Speaking of Spirit

Photo Credit: [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons People ask how long I have been "into" interfaith beliefs. I find it difficult to answer, because it seems that I have always had them. With the recent death of evangelist, Billy Graham, I remembered one of the key moments in my journey on the interfaith/interspiritual path that I travel. In 1964, I had just turned 11, when my mother told me she would be going to a revival with my Girl Scout leader. I was full of questions, as usual. What is a revival? Why do you need to be "born again?" Who is this man, Billy Graham?  Being raised Catholic and attending parochial school, I didn't know about such things. I did know that there were many paths to God, because our neighborhood was quite diverse with churches on every block it seemed - not all of them Catholic.  Momma was not an adherent to the "only one true faith" belief. She spoke to everyone, trying to understand where they were

In his book, Put Down Your Sword, Fr. John Dear talks about his friend , Pete Seeger, "For years, one of my friends, the legendary folksinger Pete Seeger, has questioned friends and audiences who feel hopeless.  “In the early 1970s,” he asks, “did you ever expect to see President Nixon resign because of Watergate?”  “No,” people answer.  “Did you ever expect to see the Pentagon leave Vietnam the way it did?”  “No, we didn’t,” everyone answers.    “In the 1980s, did you expect to see the Berlin Wall come down so peacefully?” Pete asks.  “No, never,” they respond.    “In the 1990s, did you expect to see Nelson Mandela released from prison, apartheid abolished, and Mandela become president of South Africa?”  “Never in a million years.”  “Did you ever expect the two warring sides of Northern Ireland to sign a peace agreement on Good Friday?”  “Never.”  “If you can’t predict those things,” Pete concludes, “don’t be so confident that there’s no hope! There’s a

(c) 2018 Linda M. Neas Over ten years ago, a gentle physician, poet and dreamer shared his vision of the world with me. We responded to each other's poetry, shared our philosophies, and encourage each other to keep going when life seemed to put stumbling blocks in our paths. Today, as I sit thinking of what to write that will inspire others to keep moving forward, keep climbing or diving or going around whatever obstacle appears to be blocking the way, I hear his words echoing in my head, "Love the world into change!" Dr. Maithri  Goonetilleke is a physician in Australia. He works in Swaziland with people and communities ravaged by HIV/AIDS. The organization he founded, Possible Dreams International , brings "emergency medical relief to those living with HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and extreme poverty as well as providing sustainable development solutions such as access to clean water, agriculture, income generation and housing."   Maithri and I have ne

Photo credit: Public Domain As our world struggles to find balance, it seems we have lost sight of what true heroism is. We put rock and movie stars, athletes, and a wide assortment of others onto pedestals, touting them as "heroes." We have forgotten, in the incessant search for fame and fortune, what a hero truly is. Hero, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is, "A person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities." The word originates from the Greek, heros - a demi-god, protector. Lest we forget, this is the story of true heroes ... On February 2, 1943, the USAT Dorchester was crossing the frigid waters between Newfoundland and Greenland. The Army transport was overcrowded with 900 men on their way to the US base in Greenland, when a German sub was spotted on radar. One hundred and fifty miles from shore, in the early hours of February 3, the Dorchester was torpedoed.  In less than 20 minutes, it would sink