Tag Archives: activism
Participating in Movements for Justice
Spirituality and Social Movements Participating in Movements for Justice Friday, December 4, 2020 I think there are three basic levels of social ministry, and none is better than the other. I believe all are the movement of the Holy Spirit within us for the sake of others. I like to imagine a river flooding out… Continue Reading Participating in Movements for Justice
Revolutionary Love
The Transforming Power of Love Revolutionary Love Thursday, November 12, 2020 Is this the darkness of the tomb, or of the womb? I don’t know. All I know is that the only way we will endure is if each of us shows up to the labor. —Valarie Kaur In this liminal space we find ourselves… Continue Reading Revolutionary Love
Contemplative Activists: Weekly Summary
Contemplative Activists Saturday, July 18, 2020 Summary: Sunday, July 12—Friday, July 17, 2020 In order to have the capacity to move the world, we need some “social distancing” and detachment from the diversions and delusions of mass culture and our false self. (Sunday) Dorothy Day’s spirituality and her social witness were equally rooted in the… Continue Reading Contemplative Activists: Weekly Summary
Two Revelations of Faith
Contemplative Activists Two Revelations of Faith Friday, July 17, 2020 Everything begins in mysticism and ends in politics. —Charles Péguy It seems to me that a regular practice of contemplation makes it almost inevitable that our politics are going to change. The way we spend our time is going to be called into question. Our… Continue Reading Two Revelations of Faith
Mysticism and Nonviolence
Contemplative Activists Mysticism and Nonviolence Thursday, July 16, 2020 Dorothee Soelle (1929–2003) is an example of a contemplative who finds she must take action. I met her once in Germany at the Kirchentag (an assembly sponsored by the German Evangelical Church) and was deeply impressed. She was a first-rate scholar and noted theological author. I’ve… Continue Reading Mysticism and Nonviolence
Defender of Liberation Theology
Contemplative Activists Defender of Liberation Theology Wednesday, July 15, 2020 Jesuit priest Pedro Arrupe (1907–1991) was a deeply spiritual man who was entirely committed to serving others, particularly the poor in whom he saw Christ. Authors Kerry Walters and Robin Jarrell describe some of the pivotal events of his life: He was three years into… Continue Reading Defender of Liberation Theology
Peace and Advocacy for the Poor
Contemplative Activists Peace and Advocacy for the Poor Monday, July 13, 2020 Dorothy Day (1897–1980) gives us a clear example of a contemplative activist. In her case, she began with activism, converted to Catholicism around age 30, and eventually lived out her two callings in a powerful and effective way. My friend John Dear, himself… Continue Reading Peace and Advocacy for the Poor
Contemplation: A Life’s Journey
Contemplative Activists Contemplation: A Life’s Journey Sunday, July 12, 2020 I believe that the combination of human action from a contemplative center is the greatest art form, one that takes our whole lives to master. When action and contemplation are united, we have beauty, symmetry, and transformation—lives and actions that heal the world by their… Continue Reading Contemplation: A Life’s Journey
Action and Contemplation
Contemplation in Action: Week 1 Action and Contemplation Monday, June 26, 2017 The words action and contemplation have become classic Christian terminology for the two dancing polarities of our lives. Thomas Aquinas and many others stated that the highest form of spiritual maturity is not action or contemplation, but the ability to integrate the two… Continue Reading Action and Contemplation