An online reflective morning led by Kate Monkhouse

“Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself” Jesus told us. What if our everyday encounters with other people were rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17)? 

Many of our spiritual traditions emphasize spending time alone with God as a source of refreshment and inspiration. What if God also longs to meet us in our daily dealings with others? Every day, in person and online, we are meeting people with different backgrounds, opinions and values. Many of us are doing our best to navigate fracture lines in our country and communities whilst longing for dialogue and dignity. How could we cultivate a hospitality of heart that enables us to flourish together?

This reflective morning will consider how we can listen to God, listen to others and listen to ourselves to enable deep reflection, authentic encounters and honest story-sharing. We will ponder how our spiritual practice might help us move beyond chat to create possibilities for mutual understanding. Our focus will be how Jesus’ conversations teach us to be genuine with those who we might never look to for spiritual support and co-journeying in faith.

Kate Monkhouse weaves together spirituality, social justice and conflict transformation. She is a trainer and a leader whose work is deeply rooted within her own practice of Ignatian spirituality. She brings over 20 years’ experience of faith-based and non-profit organisations: working particularly with refugees, women and the LGBTQ community. Kate’s peacebuilding work has taken her from Bethnal Green to Burundi and Beirut. Kte leads retreats at the Royal Foundation of St Katherine and services at Bethnal Green Meeting House. She has a special interest in how our spiritual practice can inform and resource our community activism.