2+ day, 17+ hour ago (263+ words) GENTLE READER: Wash your hands at the time appointed, hold hands during the prayer, and then, when everyone else starts to eat, you may excuse yourself, having waited to go to the bathroom. You will ... Miss Manners: The evidently vicious cycle of washing your hands before holding hands for grace DEAR MISS MANNERS: At several gatherings with friends and family, the food is blessed by holding hands during a prayer -- after I have already washed mine in preparation for eating. Holding hands defeats the purpose of washing them, but I don't know how to avoid it during the prayer. Refraining from holding hands, or immediately rewashing right after, might offend the other guests. Any ideas on how to handle this situation? GENTLE READER: Wash your hands at the time appointed, hold hands during the prayer, and then, when everyone else…...

4+ day, 15+ hour ago (300+ words) As faith leaders in Central New York, we unite to support people who are poor, oppressed and vulnerable, people who are pushed to the margins of our society and who now face losses of great magnitude. At this challenging time when people are experiencing anxiety, fear and instability, we offer our resources of peace, wisdom and courage, seeking truth and working for justice. We encourage all people to embrace these values that shape our humanity, and call upon us all to promote solidarity, community, and love. Pastor Alberta Abrams | Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ Sharif Anael Bey | Moorish Science Temple of America The Rev. Dr. Bruce W. Burns Sr. | Hopps Memorial CME Church Pastor David Buzard | United Methodist Church, St. Paul's, Syracuse Mark Cass | North Side Learning Center/Masjid Isa Ibn Maryam (Mosque of Jesus Son of Mary) JoAnn Cooke | Zen…...

4+ day, 21+ hour ago (255+ words) Living isn't waiting beyond the chore. It's happening within it. Attention is the ceremony. CNY Inspirations: Giving thanks as ceremony This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard, Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Gratitude is how you walk. Giving thanks is what you leave in your footprints. Gratitude is a state of being; giving thanks is the ceremony born from it. It's neither regalia nor feathers. It's turning off the lights, the TV, and sitting on your porch during a thunderstorm. "We needed this," you murmur thankfully, feeling the healing touch of rain on your skin. It's making dinner, inspecting the food, tracing the speckled skin of a vegetable just as the farmer who carried its seeds once did. You recall the sunlight folded into its flesh, and all that…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago (256+ words) Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in the province of Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok, posted a video on its Facebook page, showing a woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, slightly moving her arms and head, leaving temple staff bewildered. He said they heard a faint knock coming from the coffin. "I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled," he said. "I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time." According to Pairat, the brother said his sister had been bedridden for about two years, when her health deteriorated and she became unresponsive, appearing to stop breathing two days ago. The brother then placed her in a…...

1+ week, 10+ hour ago (205+ words) From Instagram captions to graphic tees, gratitude became a trend. Gratitude, a recent lifestyle fad, is one of the oldest traditions. In Haudenosaunee territories, gratitude is a discipline. It is relational, a meditation and daily reorientation. Before conducting official business or ceremony, we offer the Ganohe:nyoh, The Words That Come Before All Else. In English, the Thanksgiving Address. Our ancestors began mornings with a private version, greeting the world as kin. My son practices, sometimes asking, "Why does this matter?" Research echoes our teachings. Gratitude is medicine. Gratitude reshapes neural structures in the brain, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones and strengthens immunity. The mind, when trained in giving thanks, sees the world in the most vibrant way and responds in kind. Notice your own thanksgiving in the corners of your day. Notice where the pulse of the world…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (195+ words) Natasha E. Schmidt is spiritual director and ministry coordinator for Unity Syracuse. CNY Inspirations: The sacred ordinary This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard, Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Being of service doesn't always look heroic. Most days, it's small and steady, holding a door, listening fully, dropping off soup, checking in. Simple things that say, I see you. It is easy to forget that being of service begins close to home and close to heart. Every act of kindness, however ordinary, ripples outward. It reminds both giver and receiver that we belong to one another. Service doesn't ask for perfection, it only looks for presence. To notice the need right in front of us and meet it with what we have, a smile, a moment, a little patience....

2+ week, 1+ day ago (570+ words) Syracuse, N.Y. " The leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse this week joined other bishops to issue a rare "special message" that condemns the Trump administration's deportation campaign. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, meeting in Baltimore, said in the message that they "oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people." "We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement," the message said. "We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care." It's the first time in 12 years the bishops issued a special pastoral message. Syracuse Catholic Bishop Douglas Lucia was one of 216 bishops to vote for the message. Five bishops voted against the message and 3 bishops…...

3+ week, 10+ hour ago (643+ words) Lisa Saka is a Syracuse city resident who teaches in the Syracuse City School District. She lives on the Northside with her daughter, husband and two cats. She is a member of the Shadhiliyyah Sufi ... CNY Inspirations: Our beloved community of Syracuse This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard, Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. The word "beloved" struck me. Commonly, beloved means "dearly loved." In Sufism, "the Beloved" refers to Allah, the One who is both deeply loved and complete love. Additionally, Sufis call each other "Beloved." Beloved, in this sense, is Divine and reciprocal: Allah is deeply loved by followers, and followers are deeply loved by Allah. By calling others "Beloved," Sufis remind them of this intimate, reciprocal relationship of Divine love. Community is where we belong,…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (198+ words) Syracuse, N.Y. -- InterFaith Works has named Chris Foley as its new president and CEO. He replaces long-time CEO Beth Broadway, who retired at the end of October after 25 years at the agency that serves refugees across Syracuse and Central New York. Prior to that he worked for USAID in Zambia, Afghanistan, Brazil and the U.S. Before joining USAID, Foley worked in career development at James Madison College at Michigan State University. He also worked for the Peace Corps. Foley graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in economics and has a master's degree from Michigan State University in resource development. Broadway, the outgoing CEO, said Foley understands the impact of losing the refugee resettlement program and what it will take to move the agency forward. "I am confident that Chris's leadership and vision will ensure the agency's continued growth and…...