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Category: Illuminating the Way

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Feast of St. Brendan the Navigator ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks and artists, Tuesday, May 16this the Feast of St. Brendan, one of my favorite of the Irish saints. His story embodies the journey of the pilgrim. Here is an excerpt from my book Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics. Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your

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Feast of St. Francis and the Holy Fool ~ A love note from your online abbess

St. Francis at the Corner Pub Approaching the door, you can already hear his generous laughter. He stands on the bar upside down for a moment to get a new perspective on things, a flash of polka-dotted boxers as his brown robe cascades over his head, sandaled toes wiggling in the air in time with a fiddle playing in the corner. Rain falls heavily in the deepening darkness and he orders a round of drinks despite his vow of poverty and the single silver coin in his pocket, multiplied by the last Guinness poured. Nothing like a good glass of

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Feast of Brendan the Navigator ~ A love note from your online abbess

Dearest monks and artists, Tuesday, May 16th is the Feast of St. Brendan, one of my favorite of the Irish saints. His story embodies the journey of the pilgrim. Here is another excerpt from my book Illuminating the Way: Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand. Tune my spirit to the

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St. Kevin and Holy Yielding ~ A love note from your online abbess

St. Kevin and the Blackbird (after Seamus Heaney) Imagine being like Kevin, your grasping fist softens, fingers uncurl and palms open, rest upward, and the blackbird weaves twigs and straw and bits of string in the begging bowl of your hand, you feel the delicate weight of speckled blue orbs descend, and her feathered warmth settling in for a while. How many days can you stay, open, waiting for the shell to fissure and crack, awaiting the slow emergence of tiny gaping mouths and slick wings that need time to strengthen? Are you willing to wait and watch? To not

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Celebrate Pentecost and the Feast of St. Brendan (Free Preview Call) ~ A love note from your online abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today is Pentecost and tomorrow is the Feast of St. Brendan, one of my favorite of the Irish saints. Here is another excerpt from my newest book Illuminating the Way: Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand. Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,

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Christine is interviewed on The Soul Directed Life

Janet Connor interviewed Christine Valters Paintner about her new book Illuminating the Way. You can listen to the conversation here about embracing your inner monk, visionary, and pilgrim through the inspiration of Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, and Brendan the Navigator.

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Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics is now available!  

  Illuminating the Way takes you on a journey through your inner life accompanied by twelve great monks and mystics from the Christian tradition. Each figure invites you to discover the energy and potential of a particular archetype–the inner sage in Benedict; the inner visionary in Hildegard of Bingen; and the inner orphan in Dorothy Day. From the prophet Miriam of the Hebrew Scriptures to twentieth century monk Thomas Merton, Paintner offers an array of challenging and enlivening models to explore. Christine is beloved by readers for her creative practices, guided meditations, and beautiful prayers and poems, and she has

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