'I have to face the big issues, the life-and-death issues.'

Thomas Merton

On Facing the "Life-and-Death Issues"

Every Monday, we share a bit of Thomas Merton's wisdom to get the week started. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to be among the first to see #MertonMonday.

You can find past #MertonMonday installments on the CIR blog.

Wisdom Wednesday

Meditation as Engagement

“For me, meditation is engagement,” said Buddhist teacher, author and practitioner Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel during the 2017 Festival of Faiths. In explaining what it really means to meditate, she said: "When you go into retreat and you sit with your mind, everything you’ve been trying to avoid by keeping yourself so busy is just right there. But then, when you have a way of working with it, it becomes a great joy… and it helps you navigate the world with a lot of sanity and well-being.”

Click the photo to watch the clip, or check out the full session on YouTube.

Every year on Nov. 1, many Roman Catholics and other Christians around the world observe All Saints’ Day, which honors saints who have attained heaven. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, All Saints’ Day is observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In Roman Catholicism, the feast is a holy day of obligation. The first evidence for the Nov. 1 date of celebration and of the broadening of the festival to include martyrs occurred during the reign of Pope Gregory III (731–741).

Although not a public holiday in the U.S., All Saints’ Day is observed publicly in many countries. In France and Germany, businesses are closed. In the Philippines, the day is known as "Undas" and isn't just for remembering the saints, but for honoring departed loved ones, usually extending to the following day of All Souls’ Day. In Roman Catholicism, All Souls’ Day commemorates all the faithful who have departed.

Declaration of Interdependence

"Humans have become so numerous and our tools so powerful that we have driven fellow creatures to extinction, dammed the great rivers, torn down ancient forests, poisoned the earth, rain and wind, and ripped holes in the sky. Our science has brought pain as well as joy; our comfort is paid for by the suffering of millions. We are learning from our mistakes, we are mourning our vanished kin, and we now build a new politics of hope."

This is an excerpt from the David Suzuki Foundation's Declaration of Interdependence, which appeared in our 2014 Festival of Faiths Catalogue. Visit our blog to check out the entire Reflection.

And click here to see all our past Reflections — a series that seeks to share insight, wisdom and inspiration amid challenging times.