How do you feed the fire of spiritual life? At times, spiritual life almost roars through me. Its energy melts away what is not important. The flame of spiritual life purifies what I think, how I feel, what I want. It is beyond my control. The power of spiritual life works sacred changes in me. […]
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I am an oblate connected to a Benedictine monastery. An oblate is a lay person who makes a commitment to particular way of monastic life. I do not live at the monastery, though I spend several days there each year. The monks at the monastery where I am connected are Benedictine monks. They are called Benedictine because
I live in a culture that makes everything a contest. We take metaphors from sports and try to apply them to every activity of life. We live in a time when the language of athletics has become abbreviations to describe how we live. We have created a culture in which a Hail, Mary has become
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How do we celebrate the deepest things in our lives? I think it is a challenge to celebrate well. Life moves quickly. Even when we decide to commemorate a particular event, all the traditions can get in the way of true celebration. I live in a culture that tends to celebrate with consumption. Our special days are filled
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Will you spend more time thinking about work today, or tomorrow? I will probably invest time and energy in work today, particularly because I am trying do five days of work in four. I have a three-day weekend, especially one dedicated to independence, right in front of me, drawing me toward it. I will clear space
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I know people who think that being a leader comes from having a certain title, or a position of responsibility. I know people who believe that becoming a leader is a matter of education or experience. Some people think leaders wear particular kinds of clothes, or speak particular languages. They see leaders as behaving in
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I was not born contemplative, nor was I born in a large city. I knew from an early age that it was more valuable to know things than to learn things. Learning was just a step on the path toward knowing; knowing was the result of learning. It was far better to know the right
My work is a combination of working on my own and working with other people. The line separating them becomes more and more difficult to see. It is often working on my own that is more of a challenge for me. I suppose I may be harder to work with than most people. I have expectations of myself that can
What is leadership, anyway? Some people see leaders as Imperial Storm Troopers, enforcing rules and imposing their will on people. Some people see leaders as little more than cheerleaders, motivating the people who are doing real work. I used to know that leadership was telling people what to do. People go to leaders with questions,
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What does healthy spiritual life look like? How does it feel? I know people who believe that spiritual health is about what they know. When they have the right answers to important questions, their spiritual life is healthy. I have believed that myself. I know people who believe that spiritual health is about what they do. When they follow
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