Last week, lamenting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and some other difficult headlines, I asked you what practices help you stay grounded. I was moved by your thoughtful responses. Some of you turn to the Bible for stories of God's intervention; others consider how to cultivate your own acts of gratitude and kindness. Others in this email group meditate, talk about current events in group discussions, or listen to Vivaldi. If you didn't get a chance to share last week, the invitation still stands: how are you staying whole?
Something that helps me is to hear stories of people who display courage and hope. We have some of these stories, brand new this week.
Below you'll find a grieving father's account of his spirituality in the canyons. Learn about the first Celtic Christians, who left the isle of Iona in search of desert faith. Read about a woman's quest to bring thru-hiking back to her home country of Mexico. And on the topic of Ukraine, we have a new piece from religious scholar John Burgess that explains the complicated history of Ukrainian and Russian Orthodoxy.
“Putin put his televised tirade justifying his aggression in religious as well as political terms. To understand what he meant, you have to go back to 988 CE.”
“In a world of gnarled rock and wild river and deep forest, surrounded by powerful seas, deserts were largely unknown, so early Celtic Christians turned them into metaphors. One metaphorical desert was the sea."
“I believe that thru-hiking’s culture of acceptance and encouragement serves as a great example for society at large. Truly, anyone thru-hiking a trail anywhere in the world is part of my family.”
A new podcast from Century senior editor Amy Frykholm. Season 1 takes us to the desert, a traditional place in the history of Christianity to begin searches. In this episode, meet award-winning translator Carmen Acevedo Butcher.
