We offer spiritual reflections that relate Scripture and faith to our everyday lives. You can subscribe to the Providence Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
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God is with us however we are — when we feel like quitting or when we persevere, when we feel happy or just way less sad. If the world is ending, God is in that, and if it’s not but it just feels pretty desolate, God’s with us in that too. However we find ourselves these days, I hope we can turn toward God in love and trust.
Read MoreWe are the living, breathing temples of the Holy One, and so we advocate on behalf of the Holy One for the vulnerable and oppressed people around us. We will flip all the tables until everyone has a place at the table.
Read MoreFor this week’s reflection, we’re trying something new! Rather than a homily or sermon-type of reflection, Sr. Leslie Keener and Sr. Alice Gerdeman will have a faith-sharing conversation about the First Reading for All Souls Day, which is from the Book of Wisdom. We hope that, as we share, the Holy Spirit speaks to you too!
Read MoreGod wants us as we are. No bravado, no discarding our own worth. God receives us – all that we are, our past, our present, our brokenness and giftedness — the whole of each of us. God loves us however we show up. And God always shows up for us.
Read MoreThe more that I, and we, live and grow into the fullness of being to which God calls us, the more we belong to God and ourselves. When we belong like that, we’ll find belonging wherever we are.
Read MoreEven if we aren’t feeling it and we sort of quiet quit for a minute, God never quiet quits on us — or quiet fire us either. The Holy Spirit will stir things up. It will fuel and fan our fires. Stirring into flame is what the Spirit does.
Read MoreProphets comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, and maybe that's what our prophets are doing -- afflicting us until we shift our expectations and attitudes. Attitude shifts are often uncomfortable for me, but that’s okay. A little discomfort never hurt me and, in fact, sometimes it helps me to grow.
Read MoreThere’s probably never been a time when there weren’t deceitful people, but our present age feels particularly corrupt. As we acknowledge this and negotiate it as best we can, we can be single-hearted in following God and loving other people. Thanks be to God for prudence and guidance and for the gift of each other for support and care.
Read MoreAs we commemorate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we might wonder why we celebrate the cross, a symbol of suffering and death. I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the midst of my own pain, my first reaction is not to praise it. Why would I rejoice in it? Let’s see what the Spirit has to say to us about the crosses in our lives . . .
Read MoreIt seems like Jesus is asking us to make a strategy around our discipleship, planning like we would do if we were doing a building project. But how do you plan in the spiritual life, especially as a finite human in the face of the omniscient mystery of God?
Read MoreJesus is calling us to alignment between our attitudes and our actions, an authentic living out of our faith. He's interested in transforming the whole of us, and if we’re open, we allow that transformation to happen, just as it happened to him.
Read MoreWhat if we stopped worrying about worthiness? God, with great pleasure, wastes God’s big, crazy love on us, like a giant waterfall. What if we were to simply receive God’s abundant love and mercy?
Read MoreWe encounter Jesus as he heals a deaf person with the words, “Be opened.” His invitation to openness shows that the problem isn’t an illness that can be cured but a closedness that can opened. How open are you when it comes to speaking your truth? When it comes to listening to others? How open is your heart?
Read MoreGod cared for the first Christians in their time of distress, and God is caring for us too. We, too, will navigate through it, and as we’re dealing with it all, why not give ourselves over to the comfort of God’s care?
Read MoreAll things are possible with God, and people can change if we want to. If we’re open, we can grow into the people God calls us to be. It’s not something we can do on our own, but with God’s help, all things are possible.
Read MoreThere’s a lot going on in this Gospel, and the quick pace makes it seem like Jesus’s life is an action-packed adventure with lots of people who need help. Are these encounters just part of a busy day in the life of Jesus, or do they have much to tell us about the healing ministry of Jesus – for those in the story and for us too.
Read MoreWhether we stay or go, God is still with us. Christ accompanies us, and we accompany Christ in the company of each other. Yes, sometimes it’s hard. But to whom else shall we go? Christ has the words of eternal life.
Read More“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” We tend to use this reading from First Corinthians to affirm community and unity in diversity, and that it does. However, when we think about real life in communities and families, how does a diversity of gifts manifest? Do we really affirm the gifts in each person? And do we appreciate our own gifts?
Read MoreIn our Second Reading, Paul reflects back over his life, noting with satisfaction that he has finished the race faithfully. When you look back over your life, what do you notice? We’ll take some time in our reflection this week to look at our lives with God and see how our journey is going.
Read MoreThe Feast of Corpus Christi may be a good time to reflect on what we are consuming. Is what we’re eating the lift-giving bread of faith and hope? Are we feasting on contemplation, fruitful prayer, and honest self-examination? Are we eating the bread of the life of the world that puts us in touch with reality and people’s needs?
Read MoreGod Space is a spiritual community, a space of welcome and belonging. We’re not a church, but some of us go to church, and some are more spiritual than religious. However we identify, we come together to explore faith and build connection through small groups, social events, prayer, and community service. Come and connect at God Space. You belong here.
