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  1. Mark Dohle

    Staying open to the gift

    Staying open to the gift I was walking slowly doing my mediation; it was the softest evening, the sun setting, long beautiful shadows gracing the fields, with barn swallows flying, zigging, and zagging the way barn swallows do joyful in their flight, allowing joy to become conscious then, a...
  2. Mark Dohle

    I was feeling very unsettled, in a very bad mood

    Well worth repeating my friend. Thank you Peace Mark
  3. Mark Dohle

    I was feeling very unsettled, in a very bad mood

    I was feeling very unsettled, in a very bad mood One day I was in the retreat house doing dishes. This was 30 years ago. I was feeling very unsettled, in a very bad mood, and struggling not to take it out on anyone. As I was fuming, doing dishes, one of the young monks came up to me and said...
  4. Mark Dohle

    The Deeper the Trust, Greater the Depth

    The Deeper the Trust, Greater the Depth “You understand—in Me you can find everything: all the love you need to help you. So don’t be afraid of making use of the one who loves you so. Unfold your trust like silk to clothe your request, and you will vanquish Me. My heart is easily taken captive...
  5. Mark Dohle

    We are not to judge, we are to heal, lift up and love

    We are not to judge, we are to heal, lift up and love “When God comes, he always calls us out of our house. We are visited so that we can visit others; we are encountered so as to encounter others; we receive love in order to give love.” --Pope Francis When Jesus healed it was always a call...
  6. Mark Dohle

    A fragment of our October 2021 Newsletter for the Monastery Retreat House

    We have the vaccine, except for two monks. We are hoping to open soon, but there seems to be more on the horizon. Peace Mark
  7. Mark Dohle

    A fragment of our October 2021 Newsletter for the Monastery Retreat House

    A fragment of our October 2021 Newsletter for the Monastery Retreat House Hello everyone, I am not in the best of moods as I write our October Newsletter. It almost seems like we are back at square one in the ongoing saga of the present pandemic. The reality of the times is becoming more real...
  8. Mark Dohle

    Beauty is where you find it (the joy of little things)

    Beauty is where you find it (the joy of little things) A couple of days ago I had the joy of seeing our cloistered turtle. She was in her usual place, where she is looking for some treats from one of the monks. Usually, Br. Michael takes care of her, but this was later than usual. So I went...
  9. Mark Dohle

    In my own life, I have found that I am the problem

    Not Not sure I can double post. Can I? Peace Mark
  10. Mark Dohle

    In my own life, I have found that I am the problem

    In my own life, I have found that I am the problem “Don’t you come to Me with more confidence than to any friend on earth? Aren’t you at home in My heart? It should be that way too, since for each soul I am the unique, the incomparable one. Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (Kindle Locations...
  11. Mark Dohle

    Getting Through a Bad Day (Internal Mind Storm)

    Getting Through a Bad Day (Internal Mind Storm) One of the benefits of being older is that consistency over how time is spent becomes easier. At least that is for me. When younger, I could be quite restless and would often have a hard time settling down for private meditation/prayer. I used my...
  12. Mark Dohle

    Aridity in or walk with God

    Thank you, my friend. Peace Mark
  13. Mark Dohle

    Aridity in or walk with God

    Aridity in our walk with God "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. (Hosea 2:14) The soul is made for the ‘Living Water’, that which allows our souls to flourish and grow. Yet the desert is also a reality that dwells within...
  14. Mark Dohle

    The woman who did not love God

    The woman who did not love God (Written September 15, 2015) "I don’t love God" the woman informed me. "All my life I have suffered, been abused, abandoned and now the only love of my life is gone". She started to cry and then looked at me and said “why me?”, then she became so quiet that it...
  15. Mark Dohle

    An interesting encounter

    An interesting encounter (Written in September 2014) Working in a retreat house that is in close proximity to a large city has it benefits as well as challenges. People come here for spiritual rest and renewal and from time to time there are those who arrive who are looking for a safe place...
  16. Mark Dohle

    Forgiveness: Finding freedom of heart

    Forgiveness: Finding freedom of heart There is a saying that is often used about the need for the military. It goes like this; “freedom isn’t free”. This concept can be used for many areas of our lives if we wish to un-clutter both our outer and inner selves. Many people struggle with...
  17. Mark Dohle

    It is difficult to exist

    It is difficult to exist If we do not face our fears and develop inner strength, then our weakness will take over;we will respond with implosion or explosion. It becomes part of the ongoing destructive situation. It is difficult to exist, to stand out, and to be self-aware. Within our...
  18. Mark Dohle

    Struggling with Inner Barriers

    Wise words, thank you my friend.
  19. Mark Dohle

    Struggling with Inner Barriers

    Struggling with Inner Barriers A few years ago, my good friend Gail, as she was walking in the woods near where our green cemetery is, found a stone in the form of a heart. It was large covering much of the palm of my hand when held. She wanted me to have it. I have it on my prayer altar in my...
  20. Mark Dohle

    The Path of Celibacy and Marriage (We all carry the monk archetype in our souls)

    The Path of Celibacy and Marriage (We all carry the monk archetype in our souls) What does it mean to be alone before God? The human situation I believe is one of deep aloneness. Perhaps one of the reasons that solitude is avoided is because this self-evident truth has to be faced. Even if one...
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