When Julian was a young girl, she expressed to God three desires: The first was minde of his passion; The second was bodily sickness in youth; The third was to have of God’s gift three wounds. In other words, she wanted to understand and always remember Christ’s passion. She wanted to come close to theContinue reading “The Three Desires of Julian of Norwich”
Category Archives: Damaris Zehner
The Constant Seeker: Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich was an English contemplative Christian who lived during what Barbara Tuchman has called “the calamitous fourteenth century.” A small child when the Black Death first devastated her home city of Norwich in eastern England, she experienced several recurrences of the epidemic during her lifetime. This was the time of the Hundred Years’Continue reading “The Constant Seeker: Julian of Norwich”
Abraham in the Wilderness
Lent 2012: A Journey Through the Wilderness Abraham in the Wilderness The story of Abraham and Isaac was on the lectionary this past Sunday. It’s an appalling story. We aren’t told how Abraham felt when he was commanded to sacrifice his hope in God’s promise. But we can assume that he entered the wilderness notContinue reading “Abraham in the Wilderness”
Dealing with the Wayward
Dealing with the Wayward Damaris Zehner Recently on iMonk we discussed how a church responded to a young man who confessed to a sin. We tossed comments back and forth referring to Matthew 18 and both the Gospel and the letters of John. Most of us seemed to be in agreement that the church’s handlingContinue reading “Dealing with the Wayward”
The Blessings of Boredom
NOTE FROM CM: Though Damaris’ post is not about sports, it does address our culture of entertainment and “hyperstimulation” in which sports plays a part. As an example, having spent hours in the Super Bowl Village over the weekend, I can safely say it was a sensory extravaganza — all stimulation all the time. What’sContinue reading “The Blessings of Boredom”
What’s the Point?
I’m generally pretty pragmatic. Before I do something, I like to know that it’s a good use of my time and resources. I like to be able to anticipate a return for my effort. I’m aware that I can’t do everything, so I try to choose deeds that will count, will really make a difference.Continue reading “What’s the Point?”
The Life Of Faith
One of my favorite hymns, I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say by Horatius Bonar, outlines beautifully the process of the Christian life in three stanzas. The first stanza begins with my most pressing need: rest. I am “weary and worn and sad,” battered by the world, by work, by relationships, by senselessness and violenceContinue reading “The Life Of Faith”
Idleness
This Sunday I have a more whimsical poem for you. Read it carefully, putting aside for a moment any tense insistence on perfect doctrine or scruples passed down from Puritan forefathers. Maybe, when you’re done reading it, you can turn off the computer and go outside for a half-hour or so, just leaning on theContinue reading “Idleness”
Decline And Fall
There’s been a lot of discussion over the last 1500 years or so of what led to the fall of the Roman Empire and ushered in the Dark Ages. Such discussions are hard to conduct because already there are those (and I am among them) who want to point out that the eastern half ofContinue reading “Decline And Fall”
The Open Door
After a week of ordinary and inevitable failures, sins, and missed opportunities, I’m content to remember in whose hands salvation lies and who invites us in to his Sabbath rest. Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in God’s house. I suspect I’ve occasionally been more like the malodorous bum lying on the steps, preventingContinue reading “The Open Door”
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