TREE OF LIFE INTERFAITH TEMPLE
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Pray Without Ceasing
Rev. Dr. Stephanie Rutt
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? How do we rejoice evermore in the midst of our challenging times? One way to approach these questions, is to follow the journey of an anonymous Orthodox Christian pilgrim whose travels are chronicled in the classic text, The Way of a Pilgrim. We know little about our pilgrim except his travels took place in the mid-1800s and that he carried only a knapsack containing dry bread, his Bible and the Philokalia, the Orthodox text, which translates “love of the beautiful or good.” Desiring to learn how to pray without ceasing and experience unity with God, he is given the Jesus Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Heart, to descend into the silence, hesychasm, of his own heart. In English, the Prayer would be translated "Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner." However, the term mercy, which can invoke images of a separate God largely to be feared, can also be translated grace. In this context, we as sinners, or as beings less than whole or perfect in our humanity, call upon the Christ, the full, omnipresent, mystery of God, for grace to descend into the pulsing depths of our own hearts where, within the hesychasm, unity with our God may occur. 

As the monks of Mount Athos, and others, have long chanted, we, too, will be learning the prayer in the Old Church Slavonic language. This liturgical language will allow us to dive deep on the sonar of the sound current as well as to transmute the more restrictive English translation. You can hear it on this YouTube site among others: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uTTVE-J_e8&t=2323s  

The Way of a Pilgrim tells the stories of our pilgrim’s encounters with others: monks, priests, merchants, soldiers, a postmaster, a sea captain, professor, cook turned nun, among others. Each encounter offers insights into his journey of the heart – how he might better learn to pray without ceasing. We, too, will be relating these stories to those in our own lives to mine the treasures for us today on our journey to praying without ceasing.
Where: At the Sparrows Nest located on the same floor as the Temple. 
Prerequisites: an open heart

Required/Suggested/Recommended: Reading The Way of a Pilgrim, translated by R.M. French, forward by Houston Smith. Available on Amazon.
A Beginner’s Introduction to the Philokalia by Anthony M. Coniaris 
(Readers of this short easy-to-read little book will be wholly struck by the similarities found in eastern texts such as The Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of the Buddha. If the spark here becomes a flame, I would love to offer an extended study of the full Philokalia beginning in January.) Available on Amazon.
Start Date: Sept. 26th - Dec. 19th (no class Nov. 28th)
​Number of Classes: 12
Number of Participants: Min 6/Max 10
Day/Time:  Thursdays, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Tuition: $240
 Please contact Stephanie at stephanie.rutt@gmail.com for information and registration
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 About Rev. Dr. Stephanie Rutt
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TREE OF LIFE INTERFAITH TEMPLE
5 Northern Blvd, Suite 8
Amherst, NH 03031-2330

603 732 0224
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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Annual Report 2021
    • Contact Us
    • Our History
    • Our Founder Rev. Dr. Stephanie Rutt
    • Our Presiding Minister Rev. Linda Goodman
  • Join us
    • Worship Services >
      • Upcoming Worship Services
      • Worship Service Proposal Form
      • Archive
    • Classes and Offerings >
      • Covid-19 Protocol
      • Seekers Book Club
      • Conversations in the Wilderness
      • Growth in Connection
      • Social Justice Group
      • Think Indigenous
      • Presiding Minister’s Office Hours
      • Class Proposal >
        • Class Proposal Form
        • Program Presenter Contract
      • Archived Classes at the Temple >
        • Winter 2021-22 Classes >
          • Hope and Action for Our Times
        • Sparrows 2021 >
          • Lil Bits of Heaven
        • Fall 2021 classes >
          • Exploring Your Dream World
          • Teilhard, Tom and Us
          • The Healing and Empowerment of Women in the Gospel Stories
        • Summer 2021 Classes >
          • Monday Meditation
          • Book - Radical Regeneration
        • Spring 2021 >
          • Dream Works
          • Spiritual Resiliency for Everyone
          • Our Sacred Call
          • Rise Up and Call Her Name Part 2
        • Sparrows 2020 >
          • Interfaith Spiritual Practice
          • Lovers in the Wilderness: Discover Your Path to Mystical Unity
          • On the Shaman's Drum
        • Fall 2020 Classes >
          • Writing Personal Essay and Memoir as a Spiritual Practice
          • A Sacred Calling - Crafting End of Life Celebrations
          • Braver Angels - Depolarizing Political Conversation
        • Spring 2020 Classes >
          • Better Angels - Depolarizing Political Conversations
          • SEVA (Service Project) 9 week Free Yoga with Carol Gaudreau
        • Sparrows 2019: Owned and Operated by Rev. Dr. Stephanie Rutt, our Presiding Minister >
          • Living The Prayer of Jesus Book Signing
          • On the Shaman's Drum
          • Pray Without Ceasing
        • Fall 2019 Classes >
          • Winter Solstice Spiral Walk
          • Building Your Yogi Toolbox
          • Cooking Basics for Health & Wellness
          • Introduction to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
          • Writing Personal Essay and Memoir
        • Spring 2019 >
          • Chakra Vibration - An Inner Journey
          • Grief Yoga - Moving to Empowerment
          • The Secret Garden
          • What is Happiness - How do we find and nurture it
          • Psalm 23
          • Yoga Nidra
        • Winter 2019 >
          • Spiritual Dowsing
          • Tai Chi
        • Fall 2018 >
          • Call of the Morning Dove
          • Gentle Yoga
          • Interfaith Approach to Christian Mysticism
          • Hinds' Feet on High Places
          • Lord's Prayer in Aramaic
          • Mala Workshop
          • Our Relationship with Food
          • Soul Collage
          • The Hero-Heroine's Journey
          • Writing Personal Essay and Memoir
    • Membership >
      • 2022 Membership & Pledge Drive
      • Becoming a Member
      • Membership Overview
      • Ministers Roster
    • Our Community >
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Our Ministries/Our Lives >
        • Carol LaChance
        • Stephanie Rutt
        • Camilla Sanderson
  • Interfaith Seminary
    • Rev Ahjan Grossman - Seminary Director
    • The Vision: We Are Called
    • The Seminary Program >
      • Curriculum
      • Spiritual Practice
      • Community Service
      • World Religions
      • Ministerial Duties
      • Seminary Guides
      • Fees , Scholarship Aid & Applications >
        • Seminary Application
        • Scholarship Aid
      • Bookstore >
        • Seminary Core Curriculum
        • Suggested Reading
        • World Religions
    • Seminarians' Reflections >
      • Our Journies
      • 2020
      • 2018
      • 2017
      • 2015
      • 2014
      • 2013
      • 2012
      • 2011
    • Spiritual Mentoring Certificate Program
  • Interfaith Collaboration
    • World AWAKE
    • Peaceful Journeys
    • Interfaith in our neighborhood
    • Community Outreach
  • Donations
    • Donations for us
    • Donations for Seminary Scholarship Fund
    • Donations for our neighbors