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Tag Archives: non-violence

Signs of Spring

08 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

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awaken, calm, dawn, discipline, flowers, forgive, hopeful spirit, impatience, injustice, love, Macrina Weiderkehr, non-violence, prayer, psalm 5, seven sacred pauses, spring, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance, unfold, wake, winged heart

Late yesterday afternoon I went on a brief “inspection tour” of the property where I live, looking for signs of spring. The air had a different quality to it (it was almost warm!) and there was evidence that the daffodils and tulips, and even the irises, were getting impatient for their time to shine. I whispered to them to slow down because March is so unpredictable; we could be buried in snow next week! There was a feeling of holding back in me at the same time as my own impatience to get out there to begin the clean up of the yard.

I noticed this morning how bright it was at 6:30 – a sure sign of spring – when my alarm went off and I actually spent a moment before I rolled out of bed, musing about how the day might go with God’s companionship. It was not surprising to me then when Macrina Weiderkehr offered me a morning reflection that felt like a plan for  renewal. I’ll share it in its entirety and I’ll take it with me to work, hoping it remains as God’s work within me today and in the burgeoning season just beginning inside and out.

The words of Kahlil Gibran are sitting at the gate of my heart this morning. “To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” Words from Psalm 5 are also trying to get my attention: “In the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.” I don’t always rise at dawn and watch for God, nor do I consistently awaken with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. There are times when the wings of my heart remain folded; yet prayer still happens in me. There are mornings when I simply sit in silence trying to remember some of the things that need to rise in me:

  1. a tolerance for those who do not agree with me,
  2. a refusal to judge others
  3. a willingness to forgive,
  4. greater effort to live with a non-violent heart,
  5. loving thoughts toward those who don’t exactly dote on me,
  6. a calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of my anxieties,
  7. discipline in my daily personal prayer,
  8. attention and faithfulness in my daily work
  9. a holy anger for injustice in our world.

As I remember these necessary risings in my life, the wings of my heart slowly begin to unfold. All Praise to You, Giver of the Morning! (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 61-62)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One at a Time

20 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

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Tags

calm, disciplined prayer life, don't judge, harden not your hearts, holy anger for injustice, non-violence, Psalm 95, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance, willingness to forgive

peaceheartThe gospel verse this morning urges: “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” (PS 95:8) Macrina Wiederkehr expands on the line by giving examples of what that might entail for us. There are mornings, she says, when I simply sit in silence trying to remember some of the things that need to rise in me: a tolerance for those who don’t agree with me, a refusal to judge others, a willingness to forgive, greater effort to live with a non-violent heart, loving thoughts toward those who don’t exactly dote on me, a calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of my anxieties, discipline in my daily personal prayer, attention and faithfulness in my daily work, a holy anger for injustice in our world. As I remember these necessary risings in my life, the wings of my heart slowly begin to unfold. All praise to you, Giver of the Morning! (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 61-2)

Sometimes I awaken from sleep ready to accept all those challenges. Today, I think I’ll start with one and see how far I can go from there.

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