Dear Friends in Silence.
I pray that this week's post finds you same and well,
In my preparations for this week's Silence on Sunday liturgy I was confronted by the subject of resurrection. Interestingly I found out that, although Jesus raised people from the dead and rises from the dead Himself, the only time He refers to the subject of resurrection as part of His teaching is in the conversation with the sadducees that features in the gospel for this Sunday's liturgy cycle.
Here is one commentary that really resonated with me:
'....in this discourse Jesus shows the limits of our imaginations when it comes to eternal life. The Sadducees argued against resurrection because of the limits of earthly existence. They did not imagine another possibility for existence and relationship with God. Jesus proposes that the possibilities of resurrected life are beyond our imaginations. Jesus' conclusion suggests something else as well: To spend time worrying about resurrected life is to miss the point. The point is eternal relationship with God is possible, for God is the God of the living, “. . . for to [God] all are alive.” '
I'd like to invite you to take some time this week to view this short clip from Richard Rohr called 'Running from Resurrection' where he offers us some insights on what blocks our imaginations and how contemplative practice helps.
'Running from Resurrection' - Click HERE to watch the clip
SILENTIUM's Spiritual Practice Group
Thursday's in The Wisdom Chapel, 8pm Irish Time (Check Here for the time in your area)
**Just a reminder that there is no gathering this week, the 3rd of November
The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, saw the release of The Letter: A Message for Our Earth an eagerly awaited movie length documentary inspired by Laudato Si, Pope Francis' much loved encyclical. Here's what the promo says:
In 2015, Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si’ (The Letter); an encyclical letter about the environmental crisis to every single person in the world. A few years later, four voices that have gone unheard in global conversations have been invited to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. Hailing from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawaii, they bring perspective and solutions from the poor, the indigenous, the youth, and wildlife into a conversation with Pope Francis himself. This documentary follows their journey to Rome and the extraordinary experiences that took place there, and is packed with powerfully moving personal stories alongside the latest information about the planetary crisis and the toll it’s taking on nature and people.
Because, in the words of the Laudato Si’ Movement chair Lorna Gold,
“once you know, you CANNOT look away.” #LaudatoSiFilm
I'm inviting the Silentium Community to join me for a screening of the movie on Thursday the 10th of November, commencing at our usual gathering time of 8pm, and a follow up gathering for Prayer and Sharing based on our responses to the screening on Thursday the 17th of November.
Here is the trailer - I'd love you to join us:
SILENTIUM's Silence on Sunday
Sundays in The Wisdom Chapel, 9am Irish Time (Check Here for the time in your area)
The theme for for this week's Silence on Sunday is ...all are Alive! Here is a link to where you can download the PDF of the liturgy text:
Emmaus Encounter an Advent Retreat@Home - Save The Date
I invite you to save the date of Saturday the 17th of December, 2.30pm-5pm Irish Time, for Silentium's Emmaus Encounter an Advent Retreat@Home. More information to follow shortly.
Don't forget the time changes this coming weekend which catches us all back up again!
Thats it for this week but I invite you as always to please use the comments section below to post any thoughts, reflections or prayers you might have related to anything in this weeks post.
Praying that the rest of your week is wonderful and filled with peace.
Until I see you soon in The Wisdom Chapel.
Go Well and God Bles
John