Sunday Service
10:15 am
300 E. Burlington at C St.
Open Communion
All are welcome
The Heart of God - The Liberal Catholic Church Spring Retreat for 2012
|
An Easter Message
I am going to give an interpretation of Easter and the resurrection that is spiritual rather than literal, Gnostic rather than Orthodox. The literal interpretation of a resurrection of our physical body offers a comforting thought, something to hope for, with Jesus as the care taker of our spiritual destiny. The interpretation of a resurrection of our spiritual body empowers us with a challenging path, a reality we can experience, with Jesus as our brother and Way Shower. The spiritual interpretation calls us to follow Jesus’ example actively in our own spiritual development and daily life.
Easter has ever been a joyous, happy festival of the church. But the happiness of Easter is very different than the happiness of Christmas. The blessings of Christmas are a gift. At Christmas time Christ is the gift we forgot to ask for, born in our hearts as a gentle awareness of the infant God-essence awakening in our soul. In contrast, the blessing of Easter is earned. We are called to participate as responsible agents in our own processes of growth and development.
Our participation begins with hearing a story. continue reading
Sophia Sanctissima
April 8, 2012 - 4:39pm — abosold 05/30/2012 8:00 pm
Circle of Sophia's Liturgy of the Feminine Divine. All are welcome.
Tears of Joy
February 5, 2011 - 10:50am — Fr. ThomasI believe that the suppression of emotion is one of the main culprits is keeping our inherent spiritual nature root-bound. By now it is commonplace to know about the medical and health benefits of "a good cry", but other lingering social conventions (and even spiritual teachings!) denigrate the natural feeling of sadness and the shedding of tears. (see: Health Benefits of Tears)
Of course most of us would prefer to feel joy, but denying, suppressing, or avoiding sad feelings when they naturally arise is a sure way to prolong the lessons and healing that stand before us. Rather than assuming an attitude of feeling joyful when healing is needed first, wisdom suggests that we find a way to accept the cup that has come to us. But remember, while we must do our own healing (ultimately an interior process), we need not do it alone. continue reading
- Fr. Thomas's blog
- Login to post comments
The Sacrament of Absolution
August 4, 2010 - 9:52am — Fr. ThomasAbsolution, one of the Seven Sacraments of the church catholic, comes from the Latin root words ab solvo, which mean "to loosen". This Sacrament is intended to help the person to discontinue from erroneous behavior, but, as, or more important, to be relieved and disconnected from the downheartedness and guilt that perpetuate of such behavior. Absolution provides an important feature in the life of the spiritual aspirant.
Absolution has commonly become known in just one of it's forms - confession - the telling of one's sins to a priest. The Liberal Catholic Church offers two additional, traditional forms of the Sacrament of Absolution. continue reading
- Fr. Thomas's blog
- Login to post comments
God Speaks Through Our Deep Center
''Those who take their religion seriously commonly go through a period, sometimes a
long period, when they experience the apparent absence of God. The ideas, images,
concepts which they have previously used in thinking about God or addressing him
have suddenly become meaningless and unreal.
The person feels as if God is absent or does not exist. The reason for this disagreeable
phenomenon is ... continue reading
Quotes - John Ruysbroek
"The Spirit of God blows out from us so that we can love and perform good acts. Then he draws us into ourselves so that we can take rest and find enjoyment in him. This is eternal life: not unlike our breathing the air out of our lungs and breathing in fresh air. What I mean is: we move inwardly in a mystical enjoyment and move outwardly in good works, both in communion with God. Just as we open our eyes, look and then close them again, in such a smooth transition that we hardly notice what we are doing, so we die in God and live out of God, always remaining united to him."
"In the abyss of this darkness, in which the loving spirit has
died to itself, there begin the manifestation of God and eternal
life. For in this darkness there shines and is born an
incomprehensible Light, which is the Son of God, in Whom we behold
eternal life. And in this Light one becomes seeing; and this
Divine Light is given to the simple sight of the spirit, where the
spirit receives the brightness which is God Himself, above all
gifts and every creaturely activity, in the idle emptiness in
which the spirit has lost itself through love which attains an
external goal, and where it receives without means the
brightness of God, and is changed without interruption into
that brightness which it receives."
What happens when we pray for those in need during the Eucharist?
The fundamental energy of Christ’s church is compassionate love - His love for us, our love for Him, and our love for Him in our neighbors. So it is not surprising to find that prayers for the support of those in need play an important part in virtually all Christian services. But they play an especially significant role in the Eucharist of the apostolic churches. continue reading
