A Spiritual Blog:

​​This site explores meaning through spirituality and religion, the means human beings have traditionally used to find meaning in life.  The spirit of this space is one of openness and generosity.  I, as the author, do not consider Christianity to have any exclusive truth claims; it is one of the great spiritual traditions of the world which, along with the other great traditions, seeks to provide guidance and practices meant to bring us to a more deeply authentic and meaningful living out of our humanity .  It is the tradition with which I am most familiar, and its language, symbolism, and paradigms are helpful to me in my journey toward meaning and authenticity.

 

​In many respects, I do not understand Christianity in the way it has come to be understood by most of its adherents and practitioners.    I am also wary of the institutional church -- or any institution created in the name of religion and spirituality.   And I am convinced that this exploration of our own humanness and what it means can be done through almost any spiritual or religious tradition, or no tradition at all.  

 

Each of us must find the path to meaning, healing, and authenticity that will produce those things in us and for us.    The finding of those things is infinitely more important than the path or the tools used in the journey.   ​Wherever you are on your journey, you are welcome here.  In the end, we are all spiritual explorers as we figure out how to lead meaningful and fruitful lives that contribute to the well-being of others rather than living at the expense of others.

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The Prayer of St. Francis with the Buddhist Bodhisattva Vow 

by Francis X. Clooney, SJ

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Lord, Make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

 

May I be a safeguard for those who have no protection,

A guide for those who journey along the way;

For those who wish to go across the water,

May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.

 

May I be a home port for those who yearn for landfall,

And a lamp for those who long for the light; 

For those who are tired, may I be a resting place,

For all who need help, their servant.

 

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek 

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

 

Like the great earth itself and other eternal things,

Enduring as the sky itself endures,

For the boundless multitude of living beings,

May I be the ground and vessel of their lives.

 

For every single thing that lives,

In number like the boundless reaches of the sky,

May I be their sustenance and nourishment

Until they pass beyond the bounds of suffering.

 

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

It is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

 

Amen.