ESSAYS | copelandwrites

STEPHEN COPELAND

AUTHOR & STORYTELLER

A Dog’s Contemplative Wisdom

It is morning in Indiana, dawning a new day of liberating nothingness, where we’ll gauge the day’s success through a holiday filter: by...

Franciscan Media: A Necessary Film for Our Divided Age

The path forward for us as a country is mapped out in the 2019 Netflix biographical drama The Two Popes—a film that creatively depicts...

Franciscan Media: Star Wars and Christian Mysticism

Over the last four decades many have tried to pin down the possible spiritual or religious origins of Star Wars. Often these attempts...

Franciscan Media: Surprised by Grace

To be surprised by grace, as seasons blur together, as monotony defines our days, as boredom tests our worth, is to open our hearts to...

Franciscan Media: The Only Way Forward

On the brink of election season, it already feels like the tension in our country has reached a peak unparalleled in my lifetime. This...

A Sacred Reset

Note: This blog is not an attempt to assign spiritual meaning amid a global pandemic but rather an attempt to uncover existing spiritual...

Franciscan Media: A Time for Grace

When I first started going on contemplative retreats, I remember how difficult it was to give myself grace in my journey inward. I was...

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