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Preparing and Repairing

Posted on December 9, 2015June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

As we progress through the season of Advent, we continue with our reflection, practices, and preparation in anticipation of the incarnation of love in the Christ child. This week I have been prayerfully considering the ideas of preparing and repairing. The Gospel reading below tells of John the Baptizer, the forerunner of Jesus, and whose task…

Rugged Hope

Posted on November 29, 2015November 15, 2017 by Michael Rose

The Psalmist once wrote that hope deferred makes the heart sick. The Old Testament is full of stories of a people who wrestled with hope. In the face of crushing defeats, plagues, exile, and captivity after captivity these people persevered. They managed through generations of tragedy to find the grace to persevere when many…

Spiritual Journey Series – Interior Castle Pt. 1

Posted on November 25, 2015June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

Throughout the centuries much has been written to describe and map the spiritual journey.   One such classic is The Interior Castle written by St. Teresa of Avila. St. Teresa was a Discalced Carmelite nun living in Spain in the mid-1500’s. She was a contemporary and friend of St. John of the Cross and both are…

Loving Others Provides Gifts for the Giver

Posted on October 21, 2015June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

Love continues to be the foundation of the work I do with IamSignificant.ca and as a spiritual director. Much more potent than a Sunday school sentiment for Children, becoming love is the very essence of the Kingdom of God. I am totally convinced that love changes everything. It is the single biggest longing in the…

When We Understand it Wrong – Scripture

Posted on October 7, 2015June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

What do we do when what we think the “Bible clearly says” turns out to be wrong? There are many things in Scripture that we can stand on with confidence – like Jesus, and Jesus is the key to understanding and applying Scripture in life-giving ways. In saying that, very few things make the hair on…

Blessed – A Present Reality

Posted on October 7, 2015January 23, 2017 by Michael Rose

Many of us are familiar with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. You know, Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the … . There are two words that translate into “Blessed” in first century Judaism. The first, in Hebrew beraka (and the Greek eulogeo) and this word, isn’t used in the Beatitudes. This word is used in prayer asking…

O Love, Divine Love

Posted on September 25, 2015June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

O Love, divine Love, why do You lay siege to me? In a frenzy of love for me, You find no rest. From five sides You move against me, Hearing, sight, taste, touch, and scent. To come out is to be caught; I cannot hide from You. _____________ If I come out through sight…

Another Possible Temptation of Jesus

Posted on August 14, 2015October 29, 2019 by Michael Rose

The temptation in the desert is a favorite story from the life of Jesus. There are some excellent insights into what it is to be human, and the temptations that we all face in one way or another, in our effort to get life apart from the source of life himself. The story starts as John has just…

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places

Posted on August 13, 2015September 13, 2016 by Michael Rose

Once upon a time, a Sufi mystic was searching for something on the street outside her small hut. The sun was setting, and darkness was descending, as few people gathered around her. “What have you lost? What are you searching for? Perhaps we can help,” they said. “I have lost my needle.” The mystic replied. One of the people said, “Well, the sun…