Spiritual Practice – SSJE

We remember presence, soothing, slowing, one being with us. Brother Luke Ditewig reflects on how Jesus meets frightened disciples not with quick answers, but with peace, tenderness, and promised presence. He invites us to slow down, receive God’s love, and share that same tender presence with others.

Jesus is here talking about peace from the inside out. He’s talking about being at peace in the storm. Jesus offers a deeper peace than calm or comfort – a peace that begins within us and steadies us in the middle of life’s storms. But Br. Curtis Almquist also says that real peace in the world must be joined to justice, and that we're called to help bring both.

Running toward Jesus is not a solitary act. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows reflects on the different ways people come to the risen Jesus — eagerly, hesitantly, or with doubt — and reminds us that the spiritual life moves between action and stillness.

The great challenge we have as Christians is how to maintain an even keel. How do we keep our heads while the world around us goes crazy? We may not know how we're going to react in our encounter with God, but, as Br. Jack Crowley reminds us, we will answer that question in the thousands of little ways we live our lives each day.

What is the vision that inspires you and gives you hope? What is the vision that propels you forward with confidence into the future? Br. David Vryhof urges us to identify and cling to a vision – of God, of our community, of ourselves – that can help us keep going when times get tough.

If you want to experience new life, if you long to be filled afresh with the Spirit, don’t give up, keep asking, keep praying. Br. Geoffrey Tristram digs deep into the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and finds there a call to persistence and faith.

The faithful testimony of Simeon and Anna, though, reminds us of one truth: Jesus comes to meet us, whether we’re ready or not. On the feast of the Presentation, Br. Lain Wilson invites us to meet Jesus with clear eyes, open hands, and ready hearts.

"The clue to remember is that now is more important than next. Don’t try to cut in line in life. There is a reason why today is not tomorrow. Be present, which is where God is: in the present." Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to be present to God's readying and protective actions in our lives through the spiritual practice of waiting.

Always an incisive observer of human behavior, Jesus names clearly a very human reality: the habitual patterns of thought and feeling that we feed, that we cultivate, that we invest energy in will eventually become manifest in our words and actions. Br. Keith Nelson wrestles with an enigmatic saying from Jesus and how it invites us to reframe our priorities and the relationship of our inner and ou...

Be up front and personal about how you feel with yourself, your loved ones, and God. Don’t hide your pain. If you feel embarrassed, remember: chances are Jesus has seen worse. Jesus loves us and wants to heal us. Br. Jack Crowley reminds us that, though we may feel embarrassed or insecure about all the ways that we need healing, Jesus always invites us to close the distance and come back to him.