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“Orient” comes from oriens = The East. “Orientation” = “east-ing,” turning towards the east. I am learning some very cool things about some very old ways. One of them is this: Christians traditionally prayed facing east, and according to Pope Benedict XVI…still should whenever possible.* You see Christianity came out of Judaism, and in every Jewish synagogue at the time of Christ, was placed a shrine containing the Torah (the scrolls of the first five books of Moses). This sh

My second favorite day of the year is the day I sow my wild flower seeds.* It’s usually cold and cloudy. Scatter, scatter, scatter… nothing. Wait. Wait some more. My first favorite day of the year is the day they bloom! It’s usually warm and sunny. Pop! Pop! Pop! … Happy! Happy! Happy! The seeds sown along the path of life are like this, they yield fruit—mostly beautiful (hopefully)-- all in due season. What can we learn from the principle of sowing and reaping? 1. You always

Maribeth Harper, author of ...And So We Pray is the guest blogger this week. My 82-year old father is visiting. Seeing how he's slowed down a bit reminds me of his younger years when there was nothing my dad couldn't do with a hammer and a saw. I used to sheepishly hand him a "honey-do" list upon his arrival and he would set about accomplishing it while my mom and I chatted over wine and watched the kids play in the back yard. Willing as he was, however, he got grouchy in a h

Want to know something really cool? The Old Testament is the time of Shadow. The New Testament is the time of Image. Heaven is the true Reality. We live in the thin space between the time of Image and the time of Reality. We enter into Reality each time we actively participate in the Mass*. The complete experience is to be one of an eternal, joyful exchange between Lover and the beloved. An experience that transports us out of this world and into the next. How does this happe