Showing results by author "Paula D'Arcy" in All Categories

Paula D'Arcy was only 27 when a drunk driver killed her husband and young daughter. But in the midst of her crushing despair, and to her complete amazement, she discovered a presence within her that responded to her fearful cries for help. Her anguished heart was met by a great tenderness and wisdom, which she grew to recognize as a transcendent love. Over time - knowing that pain was not the final say and did not have absolute power - she was able to find her way back to the light.

When Paula D'Arcy lost her husband and baby in a car crash, she began an inner search for a faith that was stronger than fear. In Gift of the Red Bird she shares her remarkable spiritual adventure. Grief, she shows us, is an ongoing, never-completed process, one that becomes woven into the fabric of the grieving person's spiritual life.

Both Rohr and D'Arcy believe that much personal and church confusion could be helped by clearly distinguishing the tasks of the two halves of life. Much of institutional religion is concerned with the tasks of the first half of life. The need for adults is to move onto the tasks of the second half of life, which are much closer to the concerns of Jesus, Buddha and the mystics of all religions.

In the town of Status, across the river from Quo, nothing ever changes. Children are taught to memorize facts but not to think for themselves. Adults live by the motto "work, produce, stay the same." And as long as everyone follows the rules, there is harmony in the two communities. The shops hum, and all ceremonies for the worship of God are appropriately formal and well organized. The past is revered, and the future seems to be secure. Then the Stranger comes to town.