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Violence versus Peace: A Global Struggle It may seem that the world is becoming more unstable, more violent, less compassionate, and less forgiving. In many parts of the world, and for many people, that is true. Death and destruction—both the real and imagined as entertainment—gets an awful lot of media attention, which adds to the … Read more
On the final day of our Novena of Peace, it is important to recognize that conscious awareness turned into compassionate action is the truest path to peace. We become instruments of peace by understanding our ability, responsibility, and power to embrace peace, become peace, and share peace. You can easily insert the word “love” in … Read more
When I wrote last year’s reflections about the Servant’s Way, I had no idea how much they would resonate for me throughout 2014. In November of 2013, I was contemplating what I would do for my Novena for Peace and it occurred to me that the Prayer of Saint Francis was the perfect backdrop for … Read more
Two of the many meanings for joy in Webster’s dictionary are: state of happiness, and the emotion evoked by the prospect of possessing what one desires. In our modern world, the media uses “the prospect of possessing what one desires” in countless forms of advertising and entertainment. The implied promise is that a product, idea, … Read more
On day six of the novena, we are encouraged to bring light into the darkness. In the dead of winter in the Pacific Northwest that I call home, this is a powerful image. Our winter days are short with darkness settling around us more than light. Yet following the winter solstice, the few minutes of … Read more
What an interesting coincidence that hope is the topic for today, the first day of the new year. Every January first, a new seed of hope germinates within us. Will we, in this coming year, create or sustain the life we dream about? Can we become all that we sense is our destiny? Hope is … Read more
Faith is the belief in things unseen. In Opening Hearts Dr. Sauvage shares that his faith was passed on to him as a child by his mother but deepened and made his own through his observations and scientific study of the universe and the human body. In the complexity and miraculous nature of both, Lester … Read more
Dr. Martin Luther King knew a great deal about forgiveness and Opening Hearts begins Chapter 4: Pain, Compassion, Choice, Transcendence with this quote from him: “As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation—either to react with bitterness or to seek to transform the … Read more
The second day of the Novena of Peace focuses on love. In St. Francis’ prayer to become an instrument of peace, we seek to love with our whole being. Lester Sauvage, MD has been an amazing example of that kind love. The quote that begins his autobiographical chapter in Opening Hearts is from the Jesuit prayer of … Read more
This year’s Novena for Peace is a little later than last year because I had the privilege of being with my parents for most of the month of December to assist with my mom’s recuperation. She’d taken a nasty fall this past autumn and my sisters and I took turns going to Florida to help … Read more