Posts Tagged ‘prayer’
What is spirituality?
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on July 2nd, 2011
Episode #32 is a question Barbara Zeman and Shirley Paulson asked each other. What concepts do we envision when we use the term ‘spirituality?’
It’s an important topic for this website, especially, since the very name of the website includes the term, ‘spirituality.’ I remember when I selected the name, I thought the word was a powerful one, even though just about everyone has a different definition of it. I thought it would be good to discuss its meaning from time to time, to see if we can find some clarification on the subject.
Shirley Paulson and Barbara Zeman discussing 'spirituality'
Barbara starts off by asking what’s driving my passion with these topics? Why do I care so much? I think there is something very deep, very relevant for today, and very beautiful about the happenings in early Christianity, and that something was a type of spirituality. But interestingly, the very thing I find so beautiful seems also to have been that which the early Church was concerned with.
Barbara points out that whatever is spiritual removes us from our material senses and makes us lean on something entirely different. It sure does take us out of our comfort zones, and yet it also brings a new kind of comfort and happiness. Is there a reason to be afraid of it? Probably, because it challenges the authority of worldly ways. On the other hand, it speaks with grace, purity, and compassion. So whatever it is, it doesn’t seem capable of harming anyone. And even though it appears to draw persecution, it can’t be destroyed.
Please join the conversation. If you know of someone who can contribute to this question, would you please pass this podcast along and encourage them to contribute to the comments?
Thanks!
Eucharist prayer for a Catholic and Christian Scientist
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on July 4th, 2009
Episode 24 is a conversation with Michele Moon, a Roman Catholic, and Shirley Paulson, a Christian Scientist, about their mutual love of the Christian Eucharist prayer.
Anyone who knows anything about Roman Catholicism and Christian Science knows that we celebrate the Eucharist in entirely different ways, but Michele and I were interested in discovering its profound meaning in both of our lives.
For Michele, the celebration of the Eucharist is an awakening to the presence of “kairos,” or the meaning of life’s moments filled with God’s presence. For Shirley, the celebration (which takes place without ritual) is a pricking of the heart, reminding us of God’s healing love. Our mutual enthusiasm for this sacred prayer is that it calls us to ministry. The cross, for instance, is more than a symbolic reminder of Jesus’ crucifixion. When we think deeply about it, we’re impelled to “take up our own cross,” as Jesus asked of his disciples. We notice others in need, and we confront our own obstacles that would keep us from binding up the broken hearted and seeking healing for others.
What a rich experience it is to share our mutual love of this prayer. We’d like to multiply our exploration on this topic and hear what Eucharist means to you. Would you jot down your own thoughts or life experiences with it? We’re convinced this is a topic that provides lots of space for learning from each other. Submit your comments just below the show notes on the website, SpiritualityandChristianity.com.
References from the show
S+C | Healing with God Part II
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on April 2nd, 2009
Episode #20 is a conversation about healing from a faith perspective.
Shirley Paulson, a Christian Science practitioner, and Barbara Zeman, a Roman Catholic, find common ground in the quest for healing. The complexity of healing arises out of the limitations of human language, but the beauty of healing is evident in the closer relationship with God.
While we might be enthusiastic about the spiritual adventure of seeking healing through prayer, we also recognize that the struggle that precipitates the healing often includes the battle with the very thing that resists the healing. Stubbornness is an example. Despite our shortcomings, though, we agree that God or Christ is able to move our thoughts where we need to be in order to welcome the healing adjustment.
People need personal healings, and the whole family of humanity needs healing of injustice, oppression, and economic disruption. We’d love to welcome your thoughts on healing of any kind. Tell us how you’ve experienced healing, or how you heal others. Please scroll down to the “comments” here on the Spirituality and Christianity.com website. Tell us your thoughts or experiences. Thanks!
Some related links:
- Christian Science healing
- Catholic healing prayers
- Beliefnet healing prayer archive
- Healing prayer: online resource for Christian prayer
- Christian Science Sentinel (print version)
S+C | Healing with God, Part I
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on March 15th, 2009
Episode #19 is a conversation with Barbara Zeman, a Roman Catholic, and Shirley Paulson, a Christian Science practitioner, on the subject of our healing practices.
We know it’s a topic close to the hearts of many spiritually minded people, as was evident in a recent cover story with TIME magazine, called, “How Faith Can Heal.” Barbara did a healing service with her colleagues at the hospital, and I keep a full time office devoted to healing through prayer.
Even though our traditions and practices are different, we find a common thread in our understanding of the way healing happens. God’s will is harmony, peace, wholeness, and blessing, so our prayers for healing are for the purpose of finding alignment with God. It appears that the sincere desire to be close to God inspires us to find healing for our own broken hearts, broken peace, or even broken bodies; and this is the same inspiration that impels us to extend that same kind of healing for others.
Please join the conversation and tell us your healing experiences. Click on the comments button at the end of the show notes, here on the website, “spirituality and Christianity.com.” thank you!
References from the podcast:
- Healing in the History of Christianity, Amanda Porterfield, p. 158
- Saint Blaise
- Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp.326-442
S+C | Is the monastic life — or prayer — selfish, or good for humanity?
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on May 12th, 2008
Episode #9 is a conversation between Judy Valente, a devout Roman Catholic and myself, a devout Christian Scientist, on the subject of monasticism.
Judy’s experience as a contributor for PBS’s Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly and commentator for Chicago and National Public Radio, as well as her personal quest for spiritual meaning, continue to draw her simultaneously deeper into the heart of humanity and into the private chambers of her own heart. 
One of my teachers at seminary was not at all happy with my own efforts to claim the unity of doing good for humanity and taking time for prayer and contemplation. Judy and I discuss the current tension between what’s known as the “contemplative life” and the “active life.” In every day terms, that means, “Is praying and contemplating God a privilege for the wealthy that keeps them from actually doing something for those less fortunate?”
Both of us draw on our faith traditions to express the power and beauty of what Judy thinks of as monastic practices, and what I think of as prayer. And from those experiences, we’re both convinced that these quiet, private moments of communion with God do contribute to the blessings for humanity.
Tell us what you think about this conversation, here on Spirituality and Christianity.com. We think a better understanding of the monastic life — or prayer life — would benefit not only those who take up the practice, but also the whole world. Click on “Comments” below to contribute to the conversation.
Mentioned in this podcast:
S+C | Prayer and healing
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on January 22nd, 2008
We invite you to listen in to episode 2 of spiritualityandchristianity.com!
Bobbie McKay and her husband, Lew Musil, had a hunch there was a spiritual phenomenon that needed documentation. Bobbie herself experienced a spiritual healing some forty years ago, and she kept hearing reports of others with similar experiences. She and Lew headed out to investigate what people had to say about their healings. You can read the rather shocking results of their exploration in their book, Healing the Spirit.I’ve also experienced healing from my prayers, so Bobbie and I thought we’d like to compare notes a bit, to see what we might learn from each other. Bobbie is a member of the United Church of Christ, and I am a Christian Scientist.
Learn more about Bobbie McKay and her collaborative efforts with her husband, Lewis Musil:
- Their books
- Their opera, The End of the Journey (first performed January 12, 2008)
- Their website, www.spiritualhealthcenter.org
- Their professional background