• About The Sophia Center

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

~ Spanning the denominations in NY's Southern Tier

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks

26 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

connections, give thanks, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, united

It is raining outside. I saw it when I first woke up and stumbled downstairs about twenty minutes ago to find coffee made for me as usual. Just now the rain started in earnest, easily heard on the roof and the pavement. So how shall I respond? I could say: “What a dismal day! I wish I could go back to bed! Why couldn’t we have just a little sunshine on Thanksgiving Day!” But things are moving along already in the kitchen…and (truth be told) I would love to go out and walk in the rain!

We have come through what has likely been the most tragic period of life in our world. It isn’t over yet but soon there will be a vaccine – or two or three! – that we hope will eradicate the virus that has been decimating the world population. Yesterday we heard a voice of hope from our next President urging us to come together as who we are: “the United States of America.” Within the past five minutes the phone in our kitchen rang bringing a sung wish from across the country in Albuquerque for our amazing Liz whose birthday we celebrate today and a picture appeared from my dear friend and colleague whose first and only grandson is smiling out at me from the internet. He will have a new brother or sister by summer!

There will be many such connections today, even though we are still needful of caution in dealing with the virus that has ravaged the world. I will pray throughout the day in thanksgiving especially for those who care for the sick, for those who are bringing us a vaccine, for people whose major activity today will be serving free meals at innumerable venues throughout the country, for the Sisters of St. Joseph who have been my life companions for 54 years and are beginning a new chapter in our life together as of last Saturday, for my family members whose voices I expect to hear on the telephone (and maybe see on a zoom call…) and for so much more. May we all give thanks for the great and the small blessings of our lives and come to know in an ever-deeper way the love that undergirds our lives.

Let us give thanks for all good gifts today. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Day To Remember

02 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

blessings, covenant, Isaiah, love of God, Matthew, Psalm 145, Romans, Sisters of St. Joseph, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is a significant one for us – the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province. It is the day on which we are filled with gratitude for the Sisters who have served us in the ministry of leadership over the past seven years and when we look forward in hope to those who pledge themselves now to lead us for the next five years. This is a monumental time of transition and challenge, not only for us but for religious communities of all kinds. I need not enumerate the challenges but we know that wisdom has been and will be the essential element in their ministry. We are confident that we have been well-served and trust that we will not be disappointed as we go forward. In other words, we are very blessed.

In that spirit we would do well to pay attention to the messages of today’s Scripture passages. It’s one of those days when each of the readings has a “stand-out” line or two, in my opinion (of course!). Please join me in a reflection that will be a blessing prayer for our community for today.

  1. “Come to me heedfully, listen that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.” (IS 55: 3)
  2. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. (PS 145)
  3. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (ROM 8: 37-39)
  4. Jesus said to them, ” There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”…They all ate and were satisfied , and they picked up the fragments left over — twelve baskets full. (MT 14: 13 ->)

Won’t you pray, rejoicing with us, in thanksgiving for all our blessings?

Profound Gratitude

28 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

blessings, dinner, feast, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is Thanksgiving. I have been so blessed in my life that it’s sometimes difficult to express the gratitude I hold in my heart for all of it. The most sacred blessing of all is coming to the belief that God loves me unconditionally. No matter what happens I have that conviction and it is my prayer today that others will come to know that truth as well. The message from Brother Luke Ditewig of the Society of St. John the Evangelist says it well today.

You are invited to the feast. It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from or who your family is or what you’ve done or what you’ve not done. It doesn’t matter how you’re dressed or how you speak or who you love. There’s a place for you. Dinner is ready. (ssje.org)

May you know God’s choicest blessings today!

May

01 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beauty, hope, May, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Having just stepped over the threshold into “the lusty month of May,” I was disheartened to see all the puddles on the deck of our house and the wind that seems determined to create another round of “pick-up-sticks” for my unwilling exercise regime. Checking the weather to see if we will truly have rain for the next six days, I found a reason to rejoice: every day of the next seven will see, at some moment, temperatures in the 60 to 70 degree range! Perhaps that is a silly thing to rejoice over but I always have such high expectations of this most beautiful month that I can’t help myself looking for anything that will propel me happily into the wide world outside.

There is much to recommend this month. For me the bright yellow of daffodils and forsythia have prepared the way for what looks to become a lovely (if late) flowering of the spring. Now to await the days of no coats but rather bright-colored clothing and picnics outside, longer days and looking at the night sky without shivering in the cold…All of the things that seem ready to raise spirits after a long and difficult winter are truly welcome.

More important than external signs is the hope that lives in my heart. The thanksgiving for gifts that lift the spirit – small things or great – remind me that this is the season of “Alleluia” so that even in the midst of trial and bad news I can walk and talk and see the beauty around me even when clouds appear. It may take some effort but that is the call of the dawning of light each morning.

Thanks be to God!

Giving Thanks

22 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

gratitude, mindful, music, St. Cecilia, thanks, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I awoke in the dark before 6:00am this morning and pulled up blankets that had been displaced in the night, grateful for the warmth they afforded. When I opened my eyes again at 8:02 (!) it was to blazing sun and clear blue skies and I gave thanks. I have just finished drinking a large mug of coffee while sitting in the comfortable chair that embraces me and I smile in gratitude. I have already begun a litany in my head of graces I have received, people I have loved and still love, companions on the journey all. For meaningful work and co-workers, for childhood friends and family, for religious community and Church congregations, I give thanks. 

Today is the feast of St. Cecilia, patron of musicians, and she seems the perfect soulmate for the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. I cannot imagine a life without music and give thanks for all the great musicians who have lifted my spirits – and my body in dance – with their talent and creativity.

Already there is a turkey waiting to be cooked and a table ready to be decorated, a special grace to be written with an acknowledgment of those who still do not have what we have to be shared. We are so very blessed and are aware that that giving back is the best manifestation of gratitude. We are called to spread the light of love and do so gratefully on this day.

May we all be mindful of what is most important in life as we share ourselves on this feast. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Who Are We To Be?

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

be the light, compassionate, Ephesians, imitators of God, kind, love, massacre, murder, pray, St. Paul, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Tree of Life Synagogue

apittsburghshootingI’m happy this morning for a tiny bit of good news: The Boston Red Sox won the World Series last night! (Sorry, I was born and half-raised in Newton, a suburb of Boston, and it’s generally impossible to get that heritage out of a girl!) I consider, however, as I revel in that news, how complex we are – able to entertain that kind of celebratory feeling at the same time as sensing such anguish for the people of Pittsburgh who are suffering the heinous crime of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre. One hardly knows how to hold it all, especially because the murder of those innocent people follows on the heels of two other incidents of senseless killing in the same week. Things seem to be devolving into a deeper darkness with each day’s news. The questions now come from a place of near-frozenness: When and where does this stop? What will it take to cause a course change?

My answers all seem theoretical but the only option. Gather together. Love the people you know with a mighty love and the people you are just meeting in the same way. Be the light that you wish to see in the world. Do small things in a big way, fueled by compassion…

I read it all this morning in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – exhortation from 2,000 years ago and still relevant! Brothers and sisters: be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you…Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love…Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving…Live as children of light.

May it be so in our day. Let us pray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Less Than the Angels

20 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

angels, gratitude, music, psalm 8, sharing, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

aangelharp.jpgThe psalmist is “waxing eloquent” this morning. As Psalm 8 rings in my inner sight, I recall the beautiful blue sky and sunshine of yesterday afternoon as I drove and sang with the accompaniment of longtime liturgical musicians whose music always stirs me to praise. This weekend was well begun last evening (see yesterday’s post) with a sellout crowd for our communal “walk down memory lane.” I look forward to a full day of enthusiastic sharing in words toward a hopeful future and feelings of gratitude for what we have been given throughout our history from our roots in 17th century France to worldwide service in love of God and neighbor.

Who are we, the psalmist asks God, that you should care for us? You have made us little less than the angels…and today we will revel in thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flu and the Snow

07 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

community, helped, helper, helplessness, interdependence, patience, serving, sick, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

ashovelerI’m looking out at serious snow this morning…as promised by meteorologists whose forecasts seem to be more frequently correct these days. Perhaps their instruments truly are quite improved. They couldn’t have missed this one though. It appears that the storm is affecting most of the Midwest all the way to the East Coast. And the flu remains rampant.

At our house, we’re taking turns being server and served. Falling one at a time, even as we are very careful to isolate ourselves, it seems the germs are winning. I was second to succumb to some iteration of flu-like symptoms (although not serious) and am still (for the third day) relegated to my bedroom. It’s difficult for someone who is normally so healthy to hear the scraping of a shovel on our sidewalk and not be able to help with snow removal – or just taking the trash out for pick-up day.

It’s probably good to have an occasional experience of helplessness, allowing others to care for us rather than the reverse. Good for humility and a sense of gratitude, but difficult for those whose orientation is toward service. More to the point for me is the willingness to admit the need for interdependence when I would much rather be the help-er rather than the help-ed.

So today is a day to pray in thanksgiving for the blessing of community, to remember those who have no one to care for them and to behave myself by resting and practicing patience until the sun shines again – inside and out.

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Business

27 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Advent, Christmas, consciously, happiness, Holiday, love, love of Christ, One God, slowing down, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, travel

atrafficToday I sit staring at a blank page, feeling a bit empty, as happens sometimes on the Monday after an important holiday. While I was not counted in the millions of people who took to the road or the sky over the weekend to be with faraway relatives or friends (the return trip perhaps not concluded yet), the Thanksgiving holiday just concluded seemed to me to hold more energy than usual in the wishes of “Happy Thanksgiving!” shared sincerely among friends and strangers alike. Maybe we needed some distraction from all the distress of our country and the world that made us try harder to find the joy of sharing. Maybe it was just the slowing down and relaxing together that pervaded our household. Whatever the source, I feel the need to regroup today so that I will live consciously throughout the wonderful season of Advent leading to Christmas. As the world turns from another beginning to a conclusion marked by the calendar of feasting and celebrations, I am heartened and challenged by Thomas Merton’s words to wake up and get about this new day.

Let us live in this love and this happiness, you and I and all of us, in the love of Christ and in contemplation, for this is where we find ourselves and one another as we truly are. It is only in this love that we at last become real, for it is here that we most truly share the life of the One God…

 

 

 

 

 

Black Friday

24 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

balance, Black Friday, frenzy, gift-giving, hungry, materialism, mindfulness, No Kid Hungry, opportunity, Santa Claus, service, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

asantasoupkitchenSanta Claus arrived with a flourish yesterday at the culmination of the Thanksgiving Day parade in NY City. He was quite animated, bouncing and waving in all directions to announce that the run-up to Christmas had begun. Although Hallmark movies had been filling the airwaves with Christmas carols since sometime in October, now it’s official and very serious. The internet is awash with advertisements for all kinds of amazing discounts on products and services. I heard on the national news last night that even airline ticket prices are slashed “for a limited time.” What began as a day-long opportunity for deep price reductions on the day after Thanksgiving has been running for a week already, but is still named, ironically, Black Friday.

I recognize the value of shopping for gifts when prices are reduced but the frenzy that has been happening already in cities and towns across our country, especially last night and in the early hours of this morning, is a growing concern in a country of great wealth where at least 1 in 7 people (1 in 5 children) lack proper access to food during any given year. (Feeding America) Clay Dunn, chief communications officer at the nonprofit No Kid Hungry reminds us that often the issue for poor families is making difficult choices like whether to buy food or pay the electric bill.

There are certainly many organizations (including the two mentioned above) that strive to make us aware of the needs and give us the opportunity to be part of the solution to this and other issues of poverty in our country. I simply call our attention to the image of extreme materialism – leading sometimes to violence engendered by a crowd mentality – that manifests on this day, all in service to the “season of gift-giving.”

My prayer for all of us today is one of mindfulness and hope for a return to balance. With that intention, I plan to stay home today and consider my giving and getting that will hopefully lead to a simple, peaceful season of Advent that culminates in a meaningful celebration of Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

← Older posts

Donate to The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Donate

Our other websites

  • Main website
  • Facebook page

Visitors

  • 103,595 hits

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

Join 1,045 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 559 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...