Sixth century Irish mystic Saint Gobnait went in search of her ‘place of resurrection’ as the gateway to fullness of life. This is a journey that Dr Cath Connelly* has found to be a source of passion and inspiration for her own search for a spiritual home where ‘one’s spirit is totally whole’ and where ‘one is most completely alive’.
The miracle of Being
Simone Weil’s vision of the beauty of emptiness
French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil is a complex and captivating figure. She believed that we are called to a place of emptiness in which the self is transcended; that the purest form of prayer is to be found in attention in which thought is suspended; and that through suffering we could encounter the core of reality, stripped of falsehood and illusion. Author Michael McGirr* reflects on someone he says who, for 30 years, has left his mind ‘gasping for air.’
Vale Pope Francis – a prophet for our time
Since Pope Francis’s death on Easter Monday, much has been said about the strengths and weaknesses of his papacy. But what stands out for me is his moral leadership on the two most pressing and related issues facing humanity – war, and a reckless, unfettered capitalism, with its indifference to the suffering of others and the future of humanity and the planet, what he calls “Our common home”.
Safeguarding the womb of Love
Art and meditation as revelation of the Christ within
What the world needs now - ‘islands of sanity’
In this world of woe, is there any reason to hope?
Michael Leunig – a rare genius who re-enchanted our world
Leunig was a great artist who believed the world is full of enchantment and spoke of the ‘ecology of the soul’. So said Emeritus Professor David Tacey at Leunig’s memorial service in St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on 30 January. The following is the longer version of his eulogy which had to be shortened for the occasion.
Trump, the body and the God who dwells within
Camaldolese monk, author and musician Fr Cyprian Consiglio visited Australia in November last year. Recently retired Prior of New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California, he is now based in Rome, having been appointed the International Secretary General of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. He spoke to me in Melbourne in the wake of the US election, and reflects on what this means for Christians; what the East has to teach Western Christianity; and his practice as a devotee of meditation and yoga.
Vale Michael Leunig – cartoonist, artist, mystic and prophet
When Australian national treasure Michael Leunig died last week aged 79, the sense of loss was profound. I had the great privilege of interviewing this man of extraordinary creative gifts, insight and sensitivity, in 1996 and 2000. The following extracts from the interviews explore his yearning for beauty, enchantment, the transcendent and eternal, and his desire to be a voice for the voiceless.
Mary’s invitation to come closer to Jesus this Christmas
An icon is a window onto the divine, and the word ‘iconic’ has become a favourite word to describe our heroes. One of the most famous icons is the 12th century Byzantine icon, The Virgin of Vladimir, as shown above. It depicts Jesus as a child being held in the arms of his mother Mary, and it still speaks poignantly to us today.
The spark of love that can never be extinguished
One of the greatest privileges of my life was recently to spend time in prayer and meditation with a dying and dear friend, Rosslyn Lam. I last prayed and meditated with her in hospital, accompanied by her sister and three adult children, two days before she died last month, following a long battle with cancer.
We are created from love, of love, for love – St Ignatius
Through the spiritual exercises developed by the founder of the Jesuits, St Ignatius of Loyola, Roland Ashby has experienced Christ’s loving and healing presence as a physical reality. Roland, who is contributing editor of Living Water (www.thelivingwater.com.au), reflects on how Ignatian spirituality has for him been life-transforming, a spring of living water*.
Desmond Tutu remembered
How an atheist poet nourishes faith
Philip Larkin, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, was an atheist. Australian poet John Foulcher*, who has a deep Christian faith, reflects on how Larkin’s poetry has been a source of nourishment for him, how it has helped him to face his darkest fears, and how, with all good poetry, it lays bare our common humanity.
Francis of Assisi - a saint for our time
Into the growing darkness of our world, St Francis of Assisi shines a light of peace, hope and beauty. Anglican priest and third order Franciscan Pirrial Clift reflects on why this joyful revolutionary, who is commemorated on 4 October, has drawn her ‘like a magnet’, and speaks so powerfully to our time of war and ecological crisis.
Drinking living water from the well of poetry
Poetry can open our hearts and minds and provide a source of living water for our lives, says author Sarah Bachelard. Dr Bachelard*, who is the founder of the Benedictus Contemplative Church in Canberra, Australia, reflects on how poetry can illuminate our understanding and nourish our lives and faith. This reflection is based on a talk on 8 September at The Well, a monthly online meditation and talk on a mystic or poet*.
I believe! Let me count the ways ...
I believe in laughter in the rain.
I believe in the first soft footfall and the thud of jellybean legs flailing as a child learns to walk.
I believe in open arms; the entreaties of encouragement that are the refrains of a lifetime; the open arms of acceptance and welcome and refuge.
I believe God is, was and will be.