Creator Mundi features blog posts with inspirational ideas and religious information.
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Every Christian is familiar with the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion (Eucharist). “Sacrament” comes from the ancient Roman term sacramentum, a soldier’s oath of allegiance to the Roman Emperor. Tertullian, a 3rd-century Christian theologian, argued that just as the soldier’s oath is a sign of beginning one’s new life as a soldier, so too are the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion (Eucharist) sacraments of initiation, sacraments of beginning and deepening one’s new life as a Christian.
Being born or naturalized in the United States (14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) is the civic equivalent of Baptism. Voting is the civic equivalent of Holy Communion (Eucharist). For just as Christians renew and deepen their identity as Christians by partaking in Holy Communion (Eucharist), so also do U.S. citizens renew and deepen their identity as U.S. citizens by voting.
Saint Augustine of Hippo defined “sacrament” as a visible sign of an invisible reality. If the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion is a visible sign of the invisible reality of ever-deepening communion in the Body of Christ, so too then is voting a visible sign of the invisible reality of our becoming ever more Americans, ever more U.S. citizens. Voting is a visible sign of the invisible reality of our ever-deepening initiation into, critical reappropriation of, and growing relationship with the U.S. and its Constitution.
Voting is then indeed a “civic sacrament” — the sacramentum in its original meaning as “oath of allegiance” — not to an emperor, but rather to know, defend and support the U.S. Constitution. As such, voting is the ultimate, absolute, and necessary expression of our U.S. citizenship. By voting, we as U.S. citizens commit ourselves to the American Experiment; to the never-ending project of forming an ever more perfect Union; to “government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Lincoln); to the battle for the Soul of our Nation, to “America, you great unfinished symphony” (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton).
Conscientious, deliberate, and well-informed voting is voting one’s conscience. Voting one’s conscience is an inalienable right, a patriotic duty, a sacred trust, a holy obligation, a moral imperative, an essential engagement, an awesome responsibility, a conscious commitment to the Common Good, and the beating heart of our democracy. Voting is and must be the complement, consequence and culmination of public protest. We make the world we strive for and want to see ever more real by our act of voting.
Item # cmc100 — Available for sale: https://www.creatormundi.com/product/voting-is-a-civic-sacrament-medallion-coin/
We are all deeply concerned about this pandemic and how it is affecting our daily lives and relationships. We are especially concerned about family members and loved ones whom we can no longer physically visit, support and be present to. How can we express our care, especially to our loved ones? Gift cards for restaurants, movies, and shopping are valuable and important. Staying in touch using Skype or Facetime, sending cards and letters, and assuring them of our thoughts and prayers are especially meaningful.
In addition, we might want to send symbols of empathy, of hope and trust that we are in the care of God. We can send symbols of encouragement to help them to keep their spirits up during these trying and isolating times. We can send symbols of solidarity which express that we are with them in spirit, that their needs and concerns are our needs and concerns.
Creator Mundi – Distinctive Sacred Art & Gifts is a small business being affected — like so many other businesses, large and small — by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The Creator Mundi brick-and-mortar Gallery is closed for now, but the website (www.creatormundi.com) is open 24/7. We the staff of Creator Mundi are processing and shipping all orders received online with delivery most often in 2-4 business days. And we will include your own personal message with the symbols you send to loved ones.
May we all continue to provide help, support and service to one another.
Sharing this:
Kerry Weber, “A Coronavirus Prayer,” America (3/2/2020)
Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.
Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.
Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another.
Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.
Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.
Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.
Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.
Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.
Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.
Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.
Jesus Christ, heal us.
The Pope’s Apostolic Letter Admirabile Signum on the meaning and importance of the Nativity scene:
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in white: https://www.creatormundi.com/product-category/nativity/french/grande-creche-white/
While traveling in Germany and Holland I was fascinated by other people’s lives and their ways of being in the world. I want to share with you three observations that speak to the generosity of the heart.
First, in Holland, I needed the assistance of a dentist. It was almost 6 pm when my family called a local dentist in this neighboring little Dutch town. The dentist invited me to arrive close to 7:30 pm. In a most friendly manner, she repaired my tooth and asked for Euro 23.00 ($25.30).
Second, in Munich, I visited my childhood friend, Ursula, who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s. We spent the day together. That evening while sitting across from her at dinner, she turned to her husband and said she planned to call me tomorrow since she had not seen or spoken to me for the longest time. Her husband pointed out that I was sitting across from her. I realized my visit was meaningful for her only at the moment rather than as a memory we both could share.
Last, Ursula’s son Daniel, a physician, was taking a leave of absence, interrupting his professional commitments and opportunities so he, his wife and their daughter could tend to the needs of his aging parents. They seemed to be the happiest people on earth. I was reminded of the saying: “Never let a hardship be lost.”
So much more to share …
Many folks are walking the Camino. Did you know there is also a Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage by foot? It is a journey of 85 miles through meadows and hills.
www.hildegardweg.eu
Hildegard
We were reminded of Thomas Merton’s SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/second-mountain-brooks-discusses-his-faith/588766/
Massimo Faggioli, PhD
If it weren’t being used by the pope, “Pontifex”— Latin for “bridge builder”— would be an apt Twitter handle for church historian and professor Massimo Faggioli. The Italian-born theologian and Vatican II expert helps the different worlds of European and American Catholicism understand each other.
After years of study at the universities of Bologna and Turin, research in the Vatican archives, and teaching in other countries, Dr. Faggioli came to the United States during the 2008 presidential campaign. He was promptly tapped to write articles for European audiences, explaining the religious aspects of US politics, and for American audiences, explaining the qualities unique to Catholicism in this country. That task continues.
“Having had a more universal experience of Catholicism, I try to cast light on ideas that are distinctly American, some of which may be worth questioning,” Dr. Faggioli says.
The 2013 election of Pope Francis catapulted Dr. Faggioli, then a faculty member at the University of St. Thomas, back onto the international stage. He provided expert commentary for respected US and European media outlets, and has continued to do so since coming to Villanova in 2016.
In addition to bringing his European perspective to the classroom, Dr. Faggioli draws upon it as he writes what will be a trilogy of books on Francis’ papacy. Unlike many scholars in the US, he “follows what the pope says and does directly from Vatican sources, without having to rely on translations. It’s fascinating.”
SR. Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD
With doctoral degrees in Pharmacology and Theology, Sister Ilia Delio is eminently qualified not only to speak authoritatively about two distinct fields but also to show that, contrary to popular opinion, science and religion can work together. Since fall 2015, she has pursued this calling as the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Christian Theology at Villanova.
Sister Ilia has deep roots in both fields. The Newark, N.J., native had been researching a drug for diabetic neuropathy when she decided to enter the Sisters of St. Francis. The community sent her to Fordham University, where she earned her second doctoral degree, this one in Historical Theology. The convergence of her interests in cells and souls transformed her. “I was like a fish who had finally found water.”
In her various posts at prestigious institutions, most recently, Georgetown University, Sister Ilia has developed new ways of understanding how God is present and active in an evolving, dynamic universe. Her awardwinning books go beyond academia to show people how they can “reclaim a living God for a living world of change and complexity.”
More than anything, “Avengers: Endgame” is about the redemptive power of human imperfection
We have just received a new bronze plaque quoting Richard Niebuhr’s advise:
GOD, GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
Image to follow soon…
Rev. Patrick Dolan@mythguidedlife
Until you are ready to make every day sacred you will probably miss the Easter moments. https://mythguidedlife.org/p/cr7C
Holy Thursday
We though many are one body in Christ.
Romans 12:15
Good Friday
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
William Shakespeare
Easter
Early in the morning, on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…
John 20:1
Mary stooped to peer inside…
John 20:11
…the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first…He saw and believed.
John 23: 3-4
LET US SING A NEW SONG, not with our lips but with our lives..
Saint Augustin
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When presented with a decision between doing good or doing well, which do we choose? https://mythguidedlife.org/p/e8u3
We welcome this Papal document to accompany us on our Christian pilgrimage…
Caring becomes my way of thanking for what I have received;
I thank by caring all the more for others and the conditions of their existence.
~~ Milton Mayeroff
| Date | Event | Who/Where | Website |
| Until 4-10-2019 (five Wednesdays) | 5-Week Retreat: The Lord Goes to His Suffering for My Sins | Ignatian Spirituality Program Denver | https://ignatianspiritualitydenver.org/retreats/calendar/ |
| Until 4-20-2019 | Collaboration Quilt Exhibit | Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Golden | https://www.denver.org/listing/rocky-mountain-quilt-museum/3832/ |
| Until 5-26-2019 | Jordan Casteel: Returning the Gaze | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/jordan-casteel-returning-gaze |
| March 2019 | |||
| 3-19-2019 for 7 weeks on Tuesdays | Hebrew Experience Class Part III | Assumption Parish, 2361E, 78th Ave, Denver | https://www.assumptiondenver.org/the-hebrew-experience |
| 3-30-2019 | 2019 Annual Conference featuring Martin Laird | Contemplative Outreach of Colorado | http://www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org/classes/other-offerings/78-classes/328-twenty-sixth-annual-conference |
| April 2019 | |||
| 4-18 to 4-21-2019 | Easter Triduum Retreat | Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House, Sedalia | https://www.sacredheartretreat.org/silent-weekend-retreats.html |
| 4-26 to 4-28-2019 | Black Catholic Annual Retreat | Office of Black Catholic Ministry of the Denver Archdiocese; held at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House, Sedalia | http://www.sacredheartretreat.org/silent-weekend-retreats.html |
| 4-27-2019 | Catholic Women’s Conference of Denver | CU South Denver Event Center | http://denvercatholicconference.com/women/ |
| May 2019 | |||
| 5-2 to 5-5-2019 | Spring Intensive Retreat | Contemplative Outreach of Colorado, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia | http://www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org/retreats/spring-weekend-intensive-retreat |
| 5-5 to 8-25-2019 | Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/serious-play |
| 5-9-2019 | R.E.A.D. Club (James Cone’s “The Cross and the Lynching Tree”) | Benet Hill Monastery | http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eftxofmqefe29f9a&llr=446slgdab |
| 5-10 to 5-12-2019 | John Philip Newell presentations | St. John’s Episcopal Church, Boulder | https://heartbeatjourney.org/locations/st-johns-episcopal-boulder-colorado-usa/ |
| 5-12 to 11-17-2019 | Eyes on Jonathan Saiz | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/eyes-jonathan-saiz |
| 5-14- to 5-16-2019 | John Philip Newell, School of Celtic Consciousness | Shambala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO | https://heartbeatjourney.org/events/colorado-school-of-celtic-consciousness-shambhala-year-one/ |
| 5-17 to 5-19-2019 | John Philip Newell, School of Celtic Consciousness | First United Methodist Church, Colorado Springs | https://heartbeatjourney.org/events/colorado-school-of-celtic-consciousness-colorado-springs-year-i/ |
| 5-21 to 5-23-2019 | John Philip Newell | Casa del Sol, Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico | https://www.ghostranch.org/retreat/listening-for-the-heartbeat-of-god-g190514/ |
| June 2019 | |||
| 6-2-2019 to 5-3-2020 | The Light Show | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/light-show |
| 6-20 to 8-4-2019 | Bravo Vail Music Festival | Vail | https://www.bravovail.org/ |
| October 2019 | |||
| 10/21/2019 to 2/2/2020 | Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/claude-monet |
We all have “stuff.” Don’t you? Are you cleaning out? Cleaning up? Gratitude enters into that, too! Here is Marie Kondo’s insight …:
Have gratitude for the things you’re discarding. By giving gratitude, you’re giving closure to the relationship with that object, and by doing so, it becomes a lot easier to let go.
~~ Marie Kondo
How about letting go of 20 items you no longer need and replace them with just one – yes, one!:
https://www.creatormundi.com/product/pewter-grateful-token/
As part of our Lenten practice on gratefulness and gratitude, take a moment and let yourself be inspired by Brother David Steindl-Rast’s reflection.
Our cross called God’s Creation makes for a wonderful reminder to enter into an attitude of gratefulness and stewardship for our earth.
Gratitude as Lenten Practice
I find that the practice of Gratitude helps me to be more fully present, and much more appreciative of all of the abundance in my life. I’ve recently learned that gratitude is associated with high levels of vitality, optimism and life satisfaction. Gratitude increases physical and mental well being, which in turn increases energy levels.
Here’s a quick and easy gratitude practice: Think of the letters www and ask What Went Well? Challenge yourself to do it daily and increase your list of things that are going well – for example, start by thinking of 3 things and writing them down in your journal. Increase your numbers each day so that you’re soon reflecting on over a dozen things that are going well in your life and in the world.
~ From Beth Blissman, for Loretto at the UN (2018 Daily Lenten Reflections from the Loretto Community’s Mission Activities Team)
Bidden or Not Bidden, God Is Present, Oval Plaque
