Mini-Retreat: Unwrapping Christmas with W. H. Auden

Register to attend: https://onrealm.org/TrinityEpiscopalpdx/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=MmJlMjRmOTItYjAwOC00MGIwLTk5YTctYjBjODAxNWU4MmRj

What do we celebrate at Christmas? Is it a historical event in Bethlehem? Are we idealizing the romantic innocence of jingling bells and a reindeer with a red nose? Are we joyful accomplices in the retail juggernaut that loads gifts under sparkling trees? What in the world has become incarnate?

Explore the meaning of Christmas with Greg Harris in a participatory reading of W. H. Auden’s epic poem, For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio. Using select passages from this lyrical, amusing, and thoughtful poem, we will see what insights Auden has to offer us through reading aloud, discussion, and reflection. Perhaps we will arrive at a deeper understanding of how this season of darkness and light remains profound.

About the poem: W.H. Auden is a Pulitzer prize-winning English-American poet who exerted a major influence on 20th-century poetry. The poem’s themes explore the nature of human existence, the role of religion in modern society, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.

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Mini-Retreats take place every 3rd Saturday, 9:00 am-noon. Join us for meditation and contemplative prayer as we sit together in community, with time for reflection, learning, and support, with guest teachers to help us explore the contemplative path. Mini-retreats are free, but donations are gratefully accepted.