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I believe there are certain elements that must always be present for peace to break out. Things like forgiveness, gratefulness, generosity of spirit (AKA kindness), mindfulness, and openness of heart (AKA love) are just a few. If I had to choose just one, I’d choose love. Ultimately, love is what will lead us to peace. … Read more
Gratitude & Peace Go Hand-in-Hand Gratitude is one of the surest ways to lasting peace. This is not simply a religious claim. A fairly recent interest by science is showing gratitude’s benefits in study after study. It increases psychological and physical health, increases life satisfaction, and counteracts things such as materialism, envy, narcissism, and cynicism. … Read more
Suffering is often a barrier to peace. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, teacher, author, and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, teaches that if we don’t transform our suffering, we will transmit it. We can see the truth of this all around us every day. Twin Roots of Suffering: Separation & Fear What … Read more
The World Mirrors Me Great spiritual teachers have used metaphors of mirrors to describe how we encounter reality. One such metaphor is that the world reflects back to us what we project out to it. If we project love, compassion, and mercy we will see love, compassion, and mercy mirrored back to us. If we … Read more
Death. Love. Peace. Today is the last day of a difficult yet graced filled year bookended on both sides by death. It is a good day to prepare again for a novena of peace. As 2018 began, my husband’s father fell ill with what seemed to be a terrible cold. By mid-January he had pneumonia … Read more
Novena for Peace Prayers & Reflection Questions The ritual for any prayer discipline can be as elaborate or as simple as is comfortable for you. Below are suggestions for the Novena for Peace. STEP 1: In preparation for your time of meditation and prayer, find a quiet place where you can sit or recline comfortably. … Read more
Day 4: Count your blessings in this moment, now. I pray that we all have the awareness to be grateful for what is; that we can stay in the present moment with pure hope for future blessings as we count the blessings we currently enjoy. (If you don’t have time for prayer AND reading this post, … Read more
Entering day 3 of the 2017 Peace Novena, I pray that we all embrace our personal power to become instruments of peace in our troubled world. (If you don’t have time for prayer AND reading this post, please choose prayer. Novena rituals and prayer) Make me an instrument of peace The prayer commonly known as the Prayer … Read more
As we enter day 2 of the 2017 Peace Novena, I pray that we all find ways to be kind and to listen with an open heart. (If you don’t have time for prayer and reading this post, choose prayer. Novena rituals and prayer) Suffering Is a Choice Many people are real pain as a … Read more
Day 1 Reflection: Compassion Compassion is a good place to begin nine days of prayer for peace, especially in what I consider a toxic environment of constant negativity and judgment. The “correctness police” who troll the Internet and social media have an opinion about EVERYTHING and often that opinion lacks any hint of compassion. Below … Read more