Learning the art, and practicing the discipline of compassion, begins by paying attention. It is not possible to be compassionate until we actually take notice of our surrounds, until we see the people before us as, well, real people. Sharon Salzberg, Compassionate Practitioner, voices this animation.
Read MoreRefugees are fleeing, hate groups are rising, the far-right is winning elections around the world. Those who want to do something about it are going to need a model for resistance. And there may be none better than the story of a small French community that rescued around 5,000 refugees from the Nazis.
Read MoreThe Advent season lasts for the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Contrary to the busyness of the season in the world, the Christian calendar calls us to a time of reflection and contemplation. Have a listen to some of our advent music and listen to Bishop Barron speak about the spirituality of Advent.
Read MoreLearn about Ramadan, considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an, and fast from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of drawing closer to God and cultivating self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate.
Read MoreIn 586 BCE, the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army. Its destruction triggered significant changes in the intellectual, cultural, religious and political identities of the people associated with the city, with effects that continue down to the present. This exhibition explores how Jerusalem, a small Iron Age city state, became the world's religious capital and an ethereal symbol of the imagination.
Read MoreInter-faith dialogue is an important one, because all faiths had deep wisdom to share. Our own faith is enriched in listening to the faith traditions of others. Here Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee offers two talks on the essence of Sufism, which is - love.
Read MoreSufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee explores the simple but essential truth: that the mystical journey which takes us deep within the heart is always for the sake of the Beloved, never for our sake. In this present time, when so much is distorted, it is vital that we remember this, no matter our faith tradition.
Read MoreAward-winning author and preacher, Diana Butler Bass speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about her latest book Freeing Jesus. Diana shares how her experience of Jesus has changed over the years and how the Christian that is she is today is much different than she was before.
Read MoreDaniel Berrigan was one of the best-known American peace activists of the 20th century. But there’s a lesser-known aspect of his Christian commitment worth noting: his work on behalf of the material and spiritual needs of New York City’s “discarded souls,” in particular those suffering the ravages of cancer and HIV/AIDS.
Read MoreAsh Wednesday has traditionally been an important gathering in the Catholic church, and less so in the Protestant tradition. There is much to learn from its observance, for it is a thoughtful beginning to the Lenten season of repentance and contemplation.
Read MoreThe season of Eastertide is the season of resurrection, the season of new life. Arriving at the same time as the emergence of spring, we have all around us evidence that from the cold, hard, seemingly barren ground, astonishing wonders may emerge. Wendell Berry has learned from the earth and offers us his manifesto for practicing resurrection.
Read MoreJoan Chittister, with her straight forward manner and deep love of God and people, offers a modern, intelligent, Christian spirituality one can live with day by day. Here are three different podcasts of interviews with sister Chittister, centred around her books, all of which reflect a Christian Spirituality for the 21st Century.
Read MoreSr. Joan Chittister is one of the most articulate social analysts and influential religious leader of our times.. In her message, Contemplation in the Midst of Chaos, Sr. Chittister, O.S.B., reflects on what it means to be spiritual, to be contemplative, in the midst of the private chaos that sometimes clutters our lives.
Read MoreWhile all members share in Christ’s ministry, the church from its earliest days has recognized that God calls some to exercise specific gifts of leadership, both paid and voluntary. These ministries of leadership are based in God’s call and therefore serve to remind the community to whom we belong.
Read MoreThe early community that followed Jesus was a community of practice. Jesus’ followers did not just sit around the campfire and listen to lectures on Christian theology. They listened to stories that taught them how to act toward one another, and what to do in the world.
Read MoreThe Easter Triduum begins on Maundy Thursday evening, includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ends on on the evening of Easter Day. We are called, through this holy time, to stay steady, to stay awake, to bear the sorrow, to adjust to the darkness, and then, to celebrate all that we do not understand.
Read MoreAmid the on going struggles world wide to find compassion and grace in the midst of violence, Christians celebrate the power of courage and love in the midst of adversity and hatred. Good Friday is a challenging day, for a struggling, yet still beautiful world.
Read MoreLent is a time of reflection. Here, to aid in your contemplation - a prayer, a theological video offering with Peter Rollins, two musical offerings, UCC Moderator Richard Bott’s Lenten message and a bumper sticker.
Read MoreThe prayers found here are called Nocturnes. They, and the music that accompanies them, are designed to resonate with those dimmed times when the burdens of life drain much of the light away. These Nocturnes afford a time of stillness in the midst of the dark.
Read MoreMacrina Wiederkehr’s wonderful book, Seven Sacred Pauses, is an invitation to learn, and practice, the ancient spiritual discipline of praying the hours. Macrina offers this practice as a unifying place for all faith traditions, and those with no formal faith at all. She sees it as a place for all of us to live our our fullest lives.
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