED

Youth at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Dayton participate in a Living Stations of the Cross. CONTRIBUTED

Jenn Dahlstrom of Beavercreek, who directs the special evening, says its been performed for the past 20 years. She says other churches in the Miami Valley have heard about it and asked for the script.

Fourteen-year-old Matthew Greiner, who participated for the first time this year, played the coveted role of Jesus.

Through my experience in the Living Stations of the Cross, I found that we can only understand a tiny bit of the pain Our Lord went through during His passion, he says.

Youth at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Dayton participate in a Living Stations of the Cross. CONTRIBUTED

Youth at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Dayton participate in a Living Stations of the Cross. CONTRIBUTED

HOW TO GO:

What: The Good Friday Walk for Justice and Peace

When: Noon to 2 p.m. Friday, April 15

Where: Beginning at Courthouse Square with stops through downtown. The walk will end at First Baptist Church, 111 West Monument, where a free soup lunch will be served.

Parking: Free on city streets throughout downtown and at the Church.

For more info: 937-229-2576

HOW TO GO:

What: The Stations of the Cross created by West Milton woodcarver, John Bookwalter. The grounds also include gardens, a goldfish pond, a reflection pond and miles of walking trails near the scenic Ohio River.

Where: Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal, 3505 Calumet Road, Ludlow Falls, Ohio

Open: The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset seven days a week.

For more information: http://www.transfigurationcenter.com or call 937-698-7180.

Read the rest here:

Stations of the Cross, a spiritual journey, is observed in variety of ways in the Miami Valley - Dayton Daily News

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22.

The number seven is mentioned 735 times in the Bible, a fact that endows this prime number with deep spiritual relevance. According to the Book of Genesis, God created the earth and the heavens, together with all the creatures in seven days on the seventh day, he rested. The number symbolically joins the universe and all its marvels to the creator; it completes all creation.

This grouping in sevens runs across the hundreds of pages of the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Jesus uttered the famous seven last words that are laden with ominously stark meanings. They are laments of abandonment, of being forsaken, the loin cloth covering the nakedness, while hanging on for three hours, trussed, vilified and suspended between heaven and earth.

Traditions, beliefs and religion

In Roman Catholic iconography, Mary, the mother of God, manifests the self-sacrificing pain of her motherly humanity via the seven daggers piercing her heart, each symbolising episodes in the life of her son that caused her unspeakable distress. She silently soldiered on, first amid the prescience of Simeons prophecy uttered at the time of her young childs presentation in the Temple, where the old man told the new mother: And a sword will pierce your very soul.

The torments of her sons passion at Golgotha and his passing away through the most undignified of Jewish deaths would add other daggers, painfully piercing her very existence and soul.

The choice of venue for Sebga (Seven), the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, in Mqabba, is not coincidental. The chapel is dedicated to the sixth dagger in the series of sorrows, that of holding the Son of God, her child, as a corpse in her lap. The seventh and last sorrow is the actual burial, the separation of the dead from the living.

The deadly sins are also seven in number; vices that open the gateways to damnation: the price the soul pays for relenting to devilish temptations. The seven heavenly virtues can be looked upon as neutralising the sins by indicating the path to eternal salvation.

The number seven has found itself integrated into our traditions, such as in the seven days of mourning after the death of a relative or a close friend. Seven also figures in many occult invocations and in esoterica. It is invoked in the casting of spells and finds itself woven into the fabric of mathematical magic squares.

The wonders of the ancient world were seven, as well as the classical planets, thus relating to the numbers astrological significance. The Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, also mentions the number seven in apocalyptical contexts.

Besides Christianity and Judaism, Hinduism and Islam also extol the numbers purported extraordinary properties by regarding it as a mathematical manifestation of physical and spiritual completeness and perfection. Like the other prime numbers, it is divisible only by itself; it controls its own destiny no other number can affect or destroy it by reducing it to a singularity.

The 14 Stations of the Cross

In every Catholic cathedral, church and almost every chapel around the world, one finds the 14 Stations of the Cross, in painterly, sculptural, symbolic or numerical form, commemorating 14 instances in Christs passion, starting from His condemnation by Pontius Pilate to death on the cross and episodically leading up to His burial. A praying ritual devotes contemplation on each of the 14 stations. It is not coincidental that the exhibits for this exhibition are 14 in number, although they are specifically themed to only two of these stations.

Each station in the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows is accompanied by an exhibit, thus integrating the artistic with a ritual of prayer into one whole narrative. For Sebga, Mark Mallia and Etienne Farrell have focused on two of these stations, the former on the 12th station and the latter on the 13th, which are probably the most salient ones in the whole group.

Mallias exploration of the seven vices

As Jesus hung on the cross, He forgave the soldiers who had crucified Him and prayed for His mother and friends. Jesus wanted all of us to be able to live forever with God, so He gave all He had for us. The 12th Station of the Cross

Mallia regularly revisits themes related to the passion of Jesus Christ. In his March 2017 exhibition Zabach in a private chapel in Mosta also dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, the artist investigated Christian iconography to come up with a series of 21 paintings that focused on the main protagonist as a sacrificial lamb. Zabach, in fact, is Aramaic, Jesuss language, for sacrifice.

The crucifixion paintings in that exhibition hinted that, in a post-apocalyptic world, every being, even the Son of God Himself, gets carbonised and transformed into ashes through nuclear warfare, as that the ship of redemption has probably sailed. In the backdrop of the Russian-Ukraine war, the message is more topical; most roads seem to lead to the most inauspicious of conclusions. It is ironic that both countries embroiled in the conflict honour the image of the saviour in their religion. But, probably, true religion and introspection are mere trifles in the context of war.

This reduction of the crucified body to an empirical representation evokes parallels with Francis Bacons Crucifixion of 1933. The translucence captured by Bacon is ghostly, as though a shadow, an X-ray image.

One could regard this as a portent of things to come; the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima 12 years later was the apocalyptic epilogue of World War II. Nuclear shadows of actual people were generated by the detonation; body cells were irradiated thermonuclearly, fried to the ground as terrible spectres of the people who had lived on the streets and sidewalks of the two ill-fated Japanese cities.

Mallias waif-like crucified bodies are also cinders, burnt through by all measure of irradiation apostasy, warfare, neo-liberalism; also by being subservient to the seven vices, by succumbing to the calls of the flesh and primeval instincts that are so hard to suppress.

The seven vices, or deadly sins, are explored by Mallia through seven artworks that are thematically linked to the cross and the emaciated crucified body, one of the timeless symbols dear to Christianity.

Farrells contemplations on Marys seven sorrows

Jesus, how brutally You were put to death. How gently You are taken from the cross. Your suffering and pain are ended, and You are put in the lap of Your mother. The dirt and blood are wiped away. You are treated with love. The 13th Station of the Cross

The procession of Our Lady of Sorrows in Malta probably dates to the 17th century. Forming one of the statuary groups of the Good Friday processions, held in many towns and villages in the Maltese islands, the Friday before Good Friday is solemnly dedicated to the heartache experienced by a mother throughout the relatively short lifetime of her son. In some statues, the grief-stricken mother is portrayed on her own, at the foot of the cross, overwhelmed by psychological ache. In others, the tortured body of her only son lies lifeless in her lap.

Sometimes, a small angel joins her, holding the crown of thorns and the four nails that pierced the limbs of Jesus, symbols of the physical agony that He endured on the cross. St John the Evangelist, Jesuss favourite disciple, is included as well in some instances, offering the aggrieved mother some solace.

Most of Farrells seven exhibits focus on the semiotics of the spiritual and psychological pain endured by a mother whose son had professed a contradiction: to love ones enemy.

The artist delivers a universal message, that this pain wasnt endemic to the Mother of God alone. Each mother goes through the pangs of hell when she loses a child through some physical and psychological sickness, accident, substance abuse or through wanton acts of war, declared by unscrupulous dictators.

The Maltese saying goes that it is unfair that some mothers have to pass through the torment of burying their own children. Perhaps the pain is much more profound than the one experienced by children when their parents pass away. One of the works tellingly integrates escutcheons of the daggered heart with what seems like a representation of the opening of the birth canal, perhaps suggesting that the sorrow of motherhood starts from conception. Depending on ones perspective, it could also be interpreted as a strong anti-abortion statement.

The Churchs rites for the day dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows prepare us for the sobriety of Holy Week, which starts on Palm Sunday until Holy (or Black) Saturday, during which time the faithful are asked to contemplate on episodes that occurred 2,000 years ago and that led to the birth of Christianity. Farrell and Mallia are inviting us to do this in the intimate sacred space of a small chapel in the village of Mqabba while also meditating on the 14 Stations of the Cross and their artistic interpretations of the seven vices and the seven sorrows.

Sebga, hosted by the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Mqabba, opened on Sunday and runs until Saturday. Visit the events Facebook page for opening times and more info.

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

Read more from the original source:

The universal and spiritual relevance of the number seven - Times of Malta

The Chronicle

According to Proverbs 10:22, many people do not realize that cars and houses and riches are not the blessing; they are a result of the blessing.

To a Jewish child, it is not correct to point at a new car or house and say, look at my blessing because the blessing of God is intangible and immaterial. It is invisible to the naked eye.

The blessing is the stem and a car is a fruit of the blessing. Just as you cannot see the wind but can tell when it passes because of its force and the way it blows away papers and you cannot point at the paper and say, look at the wind, you cannot point at tangible and material things and call them blessings.

The blessing is what empowers you to obtain material riches. The blessing is the spiritual endowment that comes upon someone and is an empowerment to succeed.

It is not tangible and it cannot be seen. The Bible says that the blessing maketh one rich. This means instead of toiling you are to put your effort into looking for the blessing.

Jewish people devote their time in seeking the blessing. They understand the power of the blessing and will do anything to get it. To them the issue of a blessing is never taken for granted or lightly, it is a deep, serious spiritual matter.

In Genesis 24 we see Abraham sending a messenger to go and find a wife for his son Isaac. Genesis 24:53 tells us that Abrahams servant (messenger) gave Rebekah jewelry of silver, gold, and clothing. He even gave precious things to Rebekahs brother and to her mother. All these things were manifest in Abrahams life because he had the blessing.

Genesis 24:35The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. (NKJV)

When the blessing comes upon you there is no way that you will remain insignificant and obscure. We see that Abraham became great and he was influential.

He also had male and female servants. The blessing will take you from being an employee to being an employer. God mentioned all these things in the Bible because He wants us to have them. He desires us to have the blessing that He gave to Abraham.

God Bless.

[emailprotected]

See the original post here:

The blessing is Spiritual - Chronicle

This week, God showed me this Scripture, Hebrews 10:22-25:

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up gathering together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.

The book of Hebrews was written in 70 A.D. to encourage Jewish Christians who were thinking of abandoning their faith, as many were facing great persecution. The title of this section of Hebrews is A Call to Persevere. Currently, we are seeing great strife in our lives and around the world. People are suffering unimaginable atrocities. Children are being harmed in ways that are unfathomable. Evil is wreaking havoc. How are we to respond? What can we turn to? In whom do we put our trust?

The Bible is the living word of God. It says that we must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). So, what is the truth? Jesus says that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6).

Do we believe this? Do we believe Jesus? Do we trust Jesus and follow Him? Believing is a choice. God offers us the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus; He offers us His unconditional love and sacrifice, and the hope of His promise of eternal life with Him. That eternal life begins right here on Earth. When Jesus came to Earth, He brought the Kingdom of Heaven here, upon us. When we receive the gift from God, that gift of eternal life, then we carry the Spirit of God within us, and we go forth to fulfill the calling to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven as we preach the gospel and heal the sick.

With sincere hearts, our faith cleanses us from the sin that entangles us and we are washed with pure water, the living water that Jesus offers us. We must stand firm and hold fast to the hope we profess, especially when life gets difficult or extremely painful. When we think that we can no longer endure or carry on, God tells us to continue lifting one another up, through love and good deeds, through gathering together, through encouraging one another. And all the more as we see the day drawing near.

Jesus will return one day, to gather His flock and take all believers to heaven. The day or the hour is unknown to all, except to God, but the signs are apparent earthquakes, famine, wars, lawlessness, calling good evil and evil good, a departure from the truth, and wickedness, perversion and idolatry in increasing measure.

As we see these things happening, in our own communities and throughout the world, we must hold fast to our faith in Jesus and the hope of His promise. We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Jesus has conquered the grave. He has defeated death. He is victorious. And we have the victory through Him.

As we go through Holy Week, reflecting on the Last Supper, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, may the hope we have in Jesus be ever stronger, may our lives reflect Gods loving sacrifice ever more, and may we be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can endure the race and win the prize and great reward that eternal dwelling. Free from all sin and sadness. Free from all pain and persecution. What a glorious reunion it will be, basking in the glory of Gods holy presence, together in heaven, forever and ever.

So, let us shine the light of Christ all the more brightly and bring His joy and love to a hurting world. Whoever believes in Jesus, fountains of living water will flow from within them (John 7:38-39). The day is drawing near God is with us and Jesus is our hope.

This beautiful sky from last month the sun on the horizon is like Jesus coming back, His light approaching, and the clouds are like the army of angels coming with Him.

Laurie Kurgas is minister over the InSpirit Healing Services at BASIC Living Water. For more information, visit InSpiritPrayer@yahoo.com.

See more here:

Spiritual Perspective: As you see the day drawing near - Los Altos Town Crier

Days after he became the first batsman in IPL history to retire out to allow Riyan Parag to swing his bat around with just a few balls left in the innings, R Ashwin summed up the decision that shook some of the mental cobwebs around the game: It happens in football all the time. T20 has moved towards football substitutions. We are already late. This wont be a stigma like the non-striker run out, he said on his YouTube channel. Its indeed surprising that it has come so late in cricket and its only fitting that it took an innovator like Ashwin to push the envelope.

Not that it was the first time in cricket. In 2018, a small cricketing nation, Belize, in a T20 international against Bahamas retired out their batsman, Howell Gillet, who was plodding along for 23 balls for just eight runs in a game against Panama. This January, in a Big Bash game in Australia, Sydney Sixers retired out Jordan Silk for the final ball of the innings as they wanted a fitter player at the non-strikers end to run faster. In some ways, cricket is evolving closer to the soul of gully cricket. Retired outs, baby overs (where a bowler is pulled out after three balls if he is too expensive), tactical drops (where catches are deliberately dropped if it is felt that its better to make a struggling batsman continue rather than invite the wrath of an incoming attacker). After all, most of the innovative shots, from reverse sweep, lap shots or balls like carrom, originated in the gully cricket of yore.

Cricket is witnessing a spiritual return to its grassroots, to its unorganised avatar. What kids do in streets, adults are picking up in a competitive environment. It will be interesting to see how technology is wedded to it. There has been talk of batting cages and virtual-reality headsets to help the incoming batsmen prepare better just before they step in to bat. With the stakes so high, any innovation that helps the game improve can only be welcomed.

Read the original:

With devices like retire out, cricket may be witnessing a spiritual return to its grassroots, to its unorganised avatar - The Indian Express

The Rev. John F. Hudson| Wicked Local

Pain [is] the touchstone of all spiritual progress. -- Alcoholics Anonymous

Tell me if its going to hurt.

Thats my one rule for pain, at least physical pain.If you are going to give me a shot or stick a needle in my arm to draw blood or do anything to my body that is going to cause pain, just give me a heads up. Okay?

Ive been thinking about this personal maxim as our nation has started to emerge from COVID lock down and masking up and moved now to a time for COVID slow down and masking off. Its like the spring of 2021 all over again. Im as into it as the next mask wearer but then, this happened to me. After one of the very first big social situations I went to without a mask in almost a year, the next day I got a text letting me that a close contact at the meeting was sick with COVID and had tested positive. They hadnt known they were infectious but that is often how things work when it comes to COVID.

Everything is okay until it is not okay. You are safe until you are exposed. You are healthy until you become sick. You get sick and maybe it is mild and you recover fast or maybe it is worse and you are laid low, even hospitalized, or maybe youll always have long COVID or maybe it will take your life. I try and remind myself of these possibilities on a regular basis, especially now that folks are shedding their masks so fast and so joyfully.

Heck, thats what I did!

I want to get rid of the masks forever and everything else that accompanies COVID, all the pains, all the ways it has inflicted very real pain: physical, economic, social, and emotional. COVID is a pain! I wish it would just go away! Shoo! But in reading the news and listening to the scientists and epidemiologists, perusing government websites, heeding the folks who actually know what they are talking about, the message Im hearing is … we are okay for now but, it could come back. There could be another wave. Or another variant. The need for another shot. But we dont know if or when.

Pesky virus! Ugh.

But at least I know that the pain might make a return engagement. That the hurt may return. HEADS UP! Id rather remember this possibility is real. Because the notion that right now, is actually the time, FINALLY, when we all get to go back to normal for good. ... Maybe normalcy is back. Maybe it isnt.

This I do know. COVID is still a pain. A pain in the ...well, you get the picture.

I suppose the one piece of goodness I can still take from the badness is this: pain almost always makes me spiritually grow and grow up.Pain, for all the struggle: it usually changes us. Deepens us. Makes us return to our faith or recommit to our sacred beliefs. It can make us more powerful and more resilient. Pain physical, mental, or spiritual I know this is the thing that has most forced me to change in this life.

I dont seek pain out, no. No one does. And the God I love doesnt inflict pain either. But when pain shows up and it always shows up in every human life -- we cant negotiate away this truth. When pain stops by and when times are tough and when the valley we walk down into is dark and full of shadows, I often kid myself. GREAT! Another blasted growth experience! But there is truth to this.

The pain of COVID has taught me just how much I need and I love my family and friends. I hope I never, ever, EVER again take them for granted again.The pain of COVID has taught me what a deep responsibility I have to care for the most vulnerable, the very sick, the very old, the very poor, the uninsured, because they certainly suffer more than me. The pain of COVID and almost getting it (knock on wood!) reminds me how lucky I am to have access to quality health care, and it moves me to work so that one day all folks have decent health insurance. The pain of COVID and its isolation has made me more fully appreciate doing things live and with real breathing, living human beings. Going to a baseball game or the movies or choir practice. Yes, its a risk still but Ill take it.

Will this hurt? If you have to ask the answer is probably, yes. But thanks for the heads up!

The Reverend John F. Hudson is Senior Pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn, Massachusetts (pilgrimsherborn.org).If you have comments, send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org or in care of The Dover-Sherborn Press (Dover-Sherborn@wickedlocal.com).

View original post here:

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: Be ready for pain, and be ready to grow from it - Wicked Local

To necessitate thespiritual upgradation of the society and highlightthe significance of Ramadhan, the International Centre for Spiritual Studies (ICSS) of Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) held a One Day Conference onthe theme"Impact of Fasting on Spiritual and Mental Health"in collaboration withShamah Foundation (A Women Concern based in Kashmir) here on Tuesday.

Several key figures, eminent religious scholars, health experts from across the valley delivered special lectures during the conference which commencedwith recitation of the Quran and Naat-e Rasool(PBUH).

In his presidential address, Vice Chancellor, IUSTProf. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo,the Chief Guest on the occasion, deliberated upon social, spiritual and mental benefits of fasting for the wellbeing of an individual and how itboosted unity within a community. Prof. Romshoo congratulated ICSS for conducting sucha useful and intellectual exchangeas it would contribute towards the upliftment of human character and spiritual understanding.

Shaykh-ul-Hadees, Darul Uloom Raheemiyyah Bandiporaand eminent religious scholar, Maulana Mufti Nazir Ahmad Qasmi in his distinguished lecturereferred to the first Hadith of Bukhari Inna mal aamalu bi-niyaat (i.e., the actions are rated according to the intentions) and said that before fasting or any practice, correcting intentions was needed. Heunderscored significance of fasting at multiple levels, as the benefits were not just confined to physical starvation of a human body but went beyond if fasting was observed in a pure and proper way and it could stop us from wrong doing in any profession we are in. While controlling our eyes, ears other body parts, mind, emotions from evil practices, we could achieve the spiritualcleansing, a revereddimension of fasting and worship according to Islam, he added.

Renowned psychiatrist andDirector Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience KashmirProf. Mushtaq A. Margoob, explored the psychological dimension of fasting. He said that fasting not only meant abstaining from eating but also controlling basic instincts, evil desires, emotions and feelings that lead us to stress and anxiety. He discussed how fasting in Ramadhan over a period of time trains us with self-control over body, emotion and desires.Prof. Margoob, who is also the visiting professor of the university touched the subject of mental health according to WHO and said it is a state of wellbeing in which humans realize their potential and capabilities and then fight with stress and anxiety to live a productive and healthy life which would finally contribute to the welfare of the society.

Prof. Qayyum Hussain, Honble Vice Chancellor Cluster University Srinagar, the Guest of Honor on the occasion talked about therelationship between Ramadhan and science andemphasized the physical importance of fasting. He also stressed on healing due to fasting as itbroke-down the nonessentials cells and couldstop many diseases like Parkinsons, dementia, Cancer etc.

Earlier Director ICSS, Prof. Hamidulla Marazihighlighted the spiritual and mental benefits of fasting in his welcome address and called on the significance of exploring research in this direction to contextualize these dimensions. He further added that ICSS would continue with such programmes in future and would work to make the Centre a pivotal platform for spiritual education.

Also during the event, Trustee of Shama Foundation, Haji G.M. Dug detailed the work and functions of Shamah Foundation. The event, whichwas attended by Deans, Officers, HoDs, faculty members students and scholars of the universityconcluded with vote of thanks by former Incharge of ICSS and Dy Director IUST Dr. S. Iqbal Quraishi.

Sincerely,

Originally posted here:

IUST holds Conference on Impact of Fasting on Spiritual and Mental Health - Brighter Kashmir

"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty" (1 Corinthians 15:14).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was not only necessary to the truthfulness of the gospel; it is essential to the Christian faith.

There have been several misrepresentations by religionists concerning the resurrection of Christ. Some going under the semblance of Christianity have deviated from the testimony of the sacred Scriptures concerning Christ's bodily resurrection. Jesus clearly stated he would physically rise from the dead (John 2:19-21).

Christ Jesus did not receive a rematerialized body as some have theorized (see Luke 24:39). The book of Romans 10:9-10 clearly states it is necessary for believers in Christ to accept and believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Belief in the bodily resurrection is essential to salvation.

The resurrection of Christ is the greatest event in the history of mankind. It is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Our eternal destiny with the Lord is predicated on the reality of his resurrection. Christianity would be meaningless had Jesus not resurrected. Since his bodily resurrection is an actual event, all components of our faith are confirmed as true in every sense.

If your religious organization, affiliation, society or denomination denies the physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, everything they claim in their teachings are void. This was the message repeated in the New Testament by Paul the Apostle. Remove yourself from such a group and find a body of believers who affirm the New Testament definition of the resurrection of Jesus.

The bodily resurrection of Christ is not just a feature of Christianity; it is of essential significance, which dominates the New Testament. If you have any questions, comments or disagreement with this article, share your thoughts with me.

David Vivas Jr. is the pastor at World Harvest International Church in Delano.

Read more:

COMMUNITY VOICES: The resurrection of Christ: Spiritual or physical? - The Bakersfield Californian