Two third-century physicians—Damien and Cosmas—were brothers by birth as well as in their service to mankind. Following in the footsteps of their master, Jesus Christ, they practiced their healing arts without charge, seeing all people as equally God’s children—all equally deserving of compassion and comfort. Refusing to renounce their faith during Diocletian’s persecution, the brothers went joyfully to their martyrdom—their … Read More
Dear Friend, A profound opportunity for spiritual growth exists today. The spiritual practice of tithing is one of the foundational faith-building principles in this world. The secret of Ananda’s survival has always been the simple practice: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.” God is the great Giver. To receive the … Read More
Just after the end of World War II and a month before Easter, five young friends met on a street corner in Paris. For five years they had often been together in the air raid shelter below the street whose name translates as The-Cat-Who-Goes-Fishing. It was only natural that the children named themselves The Gang of The Cat-Who-Goes-Fishing. These young … Read More
Born into a pious family in Dere, Bengal, at about the time of the American Revolution, Ksudiram grew up devoted to Sri Ramachandra and blessed with the noble qualities of a true Brahmin—truthfulness, contentment, forgiveness, renunciation—all of which his life was to test again and again. Each day he began by gathering flowers for his worship of Ramachandra. All day … Read More
Born into a Quaker family, Jane Tyson Clement lived a life of faith and service until her passing in the year 2000. Deeply affected by the suffering and injustice in the world around her, she entered into an intense spiritual search that brought her to God, and to the understanding that only in God lie the answers. Together with her … Read More
Just after the full moon in November the Ananda community gathered to bid farewell to our great-souled friend Ramdas, who had the day before passed from this earth life. His was a life given in loving service and divine friendship to everyone he met, and more deeply, to God and Guru. He loved God, and he loved God as He … Read More
December, 1878: Next to the convent school run by the Sisters of Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the chapel of Our Lady of Light, at that time complete except for any means of access to the choir loft two stories up. Designed, at the Bishop’s insistence, by an architect in Paris on the model of Paris’s Sainte Chapelle, … Read More
1871: Civil war rages in Paris. The Parisian Republican insurgents have risen against the repressive Versailles government. The Communards are overwhelmed; many die in the fighting; of those who survive, some few flee abroad. The Danish writer Isak Dineson fictionalized the story of one who escaped the carnage and was given asylum in Norway. Babette has stood behind the barricades … Read More
Not long after the end of World War II, an American writer named Paul Gallico, repelled by the materialism of the post-war years, stopped on impulse to see the tomb of Saint Francis in Assisi. Though he knew little about Francis and did not come as a pilgrim, he left as a devotee, profoundly changed and inspired. Walking the cobbled … Read More
One evening, for a “movie night,” the Ananda Village monks watched Into Great Silence, a documentary film about a very strict French Catholic monastery. The monks live in complete silence, praying long hours in their cells, coming together only for meals and formal worship. Over time one monk seems to be sinking deeper into dementia. His monastic brothers treat him … Read More
