spirituality

Clan Apis

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Quotes from Jay Holser’s graphic novel “Clan Apis” (2000)

“When she said she would return with a full load of nectar, she meant the nectar would be carrying her.”

“What is this inner voice I hear, and why does it tell me to go forth to adventure?”

“We may do things differently, but that doesn’t make my way better than his. We both play out our role in nature, and I wouldn’t intentionally interfere with his attempts to survive”

Jay Hosler is an associate professor at Juniata College, and the author and illustrator of Clan Apis. The novel follows the life story of a honey bee named Nyuki learning about her purpose in the vast world of insects.

At the End of My Days

brass Guided Reflections, Prayers and Meditations ,

By F. Reed

And if at the end of my days
if the horrors persist and sadness prevails
if the world is chaotic, melting and flaming
if I leave my body earlier than expected
Success will be clear.

If I said Alhamdulillah for everything
if was good to my fellow human and the creatures of the earth
if I prioritized love and patience over my ego
if I spoke truth no matter the consequence
if I lived in a sustainable way and took only what I needed
if I found beauty and appreciation in every day
then my time here was not a waste
then I have accomplished something.

For I am so tired
And the woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I can feel the glow of the village from here
the laughter of those to whom I owe my life, calling me home
and I can find the strength and sabr to trek these last few miles
before I leave the body and world where I’ve loved to call home.

F. Reed is DePaul Alum. Her poem was influenced by both Robert Frost and Muslim traditions of gratitude and Sabr.

What Needs to be Repaired

brass Prayers and Meditations, Quotes ,

By Menachem Mendel Schneerson

“If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that God has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly in the world, then it is you yourself that needs repair.”

Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was a prominent Orthodox rabbi and the seventh leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

On Prayer

brass Prayers and Meditations

Excerpt From “The Prophet” By Kahlil Gibran

you pray in your distress and in your need;
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.

for what is prayer but the expansion of yourself into the living ether?
and if it is for your comfort to pour your darkness into space,
it is also for your delight to pour forth the dawning of your heart.

and if you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer,
she should spur you again and yet again, though weeping, until you shall come laughing.

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, visual artist, and philosopher. He is best known as the author of “The Prophet”, one of the best-selling books of all time.

Blessing That Vincent Offered to Louise as He Sent Her Forth on Her First Mission to the Confraternities of Charity

brass Quotes, Vincentian Tradition ,

By St. Vincent de Paul

“Go forth, then. Go forth in the name of the Lord. We pray the Divine Goodness to accompany you, to be your consolation on the way, your shelter against the heat of the sun, your protection from the rain and cold, your soft couch in weariness, your strength in labor, and that in the end, it may bring you back in perfect health, laden with good deeds and precious remembrances.”

And may we send you forth in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac! Go lead with love!

Daughters of Charity Daily Routine: Sustaining the Journey

brass Guided Reflections, Vincentian Tradition ,

If you go back and look at the schedule of the Daughters of Charity—the community founded by Louise de Marillac and Vincent de Paul—you will see they were very intentional about their time. Their day started at 4:00 AM and was scheduled to the minute until 8:15 PM, when they prepared for bed.

Something striking—aside from their ability to function at a seemingly superhuman capacity—was that their schedule included designated times for recreation and learning how to read. Even in the midst of curing the ills and woes of the day and tending to a broken society, they prioritized time every day for leisure, respite, and personal development.

Louise understood that these daily routines, which created space to care for the whole person, were essential for sustaining the community’s long-term effectiveness as agents of change.

Reflection Questions:

  • What holistic care practices do you integrate into your daily routines?
  • How are you creating spaces in your life for recreation and restoration?
  • How do you hold yourself accountable to practicing daily habits?

Discourse on the Psalms 

arampone Quotes

By Saint Augustine 

“The desire of one’s heart constitutes one’s prayer. There is a hidden anguish which is inaudible to us… If your desire lies open to the one who is your God and who sees your secret, God will answer you. For the desire of your heart is itself your prayer. And if the desire is constant, so is your prayer.

The Apostle Paul had purpose in saying: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ Are we then ceaselessly to bend our knees, to lie prostrate, or to lift up our hands? Even if we admit that we pray in this fashion, I do not believe that we can do so all the time.

Yet there is another, interior kind of prayer without ceasing, namely, the desire of the heart.

Whatever else you may be doing, if you but fix your desire on God’s Sabbath rest, your prayer will be ceaseless. Therefore, if you wish to pray without ceasing, do not cease to desire. The constancy of your desire will itself be the ceaseless voice of your prayer… If your love is without ceasing, you are crying out always; if you always cry out, you are always desiring; and if you desire, you are calling to mind your eternal rest in the Lord… If the desire is there, then the groaning is there as well. Even if people fail to hear it, it never ceases to sound in the hearing of God.”

Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa (died 430 AD).

Praise is the Harvest of Love

arampone Quotes

By Abraham Joshua Heschel

“The secret of spiritual living is the power to praise. Praise is the harvest of love. Praise precedes faith. First we sing, then we believe.

The fundamental issue is not faith but sensitivity and praise, being ready for faith. To be overtaken with the awe of God is not to entertain a feeling, but to share in a spirit that permeates all being… We praise with the pebbles on the road which are like petrified amazement, with all the flowers and trees which look as if hypnotized in silent devotion.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and philosophers of the 20th century.