by Mary Gardner | Dec 16, 2023 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God: Advent” devotional, Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into three spiritual practices focused on Mary’s famous prayer in Luke 1, the “Magnificat.” Using both lectio and visio divina, Mary helps us enter imaginatively into...
by Coracle | Dec 14, 2023 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God: Advent” devotional, Debra Donnelly-Barton (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into a Visio Divina drawing on the story of the Annunciation. She utilizes a modern icon from a Ukranian artist to help us encounter this familiar story afresh...
by Coracle | Jan 6, 2023 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God: Advent,” Wanda Bickers (Coracle Spiritual Director), guides us through a time of visio divina, or prayerfully encountering God through a combination of visual art and scripture. She focuses on Luke 1:25-40, and draws our attention...
by Kristy Wallace Grant | Dec 20, 2022 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows...
by Coracle | Dec 8, 2022 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God: Advent,” Susan Ward guides us through a time combining the practices of lectio divina and visio divina to draw us into the story of the Annunciation to Mary in Luke 1. Through repeated scripture readings accompanied by beautiful...
by Coracle | Dec 1, 2022 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God,” Debra Donnelly-Barton (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercise of Imaginative Gospel Reading. She helps us encounter with all of our senses the story of Jesus with Mary and Martha from Luke 10 as a way...
by Amy Boucher Pye | Nov 17, 2022 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God,” Amy Boucher Pye (Author and Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us through an Imaginative Gospel Reading of the Annunciation to Mary from Luke 1. She helps us enter into this powerful story with all of our senses engaged, drawing us closer to...
by Kate Harris | Dec 20, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” Luke 2:6 (NIV) In an unknown town, a week’s distance from the womanly wisdom of mother, sisters, aunts, it began. Plodding heavily beside...
by Rick Mastroianni | Dec 16, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
She insisted on seeing me face-to-face, unveiled, defying all custom for the betrothed to remain apart until the wedding feast. I watched her eyes rain when she saw doubt and pain in mine. They said it was a good match: me from David’s royal line, she connected to...
by Bill Haley | Dec 5, 2019 | Church Unity, Liturgical Seasons
I love my parents, they did a great job with us four kids. They didn’t do it perfectly of course (what parent does?), but they loved us as best they knew how, and loved Jesus as best they knew how, and those two things cover a multitude of, well, things I’m sure they...
by Drew Masterson | Sep 24, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Creation
Robert Frost once defined poetry as a “way of remembering what it would impoverish us to forget.” Poetry emerged as the first form of literary writing in human history way back in the 3rd Millennium BCE, and indeed the vast majority of ancient literature comes down to...
by Kate Harris | Nov 16, 2017 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the...
by Tara Haley | Dec 22, 2014 | Liturgical Seasons
Soon on Christmas Day we’ll celebrate the climax of the season of Advent. Waiting turns into rejoicing! And yet in these last couple of days of Advent, there is still time to be blessed by one who has a special prominence in the Nativity story, Mary, the mother of...
by Coracle | Dec 20, 2014 | Contemplative Life
by Mona Lindeman Mona is a dear friend of Coracle and active at The Falls Church Anglican. She gave this reflection recently to a women’s Bible Study. Consider Mary of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph the carpenter, the mother of Jesus our Savior. What do we think when...
by Wade Ballou | Apr 1, 2013 | Liturgical Seasons
The sermon on Easter morning at the Falls Church Anglican began with a question which pondered why it was that Mary went to the tomb of Jesus that Easter morning. The answer centered on the love Mary had for Jesus, perhaps in response to all Jesus had done for her. I...
by Gabriel Dodd | Dec 13, 2012 | Liturgical Seasons
Luke 1:13-18 and Galatians 3:26 The Advent season makes me think of a story of Faith, and gets me to reflect with where my faith really is. Has God ever tried to tell you something that you felt did not make sense? Tried to push your limit? Maybe he opened a door for...
