There are many beautiful blogs, books, and groups with specific tips for celebrating the church year, but they can easily become fertile ground for overwhelm, comparison, and indecision. Take it from me, I’ve been flustered wondering how to curate the best, most robust options for prayers, meals, decor, and all the rest. I quickly realized that all-or-nothing approach would quickly extinguish my initial interest. As we prepare for the start of a new liturgical year this month, I’ve gathered my five best tips for celebrating the calendar. These are universal morsels of advice I offer to myself ..read more

If you’ve just booked your first session, you might be wondering how to prepare for spiritual direction. While individual companions may have a particular approach that requires unique preparation, like gardening or painting, I’ve gathered here a handful of universal points that may help you feel more prepared for your scheduled time. From my own experience as a directee, and now as a spiritual director, here are four ways one can prepare for spiritual direction: self-reflection, grace, setting aside an intentional space, and noticing what comes up. These are applicable for those new to spirit ..read more

During our years spent in New England, I was continually impressed with the region’s experience of fall. The two other places I called home before that time, Alaska and Oklahoma, were not well-known for their autumn. In fact, many of their seasons blurred together into prolonged stints of cold or hot, respectively. As a novice to a full autumn, I wanted to make the most of the time I had and soon found myself creating a bucket list for each season. Creating a seasonal bucket list is a practice that helps me prioritize what matters most in a predetermined amount of time. Practically, this impro ..read more

Sacred time is all around us, though we are often too distracted to notice. The standard increments of time as we know it in our modern world — seconds, hours, days, months — are tools that help us mark our place in both our own personal experiences of reality and the collective human story. Indeed, these measurements of time are tools which have been formed and modified for thousands of years. Sacred time, on the other hand, is something we can’t change, only observe. Sacred time includes paradox and mystery. It’s eternal and temporal. It’s unusual and ordinary. It’s slow and instantaneous. I ..read more

Sacred time is all around us, though we are often too distracted to notice. The standard increments of time as we know it in our modern world — seconds, hours, days, months — are tools that help us mark our place in both our own personal experiences of reality and the collective human story. Indeed, these measurements of time are tools which have been formed and modified for thousands of years. Sacred time, on the other hand, is something we can’t change, only observe. Sacred time includes paradox and mystery. It’s eternal and temporal. It’s unusual and ordinary. It’s slow and instantaneous. I ..read more

Have you ever read something that spoke to you in a profound way? If you’re like me, reading is a deeply spiritual practice that invites me to connect with God through the written word. Sacred reading, or lectio divina, is a distinct style of prayer that recognizes this capacity for divine connection and uses the written word, both biblical or non-biblical, to pray. This practice contains four movements (or steps) that guide readers through a passage slowly. History of Lectio Divina Historically, passages for lectio divina came from scripture, which was viewed as a living book by early Church ..read more

I became a student of the liturgical year alongside the ten or so little faces of a Sunday school class. As the church intern, I was new to liturgy, not to mention the church year. I had no prior knowledge of the church year or what a perpetual calendar looked like. wheel that looked like a pie chart with uneven slices. Though I recognized several of the holidays, I was immediately struck by the arrangement and the various colors. Download A Perpetual Liturgical Calendar The perpetual liturgical calendar tells the story of Christ. The church year is a very practical tool to present the people ..read more

The summer solstice arrives this week on June 21st, which means it’s an opportune time to write a seasonal review. Within liturgical time, this week also remembers St. John the Baptist through Midsummer, a celebration of his birth and agricultural growth. Similar to the solstices and equinoxes, Midsummer is one of several holidays that act as guideposts through the church year. These dates mark natural or spiritual seasons and can serve us in our own personal reflection. The rotation of the natural seasons — winter, spring, summer, and autumn — compel us to adapt to changes in temperature, pre ..read more

Symbolized by a fiery red, Pentecost is the liturgical festival celebrating the presence of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-31. In this passage, tongues of fire appear above the heads of the disciples and they begin to speak in different languages. Peter references the prophecies of Joel and quickly identifies this mysterious moment as an outpouring of God’s Spirit. Many mark this day as the beginning of Christianity. This is not the disciples’ first introduction the the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit, though it is a relatively unique manifestation. This member of the trinity is present through ..read more

When describing spiritual direction and companionship, I usually mention the term spiritual hospitality. Though not original to me, I love how this phrase captures a sense of preparation, care, and attention towards another person. Spiritual hospitality is the act of listening in a way that creates a sacred, safe space for another. This applies to the physical environment, but even more importantly, it applies to the inner thought life of the spiritual director, too. As they listen, directors must set aside whatever limits their ability to hold the words or presence of the other person. Natura ..read more