Does Scripture Move You?

In the above painting, 19th century British prison reformer and Quaker Elizabeth Fry reads the bible to inmates at Newgate Prison. At Newgate, Fry established a school for children imprisoned with their parents, worked to get sentences commuted, and successfully campaigned for men and women to be separated to improve women’s safety. She taught female prisoners handwork skills to help them earn an income while incarcerated.

— Painting by Jerry Barrett, 1863
“Mrs. Fry reading to the Prisoners in Newgate, in the year 1816.” Mixed media.

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Today’s Invitation

Notice each person’s expression as they listen to Elizabeth Fry read the Bible in the painting above. Do you recognize your own feelings about devotional reading on any of their faces?

Query of the Week

How can spiritual discipline enrich your life?

What areas of spiritual practice would you like to improve on? How can you practice patience with yourself as you move toward your goals incrementally?

Author

  • Maeve Sutherland

    Maeve Sutherland is a communications professional who never recovered from her wonderful childhood at a Quaker elementary school. She has spent her career helping nonprofits share their stories, from schools and universities, to museums, to radio stations. As a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, Maeve spent a year living in “Peaceable Kingdoms,” pacifist intentional communities around the world, where she learned that everyone has a role to play in shaping a better world. She worked as a freelance social media manager before joining Thee Quaker Project. After returning to Quakerism as a young adult, Maeve now attends Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting in Philadelphia.

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