Traumatised by the brutal Russian destruction of life and homes, a Ukrainian woman cried out through her tears, “What sort of God would allow this to happen?”
Finding our place of resurrection
As we celebrate Easter day, what meaning does resurrection have for our lives? Dr Cath Connelly, author and co-director of the Living Well Centre for Christian Spirituality* reflects on how the Celtic saints, and in particular St Gobnait, inspired us to have the faith and courage to launch out into the unknown to find our “place of resurrection”: a place where our spirit is most alive, and where our “deepest gladness meets with the world’s greatest hunger”.
Christians called to mirror God in simplicity and joy – Rowan Williams
Christians are called to a life of simplicity because they believe that human beings are made in the image of God, former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams said recently. “That means that as we learn simplicity in our lives we are engaged in rediscovering, re-entering our gifted existence as God’s image,” he said.
Finding hope in the midst of advanced cancer
Standing at the threshold of new and holy ground
Meditation as a ministry of compassion in a time of war
Contemplative consciousness vital for our future
With floods again devastating parts of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, we are seeing yet more evidence of climate change. Apart from war, climate change is the greatest threat to the future of the planet, to which the latest report from the IPCC*, released this week, attests. Long-time Christian meditator Roger Layet* says that if the planet is to have a sustainable future, then human beings must develop a contemplative way of seeing which understands that we are part of nature, not apart from it. Meditation, he says, can help us overcome the illusion of separation from nature and one another, and help us realise our essential oneness.
‘A dark time for the world’ – Laurence Freeman
Laurence Freeman, a Benedictine monk and Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, made the following statement of solidarity with the people of Ukraine on February 24th, and called on meditators worldwide to join him for an online meditation event on March 26th as an expression of their love and support, and for ‘decency and justice in the world order’.
Down from the clouds - letting go of death and ‘rapture’
From the age of five, author Paul Mitchell had a morbid fear of death until, when he was 20, a theology of rapture (that at the end of time the ‘saved’ will fly up into the clouds and meet Jesus ‘in the middle of the air’) and conversion to Christianity allayed his fears. Now, over 30 years later, he finds solace in poetry and contemplative prayer, and through them explores mortality, how to live authentically and in a way that is life-giving.
Unexpected visitor opens the door to connection and wonder
The spirituality of dying – a personal experience
In November 2018, I had the privilege of being with my mother as she approached her last breath. In the week before her death and for a few days afterwards, I experienced one of the most intense spiritual times I have ever known. I felt like I was learning so much about the deeper dimension of life and this critical moment in life, which is physical death, as I watched and interacted with my mother.
A grateful Christian pays tribute to Thich Nhat Hanh
Contemplative mind keeps alive the little flame of hope
Saying ‘yes’ to the mystery amidst all the messiness
But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
What a night! A journey, an arrival, a birth, angels and shepherds, and much, much more. But in the midst of it all, Mary seems to have a contemplative heart; treasuring the words of the angels and the shepherds, and pondering them.
The stars above, the carpark below
Facing cancer through the pandemic with Zen and the Christian faith
Advent – a time to let our hearts leap for joy
The story of the yet unborn John the Baptist ‘leaping for joy’ in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visits her, (Luke 1:41) can touch us deeply as we enter the season of Advent. This is the time of invitation to let our hearts be softened and ‘leap for joy’ as we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world.
The Contemplative Crow
Learning to live wisely and well for the sake of the Earth and the common good
The climate emergency, at its heart, is a spiritual emergency. Unless we learn to fall in love with the wonder and beauty of the Earth, and no longer see it simply as a resource to be exploited, then the outlook seems bleak. As the world’s Indigenous peoples and wisdom traditions have also known for millennia, recognising the deep interconnectedness and mutual dependence of all life is also critical to our future. UK author and long-time meditator Jim Green has developed a new online course, ‘Contemplating Earth’,* which argues that it is in opening to the contemplative consciousness that unites each of us with one another and with the Earth itself that we will learn, in the depths of our shared being, how to act wisely and to live well for the good of all. The following is the introduction to the course.
Climate emergency demands a ‘courageous love’
The COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (31 October – 12 November) is widely regarded as humanity’s last chance to prevent catastrophic global warming. Australia has been described as the ‘canary in the coal mine’. In 2020, devastating bushfires swept through many parts of the country, including along the Eastern seaboard of New South Wales and Victoria, where Anglican priest Linda Chapman* lives. Here she reflects on her experience of the mega-fire that was powerfully symbolised by the image of an iron cross burnt into the ground, the only remains of a wooden church in Cadgee in New South Wales (see picture). The earth is undergoing a crucifixion, she says, and humanity needs to undergo a transfiguration through a contemplative consciousness that leads to a courageous love for the common good.