Dear Friends,

This Sunday’s Gospel is one of our favorites: the disciples on the road to Emmaus experience their hearts burning within them as they encounter Jesus on the road, without knowing that it is Jesus. We wonder how often that happens to each of us: that

we are walking along the road and God is walking with us and we do not even know it. The second message is that because we are companions to each other on the journey we each have the inspiration to make it through to our destination.

Mary Oliver once again inspires us to life and to gratitude. As usual she models living with our eyes wide open to recognize what is shining right before us.

Mindful        Mary Oliver

Everyday
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for —
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world —
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant —
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these —
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

Alleluia!!! As a community, members and guests of The Spirit of Life, find support and hope in the journey through time and body to deepen our spiritual lives. Our liturgies are not “cluttered’ with non-inclusive language and messages that discount the dignity of all people. Rather, we are radically simple in embodying the “good news” of Jesus Christ... “uncluttered” by messages caught in the moral timewarp so present in more traditional Catholic liturgies. At the Spirit of life... the call of women to ordained priesthood is affirmed...the sacredness of all loving relationships is honored and celebrated, and as Jesus did, we welcome ALL to the Table!   If you are seeking a Catholic community where you do not need to mentally/silently “insert” inclusive language into your prayer at Mass, or lament that your children are hearing non-loving messages about people whose sexual orientation is other than heterosexual, or feel that your “voice” is not heard.....we invite you to come and experience life in our community. We are an inclusive and interactive community, where everyone has a “voice.”  We are truly a people of “justice & Joy.”

We wish you a joyful Easter celebration and may Love be Resurrected in your life in unexpected and glorious ways!

Easter Blessings....

Jean & Ron