Tag Archives: care
Wholeness as Holiness
Oneness Wholeness as Holiness Tuesday, May 25, 2021 Spare me perfection. Give me instead the wholeness that comes from embracing the full reality of who I am, just as I am.—David Benner, Human Being and Becoming Author and psychotherapist David Benner writes of the importance of embracing “wholeness” as a path to holiness, which recognizes… Continue Reading Wholeness as Holiness
God Is Not Only “Over There”
The Contemplative Call to Nature God Is Not Only “Over There” Sunday, April 18, 2021 The core message of the incarnation of God in Jesus is that the Divine Presence is here, in us and in all of creation, and not only “over there” in some far-off realm. Indigenous religions largely understand this, as do… Continue Reading God Is Not Only “Over There”
A New Framing Story
A New Story A New Framing Story Monday, January 11, 2021 Thomas Kuhn’s book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions popularized the term “paradigm shift.” [1] A paradigm is a set of beliefs, images, concepts, and structures that govern the way we think about something. Kuhn (1922–1996) said that paradigm change becomes necessary when the previous paradigm… Continue Reading A New Framing Story
A Love Ethic
The Transforming Power of Love A Love Ethic Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Because of my background, my language about love is often biblical, theological, psychological, and personal. While these are necessary and helpful frames, they certainly aren’t the only ones we should use. bell hooks (sic), a Black feminist scholar and activist, suggests how truly… Continue Reading A Love Ethic
The Rhineland Mystics: Weekly Summary
The Rhineland Mystics Saturday, August 8, 2020 Summary: Sunday, August 2—Friday, August 7, 2020 Hildegard of Bingen was far ahead of her place and time, a Renaissance woman before the Renaissance, who led a monastery north of the Alps. She combined art, music, poetry, ecology, medicine, community, healing, and early feminism. (Sunday) In Hildegard’s holistic… Continue Reading The Rhineland Mystics: Weekly Summary
Cultivation Not Domination
Franciscan Ecological Wisdom Cultivation Not Domination Tuesday, May 19, 2020 St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) taught that “Christ, as a human being, shares with all creatures; indeed he possesses being with rocks, lives among the plants, senses with animals, and understands with angels.” [1] In saying this, Bonaventure wanted to give theological weight to the deep experience… Continue Reading Cultivation Not Domination
Pope Francis and St. Francis of Assisi
Franciscan Ecological Wisdom Pope Francis and St. Francis of Assisi Monday, May 18, 2020 I deeply appreciate the many ways Pope Francis has continued the work of Vatican II by letting in the “fresh air” of modern science and other disciplines. While new information is one of the primary ways we come to understand Reality… Continue Reading Pope Francis and St. Francis of Assisi
Our Common Planetary Home
Franciscan Ecology Wisdom Our Common Planetary Home Sunday, May 17, 2020 To mark the fifth anniversary of his encyclical Laudato Si′: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis has declared May 16–24 “Laudato Si′ Week.” [1] The Daily Meditations this week will focus on how Franciscan spirituality impels us to act in response to… Continue Reading Our Common Planetary Home
Community: Weekly Summary
Community Saturday, May 9, 2020 Summary: Sunday, May 3 — Friday, May 9, 2020 How can the Center for Action and Contemplation continue to be of service, building on what God has already done with us? How can we offer something of further value that has authority and believability on its own? (Sunday) We learn… Continue Reading Community: Weekly Summary
Jesus’ Social Program
Community Jesus’ Social Program Thursday, May 7, 2020 Jesus’ experience of divine kinship, which Beatrice Bruteau described yesterday, naturally led to the creation of equitable community. His community was very different than the larger society in which he lived—and the individualistic, largely unfettered capitalist society in which we live today. In fact, Jesus’ community looks… Continue Reading Jesus’ Social Program