We condemn the Israeli violence, yet we commit our own violence. We demand help from others, yet we will not help ourselves. Violence has become our currency, pain our national language. Our dreams have melted, losing any hopeful form. Our future has no lasting shape, because we hold wax to flame. We have betrayed each […]

Now, ‘to treat others as we would like to be treated’ is, as we all know, not at all easy. But ‘to treat others as we would like to be treated’ when others have ’not treated us as we would like to be treated’ is excruciatingly difficult to do. Yet ‘treating others as we would […]

When friendship is present in public life, the modern political world is suspicious. It needs to relearn a lesson from classical Greece, says Mark Vernon.In short, friendship puts the humaneness of abstract democratic ideals on the spot. http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-vision_reflections/friendship_4206.jsp

‘The story that can best help you reflect on the question of transformation through and into love is your own. Take some time to think about your own journey of transformation into the loving heart and character of God.  ‘Try to be brutally honest in answering the following questions. Pretending is not the same as […]

‘Meditation on Jesus’ life can help you further ground yourself in perfect love’. ‘Let the following brief scenes lead you into meditative daydreaming. Picture yourself in each situation. Observe, listen and note all the sensory elements of each scene. Notice your feelings. And pay close attention to Jesus. Allow the experience to begin to teach […]

We are like the fish, in a Sufi story, who anxiously swim around looking for water – till they realise they are swimming in it. Once we realise that we are immersed in ‘the river of God’s providential love,’ we can learn to ‘float in it’. To float we don’t have to do anything – […]

  ‘Find a comfortable sitting position in your place of refuge. Allow yourself a moment to relax, then gently close your eyes. Let your awareness come to your breath, noting the sensations of rising and falling as the air moves in and out of your body. Allow the rhythm of your breathing to bring a […]

by Jarrod McKenna   “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” -Matthew 5:48 Sitting with this text, what question arise for you?  Here are some that I have heard after teaching and workshopping it with many people:  · When Jesus tells us to ‘be perfect’ are we commanded to be something we can’t? · Is this […]

‘Christian spirituality is not a set of beliefs – or a list of obligations. First and foremost it is a relationship. It is a journey toward union with God ’ .[1] ‘I am convinced God comes to us as love, in love for love’, [2] ’that God wants the intimacy of friendship, not our fear. […]

‘For the Hebrews, faith involved a deep trust in the watchful love of God for all God’s children. According to the Prophet Isaiah, even in the midst of the most terrible circumstances, those whose hearts are centred in God’s faithful care “shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall […]

How can we deal with not just a particular fear, but our general fearfulness? ‘Fear is our response to pain in the future.’[1] ‘Fear arises when we believe we will not be strong enough to handle the pain we will be given. We don’t have faith in our ability to hold our own against the […]

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will be least culpable (and least protected) as the climate changes. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will not be in denial. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit an earth that will be very different from the one their parents inherited. 6Blessed are those […]