The right path

The right way... It's human nature to think we know the right way to do things. But that's the problem. We're usually not listening to what God has to say about things. I have to seek His path not with my own experience or intelligence but with the eyes and ears of the Spirit.

A prayer for peace

I'm praying that God will direct the mind and hearts of our political leaders so that peace may be restored in Ukraine. 

Debris-covered heart

Karl Rahner was a 20th century Jesuit whose writings, sermons and correspondence shared Vatican II. In an Ash Wednesday sermon, he talked about estrangement from God and how Lent serves as a moment in the church liturgical calendar to stop and recenter out lives.

"Since feeling distant from God in our debris-covered heart is the ultimate bitterness of our life’s Lenten season, it is appropriate to ask what can be done about it and, along the same lines, how the church’s liturgical season of Lent is to be lived.  For when the bitter distance from God turns into holy worship, the Lenten season of the world is transformed into the Lenten season of the church."

Lenten sermon

Love is the source of all virtues

The collect for the seventh Sunday after Epiphany from the Book of Common Prayer centers on love as the source of peace and all virtue. It comes at the same time the Russian army is invading Ukraine and all our hearts and prayers are beseeching God's protection, and seeking a way forward. 

About

As part of my own spiritual practice, I have developed a contemplative art inspired by visio Divina. This style of prayer uses an image as the focal point or point of departure for prayerful reflection. In my version, I start from a text, usually a Bible verse, or a prayer, possibly even a quote from a Christian writer, then I meditate on the words paying attention to the emotions and images that come to mind as I pray. Then I look for images online that somehow deepen that reflection or illustrate it. I then combine the words and the image to create a "prayerscape" that can be shared on social media. If you find these images useful in your spiritual growth, feel free to download or share, but be honest in giving credit.