Joy for the Journey: An Afternoon Lenten Retreat
We are fragile creatures, and it is from this weakness, not despite it, that we discover the possibility of true joy.
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Although joy may seem like a counterintuitive theme for Lent, lasting joy is rooted in the recognition of our mortality and in practices that help transform old ways of seeing and being, inviting us into a closer relationship with the Holy. Using the film, MISSION: JOY as our guide for this retreat, take time to consider questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu during their intimate conversation around the subject of joy: What is the difference between happiness and joy? How can we live joyfully in a world filled with so much sorrow and grief? Can joy exist without pain and suffering? Where does joy come from and how can we cultivate it in our own lives during this season of Lent?
You do not have to watch the film to participate in the retreat, however for those who would like to view MISSION: JOY ahead of time, a link to view the movie on-line will be sent to you the week before the retreat. For those wishing to learn more about spiritual practices to cultivate joy, you can join us for one, some or all of this spring’s Foundational Spiritual Practices series.
About the film
Inspired by New York Times bestseller The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, the film showcases the exchange between these two Nobel Peace Prize winners that led to that book. Consisting largely of never-before-seen footage shot over 5 days at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala, the film invites viewers to join these luminaries behind the scenes as they recount stories from their lives, each having lived through periods of incredible difficulty and strife. With genuine affection, mutual respect and a healthy dose of teasing, these unlikely friends impart lessons gleaned from lived experience, ancient traditions, and the latest cutting-edge science regarding how to live with joy in the face of all of life’s challenges from the extraordinary to the mundane. MISSION: JOY is an antidote for the times.
About the retreat leader
Dr. Terri Lynn Simpson is a poet, retreat leader, and the coordinator for the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage at Washington National Cathedral. Celtic spirituality is her path and inviting people into thin places where they may share their stories and experience the presence of the Holy is her work. Grounded in the three-fold practices of prayer, pilgrimage, and poetry, she weaves strands of these Celtic influences into the retreats, pilgrimages and workshops she leads. Terri Lynn has a graduate degree in theology and a doctorate in Spirituality and Story.
Registrants will be sent information with a Zoom link on March 6. Registration is free for this ONLINE event, with an option to pay-what-you-wish.