During this Week for Christian Unity, take a moment to meditate with the worldwide church on Jesus’ visit to Samaria, where he asked for water (français ici). The theme for this year is Water–proposed by the church in Brazil, a country experiencing unprecedented drought right now. Here’s a meditation by a...
Beth Adams gave this talk on January 13, 2015. Some years ago, I was sitting with my new friend Shirin, waiting for a movie to start. It was around the time of 9/11. We were looking at an issue of the campus newspaper, and on the front there was the...
It’s easy to forget that Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) are sisters. Right action springs from the same root as contemplation. This week, spend a quiet moment holding your “to do” list reverently in prayer. Here’s an essay by Eknath Easwaran on his grandmother’s joyful attention to the tasks of...
Many crowds followed Jesus, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit...
After you have blessed your house by chalking the door (instructions here) settle into the blessing in a comfortable chair and read the Gospel of Mark from beginning to end. This, the shortest of the four Gospels, contains passages you’ll hear on many Sundays this year. [You can download a portable...
Blessing the home on or near the feast of Epiphany is a tradition that dates from the middle ages. Using chalk, we mark our doorways with the inscription 20+C+M+B+15, calling to mind the magi, traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, who journeyed far from their homes to Bethlehem in search...
Here is a poem by Mary Karr, suggested by Rhonda for contemplation this week. It’s the perfect antidote to those toomany sweets!
Pray the O Antiphons in or with the church each evening beginning December 17. This evocative collection of images and names of the God who comes to save dates back to at least the 8th century. Here are links to the introduction and text in Common Worship (see p. 58), and a video...
Beth Adams gave this talk on December 9, 2014. Recently I read an interview with the writer Herta Müller, winner of the 2009 Nobel prize for literature. She was born in 1953, and grew up in a small German-speaking town that had become part of Romania after the end of...
The joy of giving (and the misery of stinginess) is celebrated in sentimental stories like A Christmas Carol and Gift of the Magi, and reflected upon in sermons and yes, our Wardens’ recent Christmas letter, too. At this time of year it is traditional to review what we give for...
Beth Adams, who leads Contemplative Prayer twice a month, reflects in this essay (adapted from her remarks preceding the meditation on November 25) about the setting and the changes the seasons bring. Everyone is welcome to explore different varieties of contemplative prayer, Tuesdays at 5:45 in the Cathedral.
For Christians, Advent begins a new year. At the start, a prayerful, honest review can be transformative. Take a moment to reflect, in God’s light, on the last 12 months—you can decide to focus on your personal situation your community, or your world. The Examen prayer is traditional—you can make...