Lord,give me strength.

Thishas been my mantra of late, every morning when I start to hear the first whinesand cries from my 17-month-old around 5:20 a.m.

Lord,give me strength.

Myswollen body aches, my hips annoyed at the extra strain of a pregnant-againbelly. Slowly, I find a way to roll over and push out of bed to start the day.

Lord,give me strength.

Itsthe prayer I recite at 2 a.m. when my teething toddler cant sleep and needs tosnuggle on my shoulder. Not Daddys just mine.

Ialways said I admired the strength of mothers before I was blessed with myfirstborn. I knew that motherhood was going to be hard work, that it must takea special kind of energy to run around after little humans and also manage tosomehow take care of yourself.

Andthen after the rugrats become self-sufficient, to be able to have thestability to stand by and let them grow into themselves and one day becomeadults.

The Book of Proverbs says, She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come (31:25).

Ihave been blessed to witness to this type of resilience in my own mother. WhileI dont remember much about those early years of chasing my siblings and mearound, I do know what a heart swollen with pride looks like as a mom watchesher child accept a diploma, walk down the aisle or hold her firstborn.

Mymother boxes of tissues in hand once drove overnight from Chicago to NewYork so she wouldnt miss either graduation of me or my brother who happened tobe receiving degrees the same weekend.

Toreference Proverbs above, its been six years, and while shes laughed aboutother memories, Im not sure shes at the laughing stage yet for the graduationdebacle.

Itwasnt until after Brendan was born that I came to fully recognize how muchthat motherly strength came from God. Perhaps its because as mothers we get toexperience a God-like love for our children. God loves us, each and every one,for who we are.

Heaccepts our faults, celebrates our successes and is there to meet us when wefail. I know that the same goes for me and my two children, and any otherchildren I may be blessed with. I will always love them unconditionally, as Godhas and always will love me.

Prayingfor strength each day may sound like a pathetic plea for help. But its where Ihave found my spiritual life to be most days.

Iadmit at times in the last year and a half Ive been so wrapped up in life inovernight nursing sessions, in endless laundry, meal planning, diaper bags that I have not turned to God for more than just to simply ask for a littleboost to help me survive the day.

Beforemotherhood, my prayer life certainly looked different. It was a bit moreoutwardly focused and more often went beyond myself and the care of my son. Nowthat I have a mobile child, I cant say Im always as focused during SundayMass as I used to, or should, be.

The Book of Deuteronomy says, Be on your guard and be very careful not to forget the things your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live, but make them known to your children (4:9).

Despitethe struggles and times when I plead for strength, there are even more momentswhen I can smile and laugh in awe and wonder at the life God has created forme.

Inthe early weeks of motherhood, when Brendan slept almost all the time, dailyMass was a refuge. I could go and sit in the chapel with a small babe sleepingsoundly on my chest and pray. I could close my eyes, silently cry and marvel atthis little life God had blessed me with.

Thatmarveling continues, though usually there are fewer tears involved. Recently, Icame home late from work and heard a commotion in our basement. I wentdownstairs and found my husband lifting weights while my son danced along tothe workout music.

Itwas one of the most beautiful and happy moments of my marriage. I just sat andwatched for a few minutes as the two of them enjoyed their evening together inour warm and comfortable home.

This,by the way, is what I need all that strength for. So I can, as Deuteronomysays, teach my children about the wonders of Gods love. So I can teach them torelish even in the small moments of life and appreciate that they are all giftsfrom God.

Everytime we laugh together or go for a walk in the woods or find ourselves dancingin the basement, these are treasured memories and gifts. I just hope God keepsgranting me the strength to be able to enjoy them too.

Anna Jones, Catholic News Service. Jones is a freelance writer.

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Motherhood and spirituality - The Catholic Sun

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is about our spiritual journey, and the transformation we experience along the waynowhere is this clearer than in the changes in Eustace Scrubb. As we learn in the first sentence: There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. And in the last, back in our own world everyone soon started saying how Eustace had improved, and how Youd never know him for the same boy.

Lewis believed that humans could continue to improve spiritually until they became something like God or could devolve spiritually until they ceased to be human at all. In Dawn Treader we see both the potential pitfalls of the spiritual life and the potential victories. And all of them, it turns out, have one thing in common: Aslan.

Aslan, as we know, is not an ordinary lion but is actually Jesus Christ in Narnian clothing. In Dawn Treader, Lewis goes out of his way to make sure we know that he may be a lion but he is not only a lion. Lewis believes that movement forward in the spiritual life comes in large part because of the loving intervention of the Divine.

Someone in the Tor.com community, Jonathan Bronico, wisely points out that in this novel of gold and base metals being transformed, Lewis is showing us something similar: the transformation of human beings into something purer and better through a process that requires the presence and intervention of Aslan. As Jonathan put it so well, In this book, it seems like Aslan is in the business of taking base material and converting it into treasure.

Now. Do we have to know Aslan to be changed by Aslan? Not at all. In a favorite scene for many of us, poor Eustace is accidentally transformed into a dragon. He has devolved from human to something much worse. Lewis tells us its because Eustace fell asleep on the dragons hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart. He had been thinking poorly of his cousins and his companions, and wishing to be away from them.

He doesnt even realize hes a dragon at first. Once he does, he goes through the first step of spiritual transformation: he embraces the truth of his own brokenness. Eustace suddenly realizes that he wants to be friends with his cousins. He realized that he was a monster and cut off from the whole human race. The others werent fiends at all (he had simply been blaming all his troubles on them). He began to wonder if he himself had been such a nice person as he always supposed. He begins to weep.

Eustace isnt immediately transformed just by realizing his own monstrousness, but then again it was clear to all his companions that Eustaces character had been rather improved by becoming a dragon. He suddenly wanted to be someone better and was, in fact, anxious to help. He started doing reconnaissance missions. On cold nights everyone leaned against him for warmth.

Eustace discovers, we are told, the novel sensation not only of being liked, but of liking other people, too. All of this comes, quite simply, from embracing the reality of being a dragon. Its not that he has become a dragon, its that he was a dragon all along. The physical transformation revealed to him the dragonish thoughts that had already been central in his heart. And when he embraced that, when he mourned that, when he desired change, his internal transformation began. Which is when Aslan stepped in to bring him into a new world.

Make no mistake, the transformation/skinning/baptism of Eustace is not only about making him human, but also about bringing him into Narnia. Up until this point in the book, Eustace is constantly acting as if Narnia is somehow part of the real world. Hes threating to lodge a disposition with the British Consul and rather than accepting his position on the Narnian ship keeps boasting about liners and motor-boats and aeroplanes and submarines. It might be a dream or a trick, he thinks.

All of that changes after he meets the great lion. Aslan never even tells Eustace his name. He simply says follow me and takes him to a spring of living water. He tells Eustace to undress, and after the poor boy has done all that he can, Aslan tears him out of the rest of the layers. From that moment on, Eustace is fully present in Narnia. Its Edmund who explains that the lion was Aslan, and Eustace is a true Narnian from then on. No more talk about back home or disbelieving comments about the fantastic lands he finds himself in. From then on, Eustace is working hard to be brave, to help out, to be a better person.

There are a few important things that spring from this seed in the future, whether its a conversation thats coming up in the seventh book about how you can follow Aslan without knowing him, or the fact that Eustaces true transformation takes place here: everything from here on is growth, but the biggest and most important change for Eustace was simply meeting Aslan.

Sometimes just the awareness of Aslan is enough to prevent devolution or encourage positive growth. Caspian and Edmund discover a pool that turns anything that falls into it to gold. Under the spell of the riches this could mean, they begin to argue about who has the most authority. Lucy tries to intervene to stop them, when they notice something or rather someone watching them from the lead-colored hillside: Aslan, of course, golden and the size of an elephant. The mere sight of Aslan brings them to their senses. They wake as people from a dream and Caspian asks, Have I been making rather an ass of myself? Gold is nothing, its unimportant, and its a counterfeit of the true value of finding Aslans Country, where everything is golden because it is beyond the valleys of the sun.

Lucy, too, faces temptation and is saved by the sight of Aslans face. She discovers a spell in a magic book that will make her beautiful beyond the lot of mortals. Its interesting to note that her first thought is that it will make her more beautiful than Susan, especially given that dreaded conversation coming in book seven about the problem of Susan. Lucy has a strong feeling she shouldnt say the spell but she doesnt care. She plans to do it. But just as she goes to read it, she sees Aslans face in the book. He is growling, and she is frightened and she turns the page.

Now, as so often happens, having avoided the great temptation she falls for a smaller one. She uses magic to eavesdrop on her friends, and though shes terribly sorry about it later, there are consequences to be borne as a result. She recognizes what shes done wrong, and receives forgiveness from Aslan. But here we see that Aslan has intervened to keep her human (to go beyond the lot of mortals would have meant she was not a mortal, of course), and also, most interesting: Lucy speaks a spell to make unseen things visible and discovers that Aslan has been with her all along Even when we cant see the great lion, hes there beside us regardless.

So, off we go to the dark island. Heres a place where dreams are made real and at first everyone is quite excited until they discover this means, of course, that nightmares are real also. Lewis suffered vivid nightmares his entire life, and you can feel the real terror in his heart as he writes these scenes. Lucy is so frightened she prays: Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now.

As if in answer, an albatross appears. The albatross has long been considered the sailors friend. Its a symbol of hope and has been for centuries. Lewis certainly seems to be echoing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in some part here (at length did cross an Albatross as Coleridge says, and Lewis says at first it looked like a cross hes working hard to keep that Christian imagery in there).

The albatross offered good guidance and led them from that dreadful darkness. But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, Courage, dear heart, and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslans. The sailors follow Aslan to safety not even knowing for sure it is him. He appears in the time and place they need him most, and in the shape that will most speak to them in the moment. They may not even recognize him in that darkness, but he provides them hope and a way out.

Ive mentioned before the moment when Caspian is angrily insisting that he will join Reepicheep beyond the worlds end. Aslan sends a message by bringing the gold lions head on Caspians wall to life and telling him the truth: he cannot go with Reepicheep. And the human children are also leaving, and Caspian is to return to Narnia. Caspian learns an important lesson about being king. Its not just doing whatever he wants. Its thinking of his subjects and keeping his promises and listening to wise counsel, too. All of this transformation in Caspian boils down to these simple words: Aslan has spoken to me.

One last Aslan moment: at worlds end the children meet a Lamb. We certainly could do a whole post or two on this scene and its parallels to scenes of the life of Jesus. But I think we will settle for this. Aslan tells the children the great secret of growth in the spiritual life: I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.

In Lewis universe, the greatest key to spiritual growth is simply learning to recognize Aslan. Whatever world we are in, and whatever shape he takes, and however deep or terrible our temptations, the key to growth is recognizing the loving presence of that great lion.

And thus, the Pevensie childrens journey in Narnia comes to an end, and I think Ill leave us here for our exploration of Dawn Treader, too. I originally had two more articles planned, but to get to the rather pedestrian insights they would bring would require unraveling too much of the story, and I think trading wonder for knowledge is often a poor bargain.

I will leave us with this: I grew up in religious culture, and so often I was told that I needed to stop being a dragon. It was a sort of moralistic teaching that said something like, Stop being a dragon and come to Aslan. But if I could stop being a dragon myself, what need did I have of Aslan? Ive been a minister for over twenty years and Ive met a lot of dark places in a lot of broken hearts, including my own. I dont know where you may be on your journey, whether stuck at sea, or lost in darkness, or in some place better or worse than that. But I do know this: you are not alone. Aslan, whether you see the great lion or not (I was always here), and whether you know the great lion or not (follow me he said to Eustace, not even saying his own name), and whether you feel hope or despair there is a lamb, an albatross, a painting, a picture, a lion, or whatever you need Aslan to be. I believe Aslan will take that form to bring us hope. To free us from our dragon skin. To show us the way out of darkness. To give us what we need to know peace.

And on that note, friends, peace to you! Lets set out the oars and make our way back west from Worlds End and back to the blessed lands of Narnia! Well meet back here next time to discuss book four in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Silver Chair!

Matt Mikalatos is the author of the YA fantasy The Crescent Stone. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.

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Eustace Was a Dragon All Along: Aslan and Spiritual Growth in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - tor.com

In the seventh article in a series on 20th-century artists who shaped Maltese modernism, Joseph Agius delves into the enigmatic world of Josef Kalleya.

Josef Kalleya (1898-1998) is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of Maltese 20th- century art. His position as one of the two fountainheads of Maltese modernism, together with Carmelo Mangion (1905-1997), is undisputed.

A mixture of asceticism, spirituality, controversy, literature and theology come together in a universe that has no equivalent in our islands art history and that marks him as an innovator even in the more general backdrop of international 20th-century art.

Born in Valletta on March 27, 1898, Giuseppe Calleja received a formal education which ensured him of a fair degree of literacy. He had to change his name a couple of times along the years; first to Joseph Calleja to avoid confusion with the Maltese Nazarene painter bearing his same name. In the 1950s, he coined the name Josef Kalleya to avoid confusion with another Maltese artist, who was also a member of the three Maltese art groups of the 1950s. Besides, there was another Joseph Calleja (known also as Joe Calleia), who was a very successful Maltese actor and a star of Hollywoods silver screen.

Kalleya was involved with a theatrical group LAvvenir Infantile, the brainchild of youngsters of his age group. The theatrical company adopted a Commedia dellArte approach and a more improvisational outlook towards performance.

In his teens, he developed an interest in sculpture, painting and drawing. He sought proper instruction through Antonio Micallef, Lazzaro Pisani and Edward Galea. An apprenticeship with Giuseppe Duca and Ignazio Cefai exposed him to commissions to these artists originating from the Church and other patrons. Kalleya himself was personally commissioned for a pair of angels that were intended for the Ta Pinu Sanctuary in Gozo but the project got shelved as Kalleyas idea for them was deemed to be too modern for the taste of the patron.

The young artists meeting in 1913, or thereabouts, with Dun or Preca, a then young priest who founded the Catholic society known as M.U.S.E.U.M., was a life-changing episode. He became a fervent member of this society. However, his progressive views antagonised the ethos of the group. Eventually, by mutual consent, it was decided that he had to leave. But even in later years, he still felt not completely detached from the teachings of Dun or as their relevance to him ran more than skin deep.

The Church fuelled his spiritual needs although he felt at times to be at odds with its teachings. Its promise, its panacea of eternal salvation for its obedient flock, jarred with the eventuality of eternal damnation for heretics who revealed and believed in an alternative path to universal redemption.

The first seeds of Apokatastasis, the doctrine of Origen, had probably already been sown. This eventually flourished as the underlying concept that is the root of what Kalleya and his art are all about. Origen was an early Christian ascetic and theologian who postulated that there will be a universal non-exclusive redemption at the end of time, one that would also include Lucifer. According to Origen, all souls that have gone astray will be restored, sooner or later, to Gods embrace.

Kalleja was nearing his 30th birthday when he realised that his career as an artist here in Malta was stuck in a rut. At a rather mature age, he enrolled at Romes Regia Accademia di Belle Arti, the Regia Scuola della Medaglia and the British Academy, which were also situated in the Italian capital. During his stay in Rome, he met his future wife Elsa Ornaro, who was 20 years younger than him and whom he married just before returning to Malta.

He weaved a language that curbs misinterpretation

Once back, he transformed his small Valletta studio into an artistic venue which served as a meeting place for other artists and like-minded souls. This same place was also the site of the Libera Scuola del Nudo, which offered nascent Maltese artists the opportunity to study and paint nudes from life models rather than from plaster casts. This experiment was short-lived as the intransigent Maltese Church fell on it like a ton of bricks after receiving complaints from neighbours of the Scuola about the nefarious goings-on.

Various sculptors as diverse as August Rodin, Alberto Giacometti and Henry Moore have been mentioned by Maltese art historians as possible sources of inspiration for Kalleya. However, the sculptor that bears most resemblance in some concepts and execution is Medardo Rosso (1858-1928). Kalleya must have come across his work while in Rome.

The Italian sculptors rough and spontaneous modelling is reminiscent of the Maltese artists technique. Rossos and Kalleyas sculptures appear to be deceptively unfinished, scratched, amorphous, primordial and magma-like, as though they are gestating towards other undetermined forms. These in-between states straddle the gap between the abstract and the representational.

Kalleyas work on paper, particularly that of the 1970s, demonstrates a Medardo Rosso sensibility as the Maltese artist introduced self-explanatory Cy Twombly-like text (which is also present in an early and 1935 work) to indicate the origin and philosophy behind a piece, as an aid in the deciphering of concepts and themes. Rosso also used photography as a medium of expression and linked it with his sculptural work.

Kalleya employed this technique too to give geographical context to his monumental creations in the vain hope that they would perhaps one day adorn public spaces; sadly, none of them ever did. He also photographed his sculptural work in plasticine to give a measure of permanence and posterity as he reused the same stock of material for other sculptures, resulting in their destruction. This ephemeral quality, this impermanence defines the sculptural output of the artist, some of which there is no further documentation of besides the photographical one as the same material had been kneaded and remoulded innumerable times. He was also known to leave the moist sculptures outside in his yard to be burnished come rain or shine.

The contextualisation, via his photographs, of extraordinary but improbable monuments in the spaces for which he conceived them, as well as the explanatory texts that accompany his paintings and works on paper, can be seen as Kalleyas utmost effort to document his self-expression for posterity. Thus, he weaved a language that curbs misinterpretation.

Twomblys scribbles are at times unintelligible, structureless and lack meaning as the message can be hard to decipher; at other times, the American artist tickles the viewers fancy by dropping a bombshell of bold text amid a landscape of scribbles, drips and blotches of colour. Kalleya stolidly delivers his Neoplatonist message of Apokatastasis and announces, like a playwright, the name and nature of the protagonists and their relationship to each other and his interpretation of them and their relationships.

Therefore, Jesus Christ, Lucifer, Origen, Dante Alighieri and his La Divina Commedia, John Milton and his Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Giovanni Papinis writings all play a vital role in this amalgam of theological and diverse literary sources that Kalleya the alchemist weaves into a very personal and unique viewpoint of creation, redemption and salvation. Papini was an Italian novelist/journalist who was an atheist, but later in life, converted to Christianity.

As expressed by Dominic Cutajar in his essay on Kalleya: It is thus not a coincidence that most of his sculptures have a clear spiral form, a twist that rotates upwards, similar to the spiral vortex believed by the Neoplatonists to lead all matter back to God, its origin and source.

Kalleyas art can be perceived as a quest, a prayer for an ultimate redemption and salvation that is universal and is non-exclusive a cosmos that resolves all chaos and that includes all, even Lucifer himself.

He lived to a ripe old age of 100, to be comforted on his deathbed by his wife, his numerous children and grandchildren.

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The spiritual modernist and iconoclast - Times of Malta

In the First Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War Stonewall Jackson stood firm. His men held the critical Henry House Hill. Jackson calmly sat on his horse with his arm raised during the battle. He lost part of his finger to shrapnel. Many believe he was imitating Moses. Moses prayed for his men as they fought. Jackson calmly prayed for his men even though he was a very large target.

Another Confederate general watched Jackson during the battle. General Barnard Elliott Bee said, There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!

We need to stand today. One strong person makes a tremendous difference. We must not live in fear. We must fight and win the spiritual battle. Ephesians 6 uses an extended metaphor to teach the proper way to fight and win the spiritual battle. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (verses 10-11).

The phrase be strong literally means be strengthened. We need Gods strength. We dare not fight in our own strength. Gods strength comes from putting on Gods armor! Verse 12 says, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood Wrestle is a reference to Greco-Roman wrestling. Wrestling is the most intense sport. This battle is personal and it is a fight.

The battle is won or lost in the mind. There are no neutral thoughts. Every thought comes either from God or from Satan. How do we put on Gods armor? Putting on Gods armor is thinking Gods thoughts! We must think biblically.

Ephesians 6:16 mentions the shield of faith. The shield of faith is an unwavering trust and confidence in God. David had a tremendous confidence in God. David told the giant Goliath, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have taunted (1 Samuel 17:45).

When the devil whispers thoughts of fear and panic, respond with an unwavering confidence in God. God the Father sent His Son Jesus to die for His people. The Son, Jesus, loved us enough to die for us. Romans 8:31 says, If God is for us, who is against us?

Ephesians 6:17 focuses on the helmet of salvation. Our salvation is described in three different ways- past, present and future. In the past a Christian was saved. You were saved from the penalty of sin. Today you are being saved from the power of sin. In the future you will be saved from even the presence of sin. Romans 13:11 says, Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.

The helmet of salvation is the assurance of future victory. I read the Book of Revelation- we win! Satans primary tool is discouragement. He says, You have been a believer for a long time. How can you still be tempted by that sin? Why is your spiritual growth so slow? You arent a Moses or Elijah or Sarah or Lydia. You probably arent even saved. No. We take the helmet of salvation- the assurance of future victory- and think Gods thoughts. As we think as God thinks, the victory is won.

1 Peter 5:8 says, Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. A lion roars at night to paralyze its prey with fear. Satan tries to intimidate with fear and persecution. Take the helmet of salvation (we win!) and walk in faith- not fear.

Ephesians 6:17 points out the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. A Roman soldier often carried one or two javelins and a short sword. A soldier threw the javelins to disable the enemies shields before closing in close combat. A Roman soldier led with his shield and thrust with his sword.

The sword of the Spirit is very specific promises from Scripture. Satan says, God will not provide for you. You will go broke. Youre going to end up living in a cardboard box. King David after a long life wrote, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). The transcendent, infinite God- Jehovah- is our shepherd. He cares for us. God is strong and powerful and far away but He is close. He is our shepherd.

All of this is possible because of Jesus and His sacrificial death. Who crucified Jesus? It was not the Romans or the Jews who ultimately killed Jesus. God the Father crucified His own Son to pay for our sins. Jesus died in our place. He bore our guilt. He offers us His perfect righteousness.

Place your faith and trust in Jesus today. He will never fail you. Learn to think like God thinks. Fight and win the spiritual battle. We must stand strong today. We must not live in fear. May we be faithful in these difficult times.

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.

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Fight and win the spiritual battle | Faith | frontiersman.com - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

A meditation service led by the Center for Spiritual Imagination at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in February. Photo by Joe Pellicone.

The Center for Spiritual Imagination, dedicated to contemplative practice for just living, has officially launched with a new website, online opportunities for contemplative prayer and talks on spiritual practices. An Episcopal cathedral community has launched the center as a means of envisioning a vibrant human spirituality for the 21st century.

The Center for Spiritual Imagination develops opportunities for compassionate service that unite contemplation and action, approaching just action as a spiritual practice and a fruit of contemplation. Of particular interest to the center are the needs of the spiritual but not religious, a growing demographic that seeks revitalized spiritual practices directly connected to works of mercy and justice in the world.

Numerous leaders in contemplative spirituality shared their support of the centers launch, including Richard Rohr, author of Universal Christ and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. The Center for Spiritual Imagination is re-envisioning an inclusive and engaged spirituality for the 21st century, said Rohr. The gifts of monastic spirituality are translated into a form that can be practiced in everyday life and where ones commitment to contemplative practice leads to justice-making.

The work of the Center for Spiritual Imagination is exactly what is needed in these times, said Justine Huxley, CEO of St Ethelburgas Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in London and author of Generation Y, Spirituality and Social Change. Rooted in the nourishment and depth of ancient rhythms, this is work that can lead us back to the source. There is food for the soul here in abundance. It links our personal journeys with the collective need for transformation, which all true spirituality at this time must do.

The center was founded by members of the Community of the Incarnation, a new monastic community which vows to embody and teach engaged contemplative spirituality. The Community of the Incarnation prays, lives, and serves at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. The co-founders of the community and center are clergy and lay staff of the cathedral who profess a commitment to serving the spiritual needs of seekers, doubters, religious practitioners and those typically disinterested in institutional religion.

The Rev. Adam Bucko, co-founder and director of the center, is an internationally recognized teacher of engaged contemplative spirituality. He previously co-founded The Reciprocity Foundation, where he spent 15 years working with homeless youth. Co-founder the Rev. Morgan Ladd is sub-dean of the cathedral, overseeing intergenerational worship and spiritual formation programming. She specializes in translating the path of spiritual growth for people at all stages of life, particularly children and families. Co-founder the Very Rev. Dr. Michael Sniffen is dean of the cathedral and a scholar of ritual theory and the role of pilgrimage in spiritual life. He was an early organizer in the Occupy Sandy mutual aid movement in New York. Cathedral administrator Kris Vieira is a co-founder and director of communications at the center. An award-winning communicator, she is a frequent teacher of 12-step spirituality and contemplative practice.

The Center for Spiritual Imagination responds to my deepest longing for transformation and invigoration of faith at the heart of diocesan life, said the Right Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island. Just actions motivated by prayer form the core of the churchs life and work. The center encourages us all with ways to live and pray justly. Deep prayer and friendship with Jesus Christ move us to act with healing in a hurting world. I joyfully support this work as a bishop of the church and episcopal visitor of the Community of the Incarnation.

The centers weekly meditation and contemplative prayer experiences will be offered online as social distancing continues in New York. The co-founders of the center will also offer a six-week online course titled Spiritual Practices for Difficult Times, which will include a brief history of contemplative spirituality and tools for developing a daily spiritual practice. The center is continuing its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, providing thousands of meals to essential workers and communities with food insecurity through its project Operation Feed the Front.

Information on the Center for Spiritual Imagination and its projects can be found at spiritualimagination.org.

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Launch of Center for Spiritual Imagination hailed as 'exactly what is needed in these times' - Episcopal News Service

Tom Key at Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta.

One of Tom Keys earliest memories of visiting Atlanta is of attending Georgia Tech football games with his father and brother. He recalls driving from the family home in Birmingham, Ala., and watching the Atlanta skyline expand as the car journeyed uphill. He dreamed of living in the bustling city to be part of its cultural scene, and because he saw the citys response to the Civil Rights movement yielding a better result than Birminghams.

Years later, he and his wife, Beverly, moved to the city for its budding film industry and scrappy theatre community. He appeared on the TV show In the Heat of the Night and performed in numerous plays at the Alliance Theatre, while he and his wife raised three children. Key eventually found an artistic home at Theatrical Outfit, a theatre that had started in 1976 in a laundromat on its off hours. The troupe that instigated the theatre bounced around different spaces in town before eventually finding a home in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Key took the reins as artistic director of Theatrical Outfit in 1995.

By that time he had made a name for himself as an actor and director. He has been touring his solo show, C.S. Lewis On Stage, for more than 40 years, and his calling card is Cotton Patch Gospel, a musical adaptation of Clarence Jordans Cotton Patch stories, which retell the events in Jesuss life in a contemporary, rural Georgia setting. In addition to his own work at the helm of Theatrical Outfit, he has produced hit productions of Our Town, Lady Day at Emersons Bar and Grill, The Gifts of the Magi, and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley as well as Memphis and In the Heights, both in conjunction with Aurora Theatre.

After 25 years, Key announced that he would retire. At the time we spoke with him, he had just made the difficult decision to suspend Theatrical Outfits stirring production of Indecent due to the coronavirus pandemic. We caught up with him to discuss his retirement plans and muse about theatre as an inherently spiritual art form.

KELUNDRA SMITH: Theatrical Outfit is in the heart of downtown Atlanta in an area that has seen ups and downs, from homelessness and drug abuse in the 1990s to intense gentrification now. How have you managed to keep Theatrical Outfit relevant to audiences in both times?TOM KEY: I trust the power of the story to create bridges, to attract people to one another. When we were performing at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts from 1999 to 2004 to see if we could attract an audience to downtown, we found that the people who came to our theatre were attracted to the radical diversity of downtown. Theres a wonderful discovery that people make when they come down here. They are in a place thats like no other.

Theres something about being physically next to one another and experiencing a story together that maximizes our potential to realize that what we have in common is greater than what divides us.

Theatrical Outfit has a very deliberate spiritual bent to its worknot religious, necessarily, but with a definite acknowledgement of interconnection. Talk to me about that.I have always loved the beginning of the Gospel of John, which says, In the beginning was the Word. I believe that words dont just say things: Words do things.

The art form itself is sacred. To me, what is unique about the theatrical art is that we are telling stories and we are not judging for the audience who is right or wrong. Were not sending a message to the audience of how to vote, were not repeating or affirming a set of doctrines, beliefs, or principles. We are presenting a story of human beings. It creates a space that I believe is intended to impact us on a spiritual level. It can be named many things: the soul, consciousness, or awareness. But if people try to submit art to an agenda, to illustrate a point of view, thats a disservice to the art form.

I must say that I am proud of the fact that among the artists with whom we work, our board, and our audience, we have people who cant even talk about the important issues because theyre so much at odds. Yet the same people come to our theatre and they recognize that this is the way we [as humans] are. When we have that awareness, we can work toward becoming a global community instead of strengthening our tribes.

The great vision that we can capture in the theatre is that we all belong to one another. Its so powerful that it makes us go back and see a play, even when we know how its going to endlike maybe the Friar [from Romeo and Juliet] will get back there in time with the message.

What do you think Theatrical Outfits legacy will be in Atlanta?Its the theatre, I believe, that has the quality of the best theatre around the world, and it is focused on being made by, for, and about the people who live here and care about this community. Its a place where plays are done with the aspiration to be the center of the community. When tourists come to town and they say they want to eat somewhere Atlanta residents want to eat, people can always name their favorite restaurant. We want to be that for the theatrethe place where Atlanta people go to see a good play.

What are your plans for retirement?I have long- and short-term ideas. I definitely want to take a vacation somewhere, plus there are books I want to read and languages I want to learn. I also look forward to being able to take on a role without having to think about whether its going to conflict with another production, a fundraiser, or some other thing that comes along with the responsibility of being an artistic director. Matt Torney, my successor, asked me what would make me feel like I hired the right person. I said that if I looked at the season and wondered if I can audition for a show. Hes already cast me as the father in The Humans next year, and I cant wait to be in the rehearsal room with him. I feel like I have another act in me.

Kelundra Smith is an arts journalist based in Atlanta and a frequent contributor to this magazine.

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AMERICAN THEATRE | Tom Key: A Spiritual Connection - American Theatre

In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds meaning, such as the meaning of sacrifice. -- Victor Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning

They did their part.

Thats the slogan on a World War II United States government propaganda poster, issued by the Office of War Information in 1943. They were the Sullivan brothers, five siblings who hailed from Waterloo, Iowa. In January 1942, George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert, the sons of Thomas and Aleta Sullivan, all signed up to serve in the United States Navy, a little more than a month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

They did so with one stipulation: that all be allowed to serve together on the same ship. Though the Navy had a policy to not allow such family groups to serve thus, it was often not enforced and so the five men were assigned to duty on the U.S.S. Juneau, a light cruiser. On Nov. 13, 1942, during the battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, the Juneau was struck by two enemy torpedoes, exploding, and then sinking the ship.

Six-hundred and eighty seven men died. Ten survived. The Sullivan brothers all perished.

They did their part.

I have an original of that poster in my home and it hangs in my living room, a reminder to me that there have been times in our nations history when the greatest of sacrifices was asked of American citizens, like the Sullivan brothers. That there once was a time when millions of Americans laid aside their own wants and needs, gave up the normalcy of everyday life, to serve a greater good and a common good, beyond individual desires. That there was a time when our nation was led by a President, who in both in word and deed, actually inspired Americans, and called forth the absolute best in people, and a shared commitment to do ones part, and not just as soldiers, but also as civilians on the home front. Working in wartime factories. Participating in wartime drives to collect scrap metal or grow a victory garden or buy a war bond. All of this energetic and patriotic energy was designed with one purpose in mind.

To win the war and to do your part; your part in that effort, whatever that might be.

Mistakes were made. Many folks were treated much less than equally, minorities and women in particular. War profiteers stole from Uncle Sam. A black market in rationed goods flourished. Yet it could be argued that in modern times, America then was more united, more communally committed and more willing to sacrifice for the common good, than ever before.

Ever since then too. Until now.

Id argue that in this generation, at this moment in history, more so than at any other time since 1941, America is being asked to sacrifice and in big ways. To give up so others might live. To go without so others might survive. To set aside what I want, for a shared ethic of what we, together, united, must do, in these strange and amazing days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I dont think making such a historic comparison is hyperbolic. We may not be at war in the traditional sense, but we are at war against an enemy, an invisible enemy, that has the potential to continue to sicken and kill millions of people around the globe, and millions of people right here in the United States. And so, to be blunt: we collectively need to continue to do our parts, in this effort, and meet our responsibilities to each other, as citizens and neighbors.

We are just two short months into what most epidemiologists and scientists agree will be a multi-year effort to discover and manufacture and distribute an effective vaccine. Our work is just starting. Some elected officials might try to wish this truth away or deny it away or act as if we can just throw a switch and all will be well again and very soon too.

Me? Im not listening to them anymore, nor do I take them seriously. They are clueless at best, reckless at worst.

Instead, in 2020, we may have to look within ourselves for inspiration and strength, to keep calm and to carry on and to do whatever is necessary to win this battle. We will have to reach deep and remember that America has this collective will within our spiritual and civic DNA.

They did their part. Now we must do the same. May God bless us all in this mighty effort.

The Rev. John F. Hudson is senior pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn (pilgrimsherborn.org). If you have a word or idea youd like defined in a future column or have comments, please send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org or in care of The Press (Dover-Sherborn@wickedlocal.com).

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Spiritually Speaking: We all must do our part - Wicked Local

Linda Gibbins-Croft, LCSW,CHTP, joins Joy in the Cafe!

Linda comes to the Cafe to discuss Social/Emotional health issues during these trying times. How are the effects of the virus affecting your daily life? Do you have children home from school to deal with? Are you able to stay working? Are you having financial issues?Is your focus off? Are you feeling lonely, afraid, have your anxiety issues resurfaced?

Linda and Joy will discuss techniques to help you not only survive but thrive during these trying times.

Joy and Linda will take you calls. Call in number is 1-516-531-9322.

Linda's life's work brings together over 23 years of experience in helping people to live in their strengths and reclaim their wholeness. Linda provides counseling and therapy as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Healing Touch Practitioner. For further information about Linda please visit her website:

Supportwholeness.com

Linda@supportwholeness.co

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In It Together! 05/14 by Angel Talk Cafe | Spirituality - BlogTalkRadio

We've seen how this ongoing pandemic has taken its toll across all walks of life and that certainly includes America's servicemen and women. As stress and pressure become daunting, military chaplains do all they can to diminish the impact.

Major General Thomas Solhjem, the chief chaplain of the US Army, says spiritual fitness is a major pillar of military readiness.

"When you put on the uniform in service to your country and you're asked to possibly lay down your life in rendering service to your country, we have a moral obligation to fulfill to care for the soul of that soldier," Solhjem said.

An obligation, Solhjem says, that is more important than ever right now.

"So you might have the death of a family member and you can't go to the funeral or you have parents that are aged and shut-in and you can't get there," Solhjem said.

"We have seen a reporting from our chaplains out in the field that there's been a real increase in a number of different areas for soldiers and their families reaching out to them for assistance for spiritual direction, guidance, and for religious care as well for those things," he continued.

It's the same types of sacrifices civilians face, coupled with the added responsibility of service.

"Fighting and defending our interests abroad while their families are fighting a virus at home," Solhjem noted.

To meet the need, chaplains have increased the hosting of live online services.

"It's really a new phenomenon and I'm pleased to see with how our people have really stepped up to embrace the virtual environment to help our people stay connected," Solhjem said.

It means that chaplains of all faiths across all military branches are not just ministering to troops and their families, but to all who tune in.

"So it's really taught us, I think, to raise the quality of our speaking of what we offer people in a worship setting," Solhjem said.

Chaplains are getting creative. Like with a recent drive-in theater Easter service at an installation in Japan, and a recent Navy virtual service in Pensacola, Fla.

"They've been even doing things like zoom potlucks, chapel groups, or religious groups doing virtual potlucks just wanting to maintain fellowship because that's a very powerful connection," Solhjem explained.

"So I see in all struggle that people are facing it's a tremendous opportunity for people to be touched in their lives spiritually that, in many ways, life as normal may not have produced," he said.

Solhjem says another positive thing to come out of this challenging time is the members of his department have really learned about one another's faith in a deeper way. He adds no matter the number of chaplains under his leadership, his unit always has room for more.

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Army Chaplains Getting Creative in Helping Soldiers with Personal, Emotional and Spiritual Challenges - CBN News

In the Mood For Love

FilmStruck

Wong Kar-Wai was forced to suspend production on his new film Blossoms in February amid the coronavirus pandemic in China, but Variety reports the project is now getting back on track with a planned shoot set to begin this July. According to Variety, Wongs production has booked mainland Chinas Hengdian World Studios from May to March 2021. The studio is located in the coastal Zhejiang province. Wong originally planned to film Blossoms on location in Shanghai, but it will be safer to manage safety precautions and film in a studio than on the streets of China.

Wong has already teased Blossoms as a spiritual sequel to his landmark 2000 romance drama In the Mood for Love, similar to his 2004 directorial effort 2046. The feature film is based on Jin Yuchengs 2013 novel and follows the lives of three Shanghai residents from the end of Chinas Cultural Revolution in the 1960s through their life in America in the 1990s. The project marks Wongs first feature since The Grandmaster in 2013. The director told Filmmaker Magazine last year that his personal ties to Jin Yuchengs novel brought him back to moviemaking.

I think the Chinese-American experience has a lot of connections and inference with whats becoming modern China now, Wong said. Its a very interesting history and experience that hasnt been addressed properly, and I think that would be something that would be very interesting to do.

It shouldnt surprise fans of Wong Kar-Wai that the director has booked Hengdian World Studios for 11 months to shoot Blossoms. The director is famous for taking his time while in production. As Variety noted, In the Mood for Love spent 15 months filming. 2046 filming lasted nearly five years, while Wong spent 15 years conceiving, writing, and shooting The Grandmaster.

Variety also notes that Wong is producing an online TV series based on Blossoms for Tencent Video. Shen Yan, who directed the popular 2017 Chinese TV show The First Half of My Life, is helming the project. Wong had his own television series in development at Amazon called Tong Wars, but the project never moved forward past the development stage. With the Blossoms shoot planned through March 2021, expect a late 2021 or 2022 release date.

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Wong Kar-Wais In the Mood for Love Spiritual Sequel Back on Track with New Filming Plans - IndieWire

Since Ive been teaching in the Public & Community Health Department at Utah Valley University, one of the first discussions I have with my classes each semester is to define the word health.

Students typically come up with a definition along the lines of the state of the mind and body. As they continue the discussion and dig deeper, they add in other dimensions of health, such as social and emotional health. Health is multidimensional and includes social, environmental, emotional and spiritual health in addition to physical and mental health.

After this discussion, I pose a question to my classes: Which area of health do you think is most important? The majority of students argue that physical or mental health is the most important. They share some valid points, but when I explain to them that spiritual health is the most important to our wellbeing, they are often surprised, as it is often the area of health they feel is least important.

The term spiritual health can be deceiving. When we hear the word spiritual we often think of being part of an organized religion or participating in spiritual practices. Although this can be a part of it, spiritual health is more about finding a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Its for that reason that it is the most important dimension of health. Without purpose, what do the other areas of health matter?

Over the last two months with social distancing and being in quarantine, many people have had to adjust to a new normal. This new normal may have included homeschooling children, working from home, losing a job, not seeing friends or family members, financial hardships, caring for sick family members, etc.

As part of my new normal, I transitioned to teaching online classes. We had many online class discussions about various topics. In one particular discussion, we discussed lessons we had learned while being in quarantine.

One student commented that being in quarantine had forced her to question fundamental areas in her life, including what her purpose was. Many students related to her situation and agreed that this quarantine had forced them to stop and think about what was most important in their lives and what truly gave it meaning. For example, one student described how he had lost his job and he now had to find another way to feel like he was contributing to the world. Going to work each day and interacting with others was a major part of what gave his life meaning. He discussed how he felt anxious, stressed and even depressed as he adjusted to his new normal and finding that sense of purpose in other ways.

Is there a correlation between spiritual health and mental and physical health conditions?

In one study conducted by Schaefer, Morozink, vanReekum, Lapate, Norris, Ryff, & Davidson (2013), participants with higher levels of purpose in life, personal growth, and positive relations were linked to improved health, including lower risk of cardiovascular disease, lower weight, and higher HDL (good) cholesterol. There were positive mental health correlations as well. Participants with a greater sense of purpose exhibited reduced rates of depression, better cognition, reduced risk of cognitive impairment, and a slower rate of cognitive decline. Those who reported the highest rates of purpose in life were 2.4 times more likely to remain free of Alzheimers Disease. Greater purpose in life, overall, was found to be associated with a reduced risk of death.

These findings suggest that the ability to find meaning and purpose in life is crucial to our mental and physical health. So, what can we do, particularly now, in the midst of a pandemic, when we may be in the process of finding a new normal and reevaluating our lifes purpose and meaning?

In an article by Harvard University (2018), Fred Silverstone, a licensed mental health counselor, recommends the following:

1. Change your attitude

Instead of focusing on what defined you before, look at who you are now, where your interests lie, and where you may find the greatest sense of accomplishment.

2. Embrace acceptance

Give yourself permission to have feelings of anger, loss, anxiety or fear without judging yourself. This will help you become more at ease with you who are now so you can approach your new purpose in life with greater motivation and confidence.

3. Be flexible

Dont try to force something that is no longer a good fit, no matter how it makes you feel. Dont give up if your chosen path is not clear. You may have to try several times before you find the right one.

In conclusion, if you are feeling lost, try some of the techniques mentioned above as you work towards adding greater purpose and meaning into your life. Take it one day at a time.

Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist who wrote of his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, wrote: Man is not destroyed by suffering; he is destroyed by suffering without meaning.

Melinda Barber, MS, is an assistant professor at Utah Valley University.

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Doctor's Orders: The value of purpose and spiritual health - Daily Herald

Lord Hanuman and his qualities that a spiritual master should have 

Hanuman ji is a central character of the Ramayana and played extremely spirited roles in the epics most vital chapters. He helps Sugreev, the monkey king, leads a mission to find Sita, travels to the Himalayas to get medicinal herbs for Lakshman and is a carrier of life saving messages for both Sita and Bharat in their most perilous moments of anxiety.

Ram Kathas famous narrator Morari Bapu, thus picks this dynamic character from the sacred text and draws parallels with a Sadaguru who plays and equally and more important role in a disciples life.

Sunu kapi jiya manasi jani una, tai mama priya lachimana te duna

(Listen, O Hanuman: be not depressed at heart; you are twice as dear to me as Lakshman.)

II Ram Charit Manas Kishkindha Kaand Ch 3II

Priya laxman te doona. Lakshman ji can be interpreted as an Acharya. So while God loves Acharya, he adores a Realized soul even more.

The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way represent those of Times Network.

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Which qualities of Lord Hanuman should be in a Spiritual Master? - Times Now

Now is the time to forgive.

Angel number 1010 is something many people often see in their day to day lives.

Maybe you look at the clock every night and 10:10 p.m. is the time, or maybe you drive down the highway and spot the number on someone's license plate.

The number 1 in numerology is the leader, and the number 0 is your intuition, so if you see these sequential numbers you need to trust your gut.

RELATED: 5 Spiritual Gifts And The Meaning Of Each

The number 10 carries a special meaning of the end of a cycle or time in your life.

Think of this experience as the ending of a chapter in your own story.

If you have been seeing 1010 more than usual, it may be that your angel is trying to tell you to brace yourself for the change that is about to happen.

Now, this does not mean something bad is going to happen.

But your guardian angel wants you to feel assured that they will be by your side with the love and encouragement you need to make it through this new journey.

Not only will you be ready to take on this new chapter, but you will feel immensely creative!

The only way to go is up from here, and your drive for success will be pushed by your angel.

RELATED: What It Means When You See Angel Number 11:11

Both numbers one and zero hold intense vibrational frequencies. Pairing the two together is destined for greatness.

The number one is associated with power being that it is represented as being a leader of the pact and creates a new beginning.

When a message is sent with the number one in it, it is commonly associated with something good happening.

The number zero is the beginning of it all. Zero has vibrational frequencies that are similar to being the creator of everything.

What do you get when you pair these two powerhouses together? You are overwhelmed with positivity, strength, and love.

RELATED: Spiritual Guidance & Meaning Of All Repeating Number Sequences

If you have been seeing this number lately, I would recommend you staying as on your feet and optimistic as possible.

You do not want to welcome any unwanted energies into this time of your life.

No matter if you can see or feel it, your Guardian angels are constantly protecting and encouraging you to stay strong throughout this journey.

Seeing the number 1010 is a reminder that you will always be looked after and your angel wants the absolute best for you!

This angel number is a sequence of numbers that hold a very significant meaning because they create a pattern that you need to pay attention to.

For example, many believe that an angel number refers to one's guardian angel sending them special messages through these numbers.

It may seem crazy but in most cases, the messages are clear and direct and this is why you notice them.

According to numerology, the science of numbers, each number and set of numbers carry a divine vibration with specific meanings beyond our wildest imaginations.

What makes these experiences so odd is that we will see a repeating number sequence.

So, often and then we will begin searching for those numbers wherever we are.

That is why knowing the meaning of these numbers is so important.

RELATED: Your Strengths & Weaknesses, By Life Path Number

Synchronicity is being in tune with the Universe at large.

Synchronicity was coined by the psychologist CG Jung. Jung's primary belief when it came to this theory was that our minds are more connected to the universe than we believe.

Synchronicities are not your typical coincidences, though. These coincidences play crucial roles in our lives and allow us to follow the steps in order to live a fulfilled and enlightened life.

RELATED: What It Means If You Keep Seeing Repeated Numbers, According To Numerology

Angels are not your average communicators.

Whether you believe they reside in heaven or they are soaring through the ins and outs of our universe, they are all around us trying to talk to us in the best way they know how; through our minds.

Because of synchronicity and how our minds are connected to the universe, this is the primary way of us being able to receive these particular messages.

If there is danger approaching in your life, your guardian angel may send a certain set of numbers to warn you. Or maybe you are about to receive good news, they will send another set of numbers.

RELATED: Spiritual Guidance & Meaning Of All Repeating Number Sequences

Destiny Duprey is a writer who covers astrology, spirituality, love, and relationships.

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What Is The Spiritual Meaning Of Angel Numbers 1010 - YourTango

Nurses at St. Charles Hospital, Port Jefferson, received a spiritual boost Monday, May 11, as they continue their heroic work on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. In observance of National Nurses Week, Ursuline Sister Edith Menegus, pastoral care director, and hospital chaplain Mary Larson, of the United Church of Christ, visited the various departments and units to bless the hands of nurses and other medical professionals. While holy water could not be used during the ritual this year because of the current health crisis, the employees were no less appreciative of the spiritual care they received. By the end of the day, the chaplains blessed more than 200 pairs of hands. National Nurses Week, May 6-12, celebrates the nursing profession and affirms the vital role nurses play in health care.

The prayer used in the blessing of hands was Gracious God, bless these hands which offer care and comfort to the sick and the scared. Thank you for your service and compassion during this crisis and always. Amen.

Photos by Gregory A. Shemitz

A statue of St. Charles Borromeo is seen outside the 243-bed hospital.

Sister Edith Menegus prays for nursing assistant Sanja Cook.

Nursing assistant Sanja Cook extends her hands for the blessing.

Nurse Lauren Quenzer has her hands blessed by Sister Edith.

Nurse Fatima Mouslem receives a blessing from Sister Edith.

Nurse Ashleigh Liere puts protective gloves on her hands before entering a patient's room in the COVID-19 unit.

Chaplain Mary Larson prays for pediatric unit secretary Maria Chazulle-Itsines.

Nurse Susan Dargis has her hands blessed by Chaplain Larson.

Nurse Jacqueline Muniz extends her hands for a blessing from Chaplain Larson.

Dr. James Cavanaugh, pediatric hospitalist, has his hands blessed by Sister Edith.

Sister Edith poses near a nurses' station in the COVID-19 unit.

Signs of gratitude posted near a hospital entrance.

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Front-line workers receive 'spiritual' boost with blessing of the hands - Long Island Catholic

While many women experience the joy of physical motherhood, either through pregnancy or adoption, not all have the opportunity. In fact, many struggle with the inability to have children of their own and bear this cross for the rest of their lives.

It can be an isolating experience, but this does not mean women can not become mothers in a different way.

St. John Paul II wrote about a spiritual motherhood in his apostolic letter, Mulieris dignitatem, that encompasses women who are married, single, religious and even mothers in the physical sense. All women can participate in this type of motherhood, no matter their vocation or station in life.

Spiritual motherhood takes on many different forms. In the life of consecrated women, for example, who live according to the charism and the rules of the various apostolic Institutes, it can express itself as concern for people, especially the most needy: the sick, the handicapped, the abandoned, orphans, the elderly, children, young people, the imprisoned and, in general, people on the edges of society. In this way a consecrated woman finds her Spouse, different and the same in each and every person, according to his very words: As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Mt 25:40). Spousal love always involves a special readiness to be poured out for the sake of those who come within ones range of activity. In marriage this readiness, even though open to all, consists mainly in the love that parents give to their children. In virginity this readiness is open to all people, who are embraced by the love of Christ the Spouse.

This type of motherhood does not only exist for religious women, but also for those who are single or married. Outside of physical motherhood, a woman can express her motherhood in this concern for people on the edges of society.

Above all, John Paul II notes, a woman should look to the Virgin Mary for the supreme example of spiritual motherhood.

Mary is the figure of the Church: For in the mystery of the Church, herself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin came first as an eminent and singular exemplar of both virginity and motherhood The Son whom she brought forth is He whom God placed as the first-born among many brethren (cf. Rom 8: 29),namely, among the faithful. In their birth and development she cooperates with a maternal love.

In a certain sense, motherhood is the vocation of all women, though expressed in different forms. It is a beautiful calling to care for others and is a specific way women can live out the Gospel in their everyday life.

Originally posted here:

The beauty of spiritual motherhood, according to John Paul II - Aleteia IT

Voices of the pandemic features people in the Seattle area who are on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak.

Elyse Fairweather is a spiritual care provider at University of Washington Medical Center. Part of her job is to provide end of life support. Before the outbreak, her role often involved being a calming presence in the room. Thats all changed.

If I'm talking with a patient who's in the Covid ICU, there's a lot that goes into it. I need to make sure that the nurse is going to be physically in the room to set up the phone, trying to bundle the visit with something that the nurse is already doing in the room.

And then the conversation itself, although the patient is not able to participate verbally, I think it's important that I'm still being that reassuring presence for them.

Oftentimes, I'll call and introduce who I am. If I've spoken with family, and they have a message that they'd like me to share, I'll usually start with that.

Ill say, I've been talking with your wife or your children, and they want you to know how much they love you and how much even though they can't physically be here, they're with you in spirit. And then if the request is for prayer, then I'll just let that patient know. They asked me to pray for you as well, so I'm going to pray for and then tell them peace or comfort.

I close out the conversation, or the phone call visit, letting them know that that they are just so loved, and that everyone who is coming into their room is there to help them heal and to help them feel less alone, and that I'll continue to support their family, so they don't have to worry about that, and I'll be checking in with them again.

For a lot of the families that can't be here, there are some themes that kind of emerge in the conversations that I'm having.

One of the themes would be, if my loved one were here, this is what we'd be doing. If my loved one were here, this would be the rhythm of our day, and kind of finding the joy in the history that they've had together and also lamenting the fact their loved one is not here.

The other more obvious one would just be that there's so much to lament, there's so much grief when you're thinking about a loved one who's in the ICU or who is nearing the end of their life, potentially. And then sort of to add insult to injury, so to speak, not being able to be physically present. And so I think kind of living in tension of understanding that this is where we are and also where we are is really, really painful.

It is a huge burden of grief. Being in this supportive role, holding space for others to grieve, it certainly gets heavy sometimes, that burden. I've noticed that whats helpful for me is that drive home, I live in a really lovely neighborhood, and it's really beautiful with all the signs of spring that are still present. So having that kind of mindful driving, and just noticing that constant, that nature is still here and still beautiful.

Then I also have a distinct practice that I started a while ago, which is kind of this physical shedding of the weight that I've been carrying around in the hospital throughout the day, so taking off my shoes outside of our home, so I'm not physically tracking anything into our home from the hospital, changing out of my work clothes into my home clothes.

And I think mentally it's really important to make that shift from being in this place where I'm carrying the grief of so many people to 'Now I can set that down. Now I can give my mind, and my spirit, and my body a chance to rest and regenerate.

Producer Alec Cowan composed music for this story.

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I provide spiritual care at a Seattle hospital. Here's what that means during the coronavirus pandemic - KUOW News and Information

The Darien Christian Science Church is sponsoring a free, online talk via Zoom, given by Tom McElroy, CSB, on Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m. The talk, entitled Spiritual Discovery: How you can better the world, can be accessed at zoom.us/webinar ID 933 238 675. You can also listen in by phone by dialing 301-715-8592 or 646-876-9923 and using the same webinar ID.

The talk will focus on universal healing precepts found in the Holy Bible, especially in Christ Jesus life and teachings, and show how they are available for anyone to understand and experience through the lens of Christian Science.

Spiritual discovery is about understanding more of what God is and learning to see our lives and the world through Gods all-good nature, says McElroy. Its about stripping away surface-level appearances in order to discern what actually IS. Spiritual discovery reveals what is substantial, lasting, and powerful and this leads to healing. Whats the outcome? Progress. Transformation. Wholeness. For anyone.

Sharing examples of healing from his own life and professional practice of Christian Science, McElroy will explain why Christian Science is both Christian and scientific, meaning that people can prove its effectiveness for themselves, as fully described in the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, written by the founder of the Christian Science movement, Mary Baker Eddy.

McElroy will also touch on the life of Mary Baker Eddy, a mid-nineteenth century woman from New England, who came to understand, confirm, and teach what she felt was original Christian healing. Eddy herself said she was especially inspired by Christ Jesus demand, He that believes on me, the works that I do will he do also; and greater works than these will he do, because I go unto my Father (found in the Gospel of John 14:12 in the Bible).

For over 150 years, people around the world have worked to follow Christ Jesus in this practice of Christianity and continue to do so today, with healings of physical ills and personal difficulties.

McElroy, a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, helps people on a daily basis through this scientific approach to prayer. He travels from his home base near Boston, MA, to speak to audiences around the world as a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship.

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Free Webinar: Spiritual Discovery: How you can better the world" - Patch.com

As Mothers Day passes, I think of Kathleen, my wife of 72 years, my daughter, Carolyn, daughters-in-law, June and Jan, and the younger mothers in the family. I pay them all tribute with these words of wisdom from Proverbs 31: Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all (verses 28-29).

This chapter is entitled in the New International Version The Wife of Noble Character. It is cast in the form of Hebrew poetry and is lodged in the ancient wisdom literature of the Bible.

There is nothing in this poem about faith or salvation or the life to come. Only once the fear of the Lord is mentioned. There is not even a word about romance. It focuses instead on character traits.

Proverbs 31 was written well over two thousand years ago and yet appears to extol what I taught my children to look for in their life partners, whether husband or wife strengths of head, heart and hand. That is, look for someone who has a thoughtful grasp on life, who at the same time has deep moral and relational principles, and who is energetic and not afraid of hard work. Such a partner will bring blessings on their spouse and family in their work and relationships.

I have read this wisdom poem many times across a lifetime, but my most recent reading left me at first perplexed: Where is the young woman who meets all these qualifications: She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family (verse 15). She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard (verse 16). She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue (verse 26). And so on. The demands on her are overwhelming. Can such specific qualifications be met?

But looking deeper into these many fine qualities sheds more light. I look more clearly and see that the issue is not the specific actions but the traits they represent: She is to be energetic, wise, resourceful, noble, and so forth. She has much to bring to a marriage, family, the work world, and society: When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet (verse 21).

The composer of this poem closes with a cautionary word plus a generous commendation.

The warning: Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting (verse 30a). That is, as enticing as charm or beauty may be, dont let them be primary goals in your search for a noble partner. Look rather for the deeper strengths of head, hear, and hand. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue (verse 26).

The poets commendation follows: But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (verse 30b). Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate (verse 31). And dont overlook the central requirement that she have a heart that fears the Lord.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donald N. Bastian is bishop emeritus of the Free Methodist Church of North America. For more of his writings, go to justcallmepastor.wordpress.com.

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Just Call Me Pastor: Strengths of head, heart and hand - La Grande Observer

One of the most famous scientific conversations consists of a two-line exchange between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr.

His tidy mind repelled by the random equations used in quantum mechanics, Einstein brushed them aside with a dismissive, God doesnt play dice with the universe.

To which his friend and colleague, Bohr, replied in mild reproach, Please stop telling God what to do.

That two of the greatest minds in the history of science should cite the Almighty as an arbiter in a scientific dispute shouldnt cause any surprise to those who see no innate contradiction between the spirit of religion and that of science.

Indeed, far from being in an adversarial relationship, with each seeking to disprove and discredit the other, the two chime elegantly together in perfect harmony.

Both religion and science represent a common search for knowledge about the origin and nature of the cosmos, and our relationship with it.

If there is a fundamental commonality between religion and science, why is it that every so often they are seen to be at irreconcilable loggerheads with each other, as in the case of the ongoing battle between Darwinian Evolutionists on the side of science and Creationists on that of religion?

The answer lies in the concept of dogma, an article of faith that is beyond any doubt or debate. In the predawn of history our forebears interpreted natural phenomena, the rising and setting of the sun, the waxing and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, by attributing them to supernatural entities, which had to be propitiated by worshipful ritual and the offering of sacrifices.

Such animistic rites helped humans to be in consonance with nature. These practices, and the mythologies which gave birth to them, were a metaphor for the universe, a form of poetry before the invention of the written word.

Such metaphoric interpretations, were a reflection of reality devised to help consciousness focus better on what was being reflected, but over time through repetitive tradition, the reflection came to be seen as the reality itself, the mirror was mistaken for the light, which is does not generate but only transmits. This was the seed from which dogma sprang.

Dogma smothers the spiritual essence, of wonder and awe, which is at the heart of all true religion, and replaces it with mechanistic obeisance. Dogma turns religion into religiosity.

It is dogma that comes into conflict with science, whose guiding principle is that truth is not a destination but a ceaseless quest.

Now in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the biggest challenges civilization has ever faced, it is more imperative than ever that science and religion come together to shield from mortal harm both the body and the soul of humanity.

It is with this in view that leaders representing a multiplicity of faiths, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism among others, have issued a joint statement on the vital necessity of recognizing the synergy between religion and science.

Describing religion as the most powerful means of mobilizing the human conscience to serve the common good, the statement has categorically denounced the fanaticism, superstition and contempt for science that are being expressed in the name of religion.

Even as science strives to find a way to stem the fatal tide of the pandemic, salve has also to be sought for the grievous wounds of the spirit.

The essential unity of science and religion has perhaps never been better expressed than by astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking, who described his lifework as an attempt to know the mind of God.

Is that science speaking, or religion, or both in one voice?

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The spirituality of science - Economic Times

ROME In his livestreamed Mass Wednesday, Pope Francis played on the images of light and darkness, warning against sin proliferated by spiritual and domestic mafias, and urging viewers to have the courage to walk in the light of Christ.

In his homily during the May 6 Mass, Francis focused on the days Gospel passage from John in which Jesus says, I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.

The drama of sin, the pope said May 6, is that it blinds us, we cannot tolerate the light. We have eyes that are sick. Quoting the Gospel of Matthew, he said that if the eye is sick, then the whole body is sick. If your eye sees darkness, how much darkness there is inside of you! The conversion to pass from darkness to light.

He then questioned viewers, asking, What are the things that make the eyes sick, the eyes of faith? What are the things that bring them down, that blind them? The vices, the worldly spirit, pride. Vices that pull one down.

These things, the pope said, lead a person to associate with others living in the same cycle of sin and vice, and they end up entombed in the darkness.

We often speak of the mafia. But here are spiritual mafias, domestic mafias, always looking for someone else to cover them and to remain in darkness, he said, adding that, Its not easy to live in the light. The light makes us see many ugly things in ourselves that we dont want to see. Vices, sins.

Let us think about our vices, let us think about our pride, let us think about the worldly spirit in us. These things blind us, they draw us away from the light of Jesus, he said.

Pope Francis offered Wednesdays Mass for journalists.

During this time of pandemic, they risk a lot and there is a lot of work, he said, praying that God would help them in this work of always transmitting the truth.

Speaking from inside the small chapel of the Vaticans Casa Santa Marta where he lives, Pope Francis said Jesuss mission was to bring light into the world, and the apostles were tasked with spreading this light to the world, because the world is in darkness.

Yet the drama of the story is that the light Jesus brought was rejected by the people, he said, because They loved the darkness more than the light.

To grow accustomed to the darkness, to live in darkness, they do not know how to accept the light, they cant. They are slaves of darkness, Francis said, insisting that this is Jesuss constant fight: To illuminate, to bring the light which allows things to be seen as the are; it allows the truth to be seen, it reveals the path to take.

This is why candles are lit at baptism, which in the early centuries was called the sacrament of illumination, he said, because through it, Jesus brings light to the person.

Pointing to the conversion of St. Paul, who was blinded on the road to Damascus and who, after baptism, regained his sight and began preaching the Gospel, Pope Francis insisted that Jesus, is the light and he came to the world not to condemn the world, but to save the world.

Jesus saves us from the darkness we have inside, from the darkness of everyday life, of social life, of political life, national life. There is so much darkness, but he asks us to see it, to have the courage to see our darkness so that the spirit enters and saves us, he said.

Let us to be afraid of the Lord, the pope said, because, he is good, he is meek, he is close to us, and he came to save us. Let us not be afraid of the light of Jesus.

Follow Elise Ann Allen on Twitter:@eliseannallen

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Pope warns against spiritual mafias that blind the soul to God - Crux: Covering all things Catholic