Weaving our Spiritual Lives

This weekend is Imbolc, or Sr. Brigid’s Day, a celebration of the coming of spring. This holiday, with its ancient pagan roots and slightly less ancient Christian traditions, is an example of the porous and morphing nature of religious traditions. One activity associated with this celebration is weaving a Brigid’s Cross, so perhaps it’s a good time to think about how we weave together our own spiritual lives from threads of traditions both inherited and chosen.

Put Your Money Where Your Faith Is

Today is chocolate Sunday, when our children and youth hold a bake sale for a cause they support! Let’s use this opportunity to explore the ways our own faith calls us to think about money, spending, and economic power. From boycotts to green-washing, charitable giving, taxing and tithing—money, religion, values and power are always intertwined.

The Fast before the Feast

Feminist and Eco theologian Sally McFague writes that we are called to “restraint, not for the sake of ascetic denial of the world, but in order that “abundant life” might be possible for all.” This coming Wednesday marks the beginning of both the Christian observance of Lent and the Muslim observance of Ramadan, seasons of fasting and restraint. What can we learn from these practices that might help us move towards a culture of abundant life?

Leslie’s Retreat