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*** Weekly Reflections - Joyce Rupp ***
Beginning the week of Ash Wednesday Feb 17th
the National Catholic Reporter will be posting reflections
from Joyce's published resources. Sign up to receive an e-mail alert. Go to NCRonline.org/email-alert-signup .
A new reflection is posted every Friday.
*** For Readers of The Cup of Our Life ***
A new edition of The Cup of Our Life is scheduled for 2011.
My editor would like to include some testimonials from those who have read and found this book to be of value. If you are one of these readers, please consider sending a few lines to me via this website. If you submit a comment, you would be
consenting to allow Ave Maria Press to use it in some way within the book. I do not need your last name but definitely your first name and where you are from. Thanks so much for helping me with this project! - Joyce
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Article Go In peace, Rituals for the dying
In this article, published in U.S. Catholic, June, 2006, Joyce wrote about a meaningful and helpful blessing for the dying that she created and has shared with a number of persons who were near death.
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From the author... |
Welcome! I’m happy that you have chosen to stop by and visit my website. Thanks to Faye Williamsen who creates and manages this site you’ll be able to check my speaking schedule, learn about my published resources, read my monthly reflection (“Spiritual Zest”) and have access to some of my writing. I hope that what you find here is enriching for your spiritual path.
Joyce Hutchison and I continue to receive touching notes and affirming comments from those who have read our latest co-authored book, Now That You’ve Gone Home. We realize how deeply grief can enter the crevices of the deep self, and are grateful if the stories and meditations in our book help to ease an aching heart.
I have almost completed work on my latest manuscript. It contains a wide variety of metaphors and images used to name the divine, 365 of them - one for each day of the year. I’ve written a short reflection on each name. When I first began this project it seemed a bit daunting but once I proceeded to write the process took on a tone of both excitement and wonder. I have been continually amazed at what came forth as I reflected on each name. You can look for this book to come out sometime next Spring. The Muse of Writing hasn’t produced a title for it yet so check back here from time to time. Information on the book will be on this website’s home page this coming autumn.
My most exciting venture continues to be that of serving as co-director of The Institute of Compassionate Presence. I travel to Omaha Nebraska once a month to help facilitate the reflections & rituals, and also to be a presenter at some of the sessions. We had another wonderful group of women and men this year. They met with us all day every second Friday of the month. The other equally rewarding aspect of the ICP is that, for the first time, I taught a four day intensive of the Institute at the beautiful Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Mariottsville, Maryland. I absolutely loved how the week unfolded as those present responded to the many-faceted aspects of compassion. I’ll facilitate a reunion with those participants in 2011, and then offer another four day Institute there. I will also offer the Institute at Maryknoll NY where compassionate aspects related to the Christian Gospels will thread through the days. (see the 2011 schedule for more information on both events)
I leave you with what I penned here earlier this year. This message remains the central focus of my meditation and my life:
I guard my meditation and reflection time like gold. I believe in keeping strong boundaries around this and rarely depart from it. This is the best foundation I could have for writing. I gain so much clearness of mind/heart from meditation. That, and my daily walks, prepare me well for going deeper. Because of this, quality rather than quantity of time, most aids my work.
I am fortunate to live in a beautifully wooded, quiet spot in the heart of the city of Des Moines, Iowa. Here I have the stillness I long for and need. I also have deer, raccoons, possums, foxes, woodchucks, feral cats, squirrels(too many), a myriad of beautiful birds, and who knows what other little creatures, to keep me company. This lovely spot also allows for easy access into and out of the city’s humming heart.
I am going to keep posting the following reflection for you because it continues to be strong in my heart and mind. It is what I most believe for us right now:
A big chunk of my ongoing gratitude is for you, my readers, and those I meet at various gatherings for conferences and retreats. The more I travel, the more assured I am that we are “all one.” Much more unites than divides us. It’s a matter of looking a bit deeper and finding the wealth of goodness inherent in each of us. I’m no Pollyanna about current global pain but I am also no pessimist about the potential in humankind to breathe forth love rather than warring antipathy.
I leave you with a quote from The Wise Heart, Jack Kornfield’s latest book, which I highly recommend:
There is no separation between inner and outer, self and other. Tending ourselves, we tend the world. Tending the world, we tend ourselves.
All the best to you as we travel the road of life together in kinship of spirit.
-Joyce |
Articles of Interest...
Book shares peace found on journey - Review by Shirley Ragsdale, Des Moines Register, July 15, 2006, of Walk in a Relaxed Manner
Go in peace, Rituals for the dying - US Catholic Magazine, Jun 2006
Sneak Preview - Read preview chapter of Joyce's new book Walk in a Relaxed Manner online at The Healing Garden Journal.
"Desperately Seeking Sophia," US Catholic Magazine, October 2002
"Open Some Doors this Advent," US Catholic Magazine, November 24, 2008.
"Five Spiritual Lessons of Loss," Family Perspectives Journal, Summer 2002
"Celtic Crossovers: May the Lent of the Irish Be With You," U.S. Catholic, March 2001
"The art of cultivating spiritual growth," The editors interview Joyce Rupp. US Catholic, April 2000. pp 26-31.
"Let the Land Teach Us" About Healing and Creativity. Joyce Rupp. Catholic Rural Life, Spring 2000, pp. 12-16. Catholic Rural Life is a publication of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. http://www.ncrlc.com
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Book Awards Announced
Catholic Press Association:
Walk in a Relaxed Manner - placed first in the area of spirituality, softcover book.
The Circle of Life placed second in this same category!
Independent Book Publishers Association:
The Circle of Life received a second place award in the Religion category.
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About Joyce Rupp...
Joyce Rupp is well known for her work as a writer, a spiritual "midwife," and retreat and conference speaker. She has led retreats throughout North America, as well as in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Joyce has a B.A. in English, a M.R.E. in Religious Education, and a M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology. She is a member of the Servites (Servants of Mary) community and a volunteer for Hospice. She currently resides in Des Moines, Iowa. A list of Joyce's works can be found in the left column of this page. Click on the book title to find out more information about that title.
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Spiritual Zest
August 2010
A pair of house wrens is helping me live more contemplatively this summer. They came two months ago and found a home in the wooden, cylindrical birdhouse my brother built. It’s hanging close to the kitchen’s glass door where I can easily observe their activities. These small brown birds, only four to five inches long, have an incredible song. At dawn their bold melody has jolted my tired ears and made certain I did not go back to sleep. As the male sings his energetic song, he becomes especially animated when he’s courting his mate or guarding his turf. His throat looks like a bubbling mountain stream when he sings. One time he was warbling so passionately I thought he might fall right off the railing.
Just when I thought it might be egg-laying time I gasped as I looked out the door one morning to find the entire contents of the nest lying on the porch floor. At first I thought, “Wow, that must have been some fight they had!” But then I remembered how territorial these birds are and decided a returning wren wanted it for his own. Not long after this incident, a new pair of wrens took up residence. (Like humans, these birds have their shadow sides. Wrens can be downright nasty, destroying other bird’s eggs and even pecking at the newborns of strangers.)
The strong song of the current wren never stopped from sun-up to sun-down. That is, until the babies were born. Then, no more singing. Feeding time had come. I’m astounded at the dedication of mama and papa. Every few minutes they bring insects, including spiders, beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets. When they come to the nest, I see all sorts of things sticking out of their beaks: a pair of antennae, a black wing, a bit of a caterpillar body. As the parent approaches the nest, the birdhouse moves back and forth. I imagine the nestlings inside with their little mouths wide open, all positioning for a place where they will be the lucky one to get a tasty treat.
Why am I telling you this? To let you know I’ve been called back to “being present,” instead of overly-engaged in “doing.” I’ve slowed down to observe, to let myself be caught up in wonder. Watching these tiny birds has led me to rejuvenate my tired psyche and restore my gratitude for the marvel of life that exists all around me…if only I stop to contemplate it. (Contemplation: to look lovingly.) In doing so, I appreciate the wonder of creation. Thomas Merton writes: “Contemplation is awakening, enlightenment and the amazing intuitive grasp by which love gains certitude of God’s creative and dynamic intervention in our daily life.”
There are adventures of great simplicity, rich in beauty, right under our nose. We’ll never notice what is there unless we stop to look. In the same way, we will not be aware of the richness of the deeper gifts of our life unless we pause to be with them. Stop today and really look at the people whom you love. What is it that will awaken you to who you have? What will you discover when you slow down and contemplate? Perhaps you will find renewed love when your children are at play, or when your spouse is drinking coffee, or while caring for your aging parents. It might be that you find something worthy of gratitude in that daily trek to work that has grown increasingly boring or when you sit at the luster-less church service. Find a piece of your life and go there with your entire attention. See what happens when you do so.
© Joyce Rupp
Check out previous Spiritual Zest Articles.
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Reviews...
"The Dance of Oneness," A review of The Cosmic Dance by Loretta Peters, EarthLight, Summer 2002.
"A Nurturing God," A review by Sally Cunneen of Prayers to Sophia and The Star in My Heart. The American Catholic, March 2000, pp. 7, 19. http://www.vfr.com/tac
Reviews by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat,Values and Visions Review Service
Open the Door
Walk in a Relaxed Manner
Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season
The Star in My Heart: Experiencing Sophia, Inner Wisdom
Reviewed by Sharon Flesher Prayers to Sophia: A Companion to "A Star in My Heart"
Reviewed by Austin Repath Walk in a Relaxed Manner |
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