Gerard van Honthhorst, Adoration of the Shepherds, December 25, 1622 There is a beautiful story told every Christmas in the forests of Provence in southern France. It’s about four shepherds who journey to Bethlehem to see the baby Jésu. One brought eggs, another a baguette and fresh cheese, the third brought wine
Continue ReadingOne of my favorite Christmas treasures is my Nativity scene of French santons. Santons, translated as "little saints," are small, hand-painted terra-cotta figurines that come from the Provence region of France. The santons of Provence took their inspiration from the first living Nativity scene created in 1223 by St. Francis
Continue ReadingIs it all sewn up-my life? Is it at this point so predictable, so orderly, so neat, so arranged, so right, that I don't have time or space for listening for
Continue ReadingI have to admit I am more gypsy than monk when it comes to the practice of prayer. I have been known to kneel, light a candle, anoint with holy water, read the psalms, finger the rosary, recite the Lord’s Prayer, walk in the woods in silence, fall asleep mid-phrase,
Continue ReadingIn my soul there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church where I kneel. Prayers should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist. In my soul there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church that dissolves, that dissolves in God.
Continue ReadingFollowing is an excerpt from The Prophet by Kahil Gibran: Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow." And the prophet answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it
Continue ReadingMany words have become pedestrian and shamelessly over-used in our culture. I vividly remember my Sr. High English teacher, Mr. Pell, quite a character I might add, who would jump up on the desks in an elaborate, frenzied state every time one of his students dared to use the word
Continue ReadingYoga has become an important spiritual discipline in my life and I find that not only has it stretched my body over the years, but more profoundly it has stretched my spirit. Several years ago one of my yoga teachers said, “Whatever you resist in life, it will prove to
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