Many of the young people in our lives have become especially weighed down by news of cyber bullying, sexual harassment and physical assault. By listening for God’s voice, we can hear and pass on messages of hope which transcend the worldly noises of uncertainty and dread. . . .
Category: Lenten Devotionals
Richard Lindeborg Lenten devotional for April 2, 2022
In the past year and more, voices of work, school, distressing news and medical instructions have permeated our personal space, controlling more of our lives. Our observance of Lent gives us a chance to carve out a separate space for listening to God, for exploring our Lord’s sacrifice and gift of salvation. Creating this space . . .
Richard Lindeborg Lenten devotional for April 1, 2022
Internal voices of despair, isolation and anxiety have weighed many of us down in the past year. Focusing on Lent and the coming message of salvation can make God’s voice audible in our lives and give us hope. . . .
Richard Lindeborg Lenten devotional for March 31, 2022
This year we enter Lent deep into a time of stress, and anxiety. We have been bombarded by messages of alarm and uncertainty. Sometimes we doubt our personal and collective resiliency. Lent gives us time to listen closely to the messages of God’s love for us and Christ’s willingness to suffer for us. How could . . .
D.R. Palmer Lenten devotional for March 30, 2022
Finley quotes a Zen Mondo referenced by Merton and expands upon it (p. 24):“A Zen Master said to his disciple, ‘Go get my rhinoceroshorn fan.’Disciple: ‘Sorry, Master, it is broken.’Master: ‘Okay, then get me the rhinoceros.’ If we can realize at the beginning that we are presented with an impossible task, if we can . . .
D.R. Palmer Lenten devotional for March 29, 2022
Finley says (pp. 22-23), “The true self is not some obscure and hidden identity that we must pull forth from the darkness like a rabbit from a hat. Nor is it some evasive entity running lost in the labyrinths of our minds. The true self is rather our whole self before God. It is the . . .
D.R. Palmer Lenten devotional for March 28, 2022
When you consider the true self and false self that we touched on yesterday, you may be thinking that what Merton calls the “false self” seems pretty real! And it’s not all bad! Right? Finley clarifies this (p. 22): “Merton makes no attempt to question the reality and importance of the empirical self we call . . .
D.R. Palmer Lenten devotional for March 27, 2022
Finley says (pp. 21-22), “The underlying thesis of this work is that Merton’s whole spirituality, in one way or another, pivots on the question of ultimate human identity. Merton’s message is that we are one with God…. We can now say that a more specific purpose underlying this book is that of prayerfully exploring Merton’s . . .
D.R. Palmer Lenten devotional for March 26, 2022
Finley says (p. 20): “Merton would tell us that techniques and spiritualities are proper and necessary in their own right, but we must not ask from them what we can only receive from God. Chanting OM with great enthusiasm for hours on end may well be an efficacious exercise in meditation. However, it may also . . .
D.R. Palmer Lenten devotional for March 25, 2022
Finley says (pp. 17-18): “[Christians] are called upon to live Christ’s life. We are called into the desert to meet the demon within. We are called to face God alone in the night of our own solitude. We are called to die with Jesus, in order to live with him. We are asked to lose . . .
