As I age, I appreciate the winter season & the month of December much as contemplative times. Wondering if it is the same for you. #spirituality #WinterIsComing judithvalente.substack.com/p/the-sacred-a…

How do we want to spend the final days of the year? How about releasing those emotions that deflate & hinder us and taking intentional pauses to offset the #Christmas2023 rush. Here are a few suggestions. #MindfulLiving #NewYear2024 link.medium.com/qE3PWuDCBFb

Joined a group from #mennonites4ceasefire in visiting office of Congressman Eric Sorensen to ask his support for House Resolution 786 seeking immediate & permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as use of diplomacy & political solution to end the fighting. Calls, letters, visits all help.

With so much suffering in the world, especially in Gaza & Ukraine, there is still many reasons to hope, as I write today in 'Why This Christmas Is So Significant' link.medium.com/4gpEQAxcNFb #Christmas2023 #hope #Peace #GazaWar #CeaseFirelnGaza

'In this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all, Christ has come uninvited ... His place is with those who do not belong ... who are tortured, bombed and exterminated' -Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton Center #Christmas2023 #Peace #CeasefireNOW

If you were to choose a word to guide you thru this new year, what would it be? Some great suggestions are here in "Words To Live By In 2024." link.medium.com/VzgxDtf5lGb #NewYear2024 #Mindfulness #spirituality #wordsofwisdom #sundayvibes

Find some strategies for coping with the current #January chill & the rest of winter with some advice from Thomas Merton in "Take Heart, January Is Nearly Over" link.medium.com/1TCQQ204xGb #MindfulLiving #SundayMotivation #sundayvibes Thomas Merton Center

The weather outside affects our 'inner weather' as well, but both long stretches of cloudy days as well as darkness can be meaningful. How do you cope with what Barbara Brown Taylor calls 'cloudy evenings of the soul'? Ritual Media Group #SundayThoughts link.medium.com/HLY2p6tUUGb

At last nite's online Tuesdays w/Merton talk, activist @leslyecolvin recalled Jesus' words after raising Lazarus: Unbind him & let him go. How can we unbind those caught in systems that deny their dignity? How can we unbind ourselves? Good practices for this Lent.Thomas Merton Center

A reflection at the midway point of #Lent on what Lenten readings tell us, & what they say on the current political climate that causes me to ask 'Will the real Christians please stand up.' #ChristianNationalism #spirituality #sundayvibes #Election2024 judithvalente.medium.com/will-the-real-…

Visiting Congressman Eric Sorensen office in Peoria with group from Mennonite Church of Normal IL seeking support for immediate ceasefire in #Gaza. Met with rep of Darin LaHood as well. Pls write your Congress reps seeking an end to the bloodshed, starvation & suffering in Gaza.

The world may be on fire, but peace ambassador Fr John Dear says in his new book 'The Gospel of Peace' that practicing nonviolent resistance is the only way to rid the world of its 'culture of war.' Pax Christi USA Orbis Books #SpiritualSunday #Peace judithvalente.medium.com/prophetic-wisd…

As #GoodFriday approaches, I offer these reflections on the Stations of the Cross and how each one still speaks to our world and daily lives. link.medium.com/xZzEm28aeIb #spirituality #SundayThoughts #prayer Passionist Life

With #springtime unfolding, how can we take time to pause & experience the season? One way is to practice 'the art of pausing.' How have you built pauses into your busy days? #spiritualawakening #poetry #Pause @eriebendictines Katie Gordon link.medium.com/PCl545S2MIb

With #spring ephemeral wildflowers bursting into bloom, walking in nature at this time of year can be a powerful assist in coping with the chaos enveloping the world, as I write in Taking Time For A ‘Nature Fix’ link.medium.com/7Z1tGlQzYIb #NatureBeauty #NatureTherapy #Flowers

This Memorial Day, thinking of challenging words of the great Catholic peace activist Eileen Egan who advocated practicing 'gospel nonviolence' rather than war as a way of resolving conflict. Well worth reflecting on with so much war in the world. link.medium.com/fJRjaYgJUJb

Tired of all the nastiness in our nation, from the presidential candidates to the Alitos? There's a way to spread greater harmony. #MindfulLiving #politicstoday #Presidentialelection #Scotus link.medium.com/VUMbxNYBtKb

Today I leave to guide a pilgrimage in Italy & will remain there for an extended period. I leave with a renewed sense of hope for the U.S. as I explain in 'Putting the 'Us' Back Into The U.S.' Hope you feel the same. #Election2024 #politics #Italy link.medium.com/XmGYDMZHlMb

What if we really heeded Jesus' words in the gospels as we cast our vote this November? Could we then seriously vote for Donald Trump? #Election2024 #spirituality #ChristianFaith #ChristianNationalism #CatholicTwitter Vice President JD Vance Donald J. Trump link.medium.com/kCsXSZ4CQNb

I ask, what have we become as a nation? Our country needs to do a great deal of soul searching. msn.com/en-us/news/pol… #2024Election