The Hours of Our Lives: Meeting God’s Infinite Light and Love at All Times

Wednesdays, Jan 12 – Feb 2 | 9:30AM – 11:30AM Central Time | IN-PERSON AND ONLINE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

But the other way we can know [God’s Infinite Light and Love] is from the inside. …Rather than subject-to-object as in our traditional Western knowing, this knowing is subject-to-subject. The trajectory of this inner knowing is through the disciplined and subtle exploration of our own inner landscape.    ~(W. Redfield)

“This is the art of the soul: to harvest your deeper life from all the seasons of your experience” (O’Donohue, Beauty). Using a broad adaptation of the liturgical practice of the hours this course focuses on spiritual rather than physical rhythms of light and darkness. It invites participants to reflect on the waxing and waning of their felt sense of God’s Infinite Love and Light. Four distinct times are discussed as markers of this waxing and waning: Light, Light turning to Darkness, Darkness, and Darkness turning to Light.

The first week explores times of Light during which all seems clear and faith is certain without doubt or questions. These times offer the gift of clarity and a sure sense in the palpable presence of God’s Infinite Light and Love. The second week addresses times of Light turning to Darkness. Thee times come as doubts and fears shadow our sense of the certain presence of God’s Infinite Light and Love. Times of Darkness, the third week’s focus, are times when our felt sense of God’s Infinite Light and Love is weakest or absent altogether. They are times when, as one mystic puts it, “all things exhale in their yearning for communion,” (Abraham J. Heschel, in Steindl-Rast and Lebelle). The cycle of times is rounded out by Darkness turning to Light. During these times, clarity and certainty begin to re-emerge over the horizon that has marked the edges of darkness, revealing colors only imagined (or remembered) in the night.

The four times are explored in relation to both participants’ and presenter’s experiences of darkness and light. Discussions and reflections are guided by three questions: What time most closely describes where I find myself in relation to my sense of God’s Infinite Light and Love? What is its invitation to me? What time(s) in Jesus’ life reflect this time for me?

Class Dates

All classes will take place on Wednesday mornings, 9:30 am to 11:30 am Central Time, IN-PERSON at BTC 202 and ONLINE via Zoom Meeting.

Week 1	January 12, 2022	Light
Week 2	January 19, 2022	Light turning to Darkness
Week 3	January 26, 2022	Darkness
Week 4	February 2, 2022	Darkness turning to Light

Suggested (BUT NOT REQUIRED) Readings

Wiederkehr, M. Sevensacredpauses: Living mindfully through the hours of the day.

Steindal-Rast , D. & Lebell, S. Music of silence: A sacred journey through the hours of the day.

(NOTE: While these books address chronological hours, their descriptions of those hours provide rich metaphors for reflecting on our internal experiential soul times.)

Facilitator

Isaura Barrera, Ph.D., MA (Spirituality), is a lifelong spiritual seeker. She retired after being a professor at the University of New Mexico for 20 years and returned to San Antonio. There she enrolled in and completed the Master’s of Spirituality program at Oblate School of Theology (OST). She has taught several courses for Continuing Education at OST and has published several books including Beloved’s Gift: Following Soul’s Song into Love, Hope and Faith and Unwrapping Beloved’s Gift, Co-Creating Soul’s Song: Way Stations on the Path to Awakening Deep Love, Hope and Faith. Currently she is completing the manuscript for a third book: Sustaining Heaven on Earth: Keys Forged By and For Love.

Registration Fee: $20 (fee includes cost for entire 4-week series)

Please note: We will send you a Zoom link and login instructions via email approximately one week before the series begins. Participants can choose to participate in-person or online.

For information or to register by phone, contact Associate Registrar, Victoria Rodriguez, at vrodriguez@ost.edu or (210) 341-1366 EXT 240.

Continuing Education events are free* to all enrolled OST students. All other students, 50% off with student ID. To receive discount, register with Associate Registrar, Victoria Rodriguez, at vrodriguez@ost.edu or (210) 341-1366 EXT 240. *Does not apply to meals and lodging.

All refunds subject to 10% processing fee.