Called to a New Thing

“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” —Isaiah 43: 18–19 No! I’m not sure I can perceive it. I want…

Five Mind-Bending Facts

“It’s strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone.” —John O’Donohue Spirituality is defined as “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit as opposed to physical or material things.” Thank you, Oxford, we forgive you. That definition no longer works for millions of souls who have ceased to separate the two,…

Peace, Love & the Dalai Lama

10 years ago, I attended a panel talk at UNI. The stage was set for inviting a discussion-style offering between esteemed community voices and … the Dalai Lama. My initial disappointment around attending the panel vs. his keynote quickly faded as I watched. I had so wanted to focus on listening to what this world-renowned…

All Shall Be Well

I’ve been slowly reading a lovely book called Lectio Divina—The Sacred Art: Transforming Words & Images into Heart-Centered Prayer by Christine Valters Paintner. Lectio divina, which means divine reading, involves experiencing sacred text and then listening with the heart for a word or phrase that calls out to you. It is a process that Valters…

Singing is Twice Praying

Sister Joann Gehling, beloved friend (and one of the Prairiewoods foundresses), once told me joyously that “singing is twice praying.” I love this notion and have thought about it many times since Joann shared this with me, a phrase she learned from another FSPA sister who was her choir director. So many beautiful prayers and…

Tending the Fire

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” —Genesis 1:3   “The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides, and gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, we shall have discovered…

Good Friday: Are we there?

Today amid religious traditions, such as Yom Kippur, a Jewish day of serious reflection, and Ramadan, the Muslim 40 days of fasting, abstinence and prayer, Christians mark the silence and stillness of Good Friday, the holy day between Passover and Easter marked by many as the most somber, reflective day in the Christian year. We…