Aligning with Grace

Advent - A Season for Peace (A Repost) I did not set out to write a series of Advent reflections. I write only when I am inspired to do so - and when I get a clear message that somehow something in my heart must be conveyed... And while I know that not everyone that reads this blog comes from the same spiritual or philosophical background - or even the same interests or convictions - I try to convey messages and values that are both timeless and universal, and accessible to all. And so today, I write of peace, because in the last few days, so many messages received have reminded me of its importance... As I mentioned a few days ago, I have been reading the daily reflections on a a site called "Following the Star," and this weeks entries focus on peace. Forty-two years ago today, Thomas Merton, perhaps the most prolific spiritual writer of all time - and most certainly of the 20th century - died accidentally, while attending a monastic conference in Thailand. ...

Advent - Be Still and Know (A Repost) Perhaps the most unusual film to be released last year was "Into Great Silence." Some of the reviews described this film as: a transcendent experience, intoxicating, and breathtaking. The movie explores the world of the Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps, where Carthusian monks have resided for centuries. The movie has no score, no speaking, and none of the usual things we would expect in a movie. Instead, this film invites us to immerse ourselves fully in the hush of monastic life. It is a world of silence... It reminds me of the psalmist who in Psalm 46 invites us to follow this exhortation from the Divine: Be still and know that I am God. This season invites us into silence. Yet when we venture outside - there is rarely any silence. Every public place we go to provides an onslaught of noises which barrage the senses. Many people have not experienced the joys or the delights of silence. Some are even afra...

I read an Advent devotional on the importance and role of stillness, and then came across this entry I made on December 14th 2009, which I reprise here once again for a different audience. Once more, enjoy! Last night, I went to the site, "Following the Star," which I religiously visited during Advent last year. But here I am, a year later, finding myself very busy and frazzled as I consider all the activities on my dance card, and the entry I read is very appropriately titled, "Be Still and Know..." This is one of my most favorite scripture verses - from Psalm 46:10 to be more precise - "Be still and know that I am God." I have written about this verse before in many ways. And now it comes to me, as a gentle reminder of the season, calling me to stillness, to silence, and to being more centered amidst so many activities that are pulling me in so many directions. Here is an excerpt from the passage that I read last night, authored by Tracy Hartman, a t...