I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Carol Delmonico’s reflection, “The Child’s Way.” The More Than Human World is my Abbey. The sense of our sacred interconnectivity is awakened as I contemplate and cultivate reverence for all living beings. Our tan 1984 Volvo wagon pulls into the dirt parking lot at Shevlin Park. It’s early May,1994. My three year old daughter Phoebe is sitting in the backseat, beginning to unbuckle herself from her carseat. I open the back door and scoop all twenty five

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Roger Butts’s reflection “Thank you, God, for Everything” excerpted from his book, Seeds of Devotion: Weekly Contemplations on Faith. Give us this day our daily bread. Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew 6:11 It was a Friday night, just after dinner. I was at the hospital. My work was slowing down—most people don’t need to see a hospital chaplain after 7 p.m. unless there is a really powerful reason. Then my pager went off. A nurse on the

I am delighted to share a beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series. Read on for Reverend Deborah Goldman’s poem “I Spread My Wings” written during the recent Abbey of the Arts daylong retreat, On Being Free: The Spirituality of Howard Thurman and Harriet Tubman led by Therese Taylor-Stinson. It came as a response to our morning reflections on the embodiment of freedom; my noontime walk, during which I listened repeatedly to Nina Simone singing, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free;” and to two stirring excerpts from Therese’s upcoming book, Walking the Way

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World Guest Post series from the community. Read on for Greta Kopec’s reflection, “Mary Magic and Miracles.” Once upon a time, I only knew Mary as the mom in the nativity story we heard each Christmas. In the past three years she has become a companion and muse who has taught me many names of the sacred feminine, those names multiplying as I have encountered her in various ways, in different places. She began by inviting me on a journey that would take me to Fatima, Portugal

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to thousands of subscribers. Please follow these instructions carefully: Please click this link to read a selection of the posts

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jenine Baines’ reflection, “Hail Mary, Full of Grace and Surprises and Smiles.” When I was twelve, I wanted to be a movie star or a nun. And while, outwardly, I’ve become neither, I carry the spirit of both within me. I believe with the fervor of a nun (or Monk in the World). Except when I don’t. When the doubts return and the ghost of the late renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens haunts me. Then I take a

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Lisa Deam’s reflection about inner pilgrimage in this time of pandemic. Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve all become a little monkish, whether we want to or not. I’ll admit that the recent months of isolation haven’t always felt very sacred to me. As I continue to restrict my movements out of extra caution, I’ve deeply missed the ordinary activities of daily life, such as gathering with friends and writing in coffee shops. And I mourn the loss