• About The Sophia Center

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

~ Spanning the denominations in NY's Southern Tier

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Tag Archives: devotion

Late Word

08 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

devotion, Our Lady of the Rosary, prayer, The Rosary, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Yesterday was the commemoration of “Our Lady of the Rosary.” I was up early and had started to write, my head full of memories associated with this prayer practice, but I was beginning another tradition – a multi-day retreat – and could not find a way to coherently express the meaning of this prayer in the time I had to spend. I saw my father sitting with his rosary that now hangs on my bedstead, the black shine worn off the beads from use. I remembered the day in October of my first high school year when all students and teachers left classrooms and crowded into the halls to pray the rosary at the news of what became “the Cuban missile crisis.” Most consistently in my youth I recall the importance of praying the rosary for “the conversion of Russia” and the stunning day in 1985 when we heard the word glasnost (openness) policy reform on the news of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union.

The rosary is likely the most universally practiced devotion of the Roman Catholic Church, second only to the liturgy of the Mass. Although it appeared much earlier in history and has been prayed in many forms in many traditions, the impetus for the devotion in modern times for Catholics was the documented apparitions in 1917 of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three children in Fatima, Portugal that has become a site of pilgrimage for people the world over.

As we face each day of the tragedies in the world – especially now with the Covid-19 virus – we recognize the upsurge of prayer in the world, even beyond the boundaries of traditional religions. We now have friends – a married couple – who are working in New York City with the homeless to find ways to help them with basic necessities and a way to “get off the streets.” Recently one of our Sisters has begun furnishing them with rosary beads and a pamphlet on the practice of the rosary, should they wish to pray it. The response has been quite positive.

The world is changing. In many ways it is becoming “smaller” but the challenges seem more urgent. Joining the concomitant resurgence of prayer, no matter what practices we choose, is becoming necessary to the lives of people in every corner of the world. Whatever our chosen form of prayer, we need such a strong refuge.

What do you offer to this global effort?

The Assumption of Mary

15 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Assumption, devotion, Mary Mother of God, Pope Pius XII, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transition

I rarely think about the last days of the life of Mary, Mother of Jesus. It couldn’t have been easy for her to live through the events that precipitated the death of Jesus and the aftermath – having him back and then gone again…Tradition offers some theories about the end of her life: e.g., that she lived out her days in or near Ephesus or Jerusalem and that John “the beloved disciple” took her into his home, but nothing is certain. The dogma of the Assumption of Mary (that she was, at her death, taken “body and soul into heaven”) was promulgated (dogmatically defined) only in 1950 in an encyclical by Pope Pius XII but has been traditionally believed and taught especially in the Orthodox Church since the 6th century.

Whatever our personal beliefs and relationship with Mary, she is the “go-to” person for people the world over. Women, especially mothers and pregnant women, are comforted by their prayers to her. Men, as well, use the rosary as their daily prayer. There are devotional groups – Sodalities, Legion of Mary – religious orders and more, dedicated to her and places of pilgrimage that witness to miracles through her intercession.

Having had a beautiful mother of my own – one whose name was Mary and whose devotion to her was deep – my image of the mother of Jesus is easily conjectured in her daily life. Loving, caring of her children, worried sometimes, patient, always teaching by her manner of life…and blissful at transition to divine life with God at the moment of her death, I give thanks for this day, this feast of life.

Annunciation

25 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Anunciation, devotion, divine design, divine grace, Mary, Tangel, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Have you ever wondered about the encounter of Mary and the angel who brought her the news that she was to be the mother of Jesus? I know that we have the gospel passages that help us put the pieces together but we don’t have much to go on – especially because there were no witnesses to the event except Mary herself. The fact that it is one of the foundational tenets of Christianity and has been celebrated in art for centuries and written about and debated in theological circles for nearly two millennia should be convincing enough for us. But how was it for Mary really? Did she see an angel with her human eyes? Was it a being of light or a human form? Did she hear the message as if spoken from human lips or was the message transmitted by telepathy? Was she really as quick to answer as the gospel tells us or did she hesitate longer than just that one question: “How can this be since I do not know man?” (or closer to our language “I have not had intimate relations with a man.”)

Some of us have deeper devotion to Mary than others of us so we may conjecture different scenarios. Some of us probably never spend any time with the scene at all. Today, I suggest that we do spend some time in what some call “the imaginal realm.” Go to a place in your inner self where you can reconstruct the event of Mary coming to know that she was to carry the child that would become Jesus the Christ.

Then put yourself in the equation.

I suggest this last practice after having read the reflection from Franciscan Media this morning. It just carries the experience toward us to a place that perhaps we have never gone. See what happens, if you will.

Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby, discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design. (www.franciscanmedia.org)

Doorkeepers

08 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

devotion, slavery, St. Josephine Bahkita, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, welcome

The woman who became known as Saint Josephine Bakhita died the year before I was born (1947). I say “known as” because she had been kidnapped and sold as a slave from Darfur in the Sudan as a young child and had been so terrified that she forgot her own name. “Bakhita” means “fortunate” and hearing of the trials of her early life one might wonder how the name fit. Later, however, having been sold several times – once to an Italian consul in Khartoum – she was brought to Italy and given to a friend. She subsequently became babysitter to a catechumen whom she accompanied to catechism classes. It was there that she was drawn to the Catholic faith, was baptized and confirmed and given the name Josephine. Having won her freedom from slavery, she became a religious Sister.

Josephine’s story is somewhat miraculous if considered as a path to sainthood. Although she suffered severely as a slave and was a “menial” laborer in her convent life, it was her devotion to God that is instructive of what makes a saint. Not unlike Saint Andre Bessette (“Brother Andre of Montreal”) she spent her days as doorkeeper to the convent where she lived and was known for her love to everyone who appeared before her for welcome.

These two saints can teach us that anyone can be a saint if love is the hallmark and motivation of their everyday life. Even you…even me…

(Learn more about St. Josephine Bahkita at http://www.franciscanmedia.org)

Immaculate Mary

08 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Blessed Mother, devotion, esteem, faith, gentleness, immaculate conception, love, Mary, Mother of God, original sin, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

abvmI just spent a half hour reading a synopsis of the theological history of the feast that we celebrate today. It is called the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of God, and is perhaps the most misunderstood feast in the entire Church year. Many people think that it has to do with the moment Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb but it is, rather, the belief that Mary, herself, was conceived without original sin -that “stain” that accompanies all of us into the world – not to be confused with “personal sin” for which we alone are responsible. It is comforting for me to know that the great theologians (Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus and others) disagreed about the meaning and validity of this doctrine. It is clearly a matter of faith, a tenet that arose from the sensus fidelium (the sense of the faithful) among people who look to Mary as a model of love of God and mother to all people. There can be no scientific proof for this doctrine; we must – as with many religious practices – “take it on faith.”

What I take as important today as I note this feast of Mary is the esteem and devotion of millions of people who honor her for her willingness to live for God in an extraordinary way in a life that was often ordinary in its daily activities but also fraught with the worries of motherhood and eventually sorrowful as she watched her innocent son be vilified and ultimately murdered. I pray especially today for mothers but also for those who manifest in life those qualities that bring Mary especially close. In an early song of Gregory Norbert from the Weston Priory in the 1970s I recall simple, lovely lyrics that expressed this devotion to Mary and will be the anchor of my prayer today.

O, with what joy we sing of Mary, a woman of great love, whose openness and loving kindness gave birth to God’s own son. Mary, oh so gentle and discreet, be with us as we pray to know the whisper of his presence, the wonder of his love.  

 

 

 

 

 

To Be A Saint

14 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Auschwitz, Blessed Mother, devotion, franciscan, greed, hatred, heroism, mystics, Peace, saint, selfishness, St. Maximilian Kolbe, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

akolbeOften when speaking of a very good person, someone will say, “S/he’s a saint!” but when we’re talking about saints in a specific way, we generally look to people who lived in the early days of Christianity or the Middle Ages. Almost everyone knows about St. Francis of Assisi, St. Benedict and (finally!) St. Mary Magdalene, as well as mystics Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Lately, we Catholics in the United States have been gratified with the canonization (official recognition) of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, and Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint. Now there are also “regular people” who have lived a good and holy life who are coming to the notice of people in high places or those whose diligence pleads their case successfully with the Vatican to have them recognized in this special way. One such heroic holy person is Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar who volunteered to take the place of a Jewish man in the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. A prisoner had escaped and, in retribution, the commandant announced that ten men would die. Sergeant Francis Gajowniczek was married with a family and lived to tell the tale of the holy man who took his place in the group of ten executed on this day in 1941. Fr. Kolbe was canonized in 1982.

Although this heroism was extreme, it was not uncharacteristic behavior for Maximilian Kolbe. His entire life was dedicated to God, most significantly in devotion to the Blessed Mother, Mary. Reading his biography – even the snapshot found on the website http://www.franciscanmedia.org – is inspiring. Most of us will not be called to the kind of heroism that Fr. Kolbe exercised, but we can all aspire to the holiness born of love, willingness and generosity that characterized his life. And in this moment in our complex and dangerous world, we can use those motivations to mitigate the hatred, greed and selfishness that causes the negative energies to rise.

May peace reign in our hearts today and lead to peace in our world.

 

 

 

 

 

Holy Week

09 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Christianity, devotion, Easter, Holy Week, prayer, solemn, spiritual practices, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

apalmcrossWell, it seems that best-laid plans only work if the planner follows through. The set of quotes I promised you is sitting in my computer at my sister’s house, ready and willing to be sent to Mary Pat – had I but remembered to send them on their way!

So now we are in Holy Week, the most solemn week of the year in Christianity. I am so aware of diversity these days and edified by the spiritual practices of devoted individuals and groups that my hope is to widen the lens of my own devotion in the days leading to Easter. Won’t you join me in seeking some new thought or prayer at least once this week – as you also rest in the practices that you hold dear?

A Gentleman Saint

24 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

devotion, devout, gentleness, saints, St. Francis de Sales, The Introduction to the Devout Life, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

astfrancisdesales.jpgSt Francis de Sales, whose feast is celebrated today, was born into an educated and political family in France in 1567. After studying law in Padua and receiving a doctorate, he returned to France and in time convinced his father that he was called to priesthood rather than government service. It was his gentleness in interactions with all people that was the hallmark of his life. This morning’s short commentary at http://www.franciscanmedia.org says that “he practiced his own axiom: A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar.” While I know that to be true, a later section from the commentary holds my attention still and is, I think, a good model for our contemplation today.

His writings, filled with his characteristic gentle spirit, are addressed to lay people. He wants to make them understand that they too are called to be saints. As he wrote in The Introduction to the Devout Life: “It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman…It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world.”

Escaping Destruction

25 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Amos, dangers, devotion, faith, gentleness, love, Luke, patience, power, riches, righteousness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Timothy

afeedpoorToday’s Scripture readings are filled with warnings about the dangers of riches and power. From the first (the prophet Amos) to the last (Luke’s gospel) we hear chilling words about those who seek worldly wealth and power and the consequences of being unaware of the needs of others. It is only in the reading from the first letter to Timothy (6: 11-16) that I find some advice for escaping the pitfalls recounted in these texts. It is the first sentence that calls out to our best selves where he names us people of God and tells us to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. That’s a big order but certain to keep us on the right path. As I think of those words, I see the central two (faith and love) strengthened by the practice of the first two (righteousness and devotion) and flowering in the last two (patience and gentleness). That may sound a bit contrived but it seems to work for me as a plan so today, I’ll think on that pattern and hope for the best!

 

 

 

 

 

Mary’s Birthday

08 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birthday, caregivers, celebration, devotion, gratitude, immaculate conception, Jerusalem, model, mothers, nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary, Nazareth, Protoevangelium of James, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

anativityI have lots of people whose birthdays I remember and I celebrate them at least in my mind if not with a card, a call, or (these days) with an e-mail. Today Eastern and Western Catholic Churches celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – a birthday I always mark with a smile and/or a prayer of gratitude for her role in our life. This morning I wondered who came up with this date as probably no birth certificate exists to prove her arrival and most of what we know from that time is less than an exact science. What I found was that the first written mention of Mary’s birth was in the apocryphal text called the Protoevangelium of James, a document probably in its final written form in the early second century. It speaks of her parents, Joachim – a wealthy member of one of the tribes of Israel – and Anna, but is not clear about where or when she was born. Some accounts speak of Nazareth as her birthplace and some say it was a house near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. The date for commemoration of her birth was logically set, but not until the sixth century, as nine months after the celebratory date of the Immaculate Conception.

Regardless of historical accuracy, the Christian Churches have always celebrated Mary in many ways during the year with great devotion. She is particularly dear to mothers around the world who look to her even on the ordinary days as a model for living – in good times and times of suffering. Perhaps that is a good reminder for us today to give thanks for our own mothers and/or those who have “mothered” us with their care and love – all those who have encouraged our birthing into spiritual maturity. I will think on those women today and mark this day joyfully in celebration of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

← Older posts

Donate to The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Donate

Our other websites

  • Main website
  • Facebook page

Visitors

  • 100,585 hits

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,046 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • The “O Antiphon” Meditations
  • Memorial to be held this Sunday
  • Mark your calendars
  • A note to readers
  • “Hope Springs Eternal…”

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Join 560 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...