Visit the Abbey of the Arts online retreat platform to access your programs:

Gifts of the Morning

We hit a record 98 degrees yesterday, but thankfully this morning is cool and delightful. Tune and I went for our usual walk and I fell in love with a vine blossom

-Christine Valters Paintner @Abbey of the Arts

You might also enjoy

Monk in the World Guest Post: Janeen R. Adil

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Read on for Janeen Adil’s reflection and poem about liminality. Thresholds and doorways make for evocative images; as a monk in the world, I am drawn to a

Read More »

Preparing for Advent + Prayer Cycle Day 7

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims,  Today we share the final two audio podcasts of our 7-day prayer cycle on the theme of The Love of Thousands. The theme for morning is on ancestral earth and deep time, honoring that our ancestors are not just our human

Read More »

Monk in the World Guest Post: Susan Blagden

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Susan Blagden’s contemplative photographs and poems inspired by the work of Thomas Merton. As a contemplative photographer, coach and priest, I seek

Read More »

4 Responses

  1. Welcome Elaine, thank you so much for sharing your response. I love the way you tied both posts together. Blessings to you! Christine

  2. Yes, this is a beautiful, perfect question and I’m almost scared to respond because any response will be imperfect. But I’ve thought about this all afternoon (since I read the post) and I will say:

    On this summer day,
    I will love nature back

    And I will try, today and everyday, to live “the life of the new creation in which right relation to all the rest of God’s creatures is fully restored” (Merton, as quoted in your post yesterday).