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Faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love: the surprise of all surprises, a choice to say "yes" to what life brings us.

We speak of having a good life, having a bad life, giving life, losing life — expressions that make it sound like life is something we have. But do we have life, or does life have us? Br. David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk and the co-founder of Spirituality & Practice's sister site Gratefulness.org, guides us to notice that both are true. Life belongs to us; we belong to life; and thereby to the very Source of life which those who use the word "God" correctly call God. We are totally embedded in life, and by "becoming yes," we enter fully into it.

This retreat is the last of three on the "Divine Virtues" based on videos of Br. David’s talks during a 2011 cruise to Alaska. The virtues are faith (Trusting in Life), hope (Engaging Hope), and love. These positive attitudes, which appear in all religious traditions and spiritual paths, connect us to the deepest reality of life, the divine spark within us.

In the videos for this retreat, Br. David's bubbles over with poetry and insights born from years of contemplation and compassionate action. In the spirit of true religion — which literally means "to tie again" bonds which have been broken — he takes us on a healing journey that helps reconnect us "with all the plants and the animals and the whole cosmos, the stars and galaxies and everything." He explores how any profound experience of belonging feeds us intellectually, emotionally, and morally, and how we can thaw any frozen waters we encounter with the warmth of our own depth of inner experience.

The e-course consists of 12 emails, each with a link to a video of Br. David’s teachings about love from the Alaska cruise, accompanied by written reflections and study questions for your journaling.

This retreat was created by Patricia Campbell Carlson, Executive Director of A Network for Grateful Living (ANG*L), assisted by Margaret Wakeley, ANG*L’s Community Development Coordinator. Both accompanied Br. David on the Alaska cruise and work closely with him on Gratefulness.org.

Choose to live in love! To register, click on the "Subscribe to E-Course" button below.

This Online Retreat is available on-demand. Once you click on the "subscribe" button, you will be taken through a sign-up process during which you can choose to pay the $39.95 fee by credit card or check. You'll be emailed a receipt with a link to your "account page" where you can choose when you'd like the e-course to begin and how frequently (daily, three times a week, twice a week, or weekly) you would like to receive it. 4 CEHs for Chaplains available.