Tag Archives: fear
Lightlessness
Darkness Lightlessness Tuesday, December 3, 2019 I have shared the writings of Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister many times. She is a tireless advocate for the poor and marginalized, and she is also a brilliant and prolific writer, with more than fifty books to her credit. She writes here of the effects of literal darkness or… Continue Reading Lightlessness
Francis and the Wolf
Franciscan Way: Part Two Francis and the Wolf Sunday, October 6, 2019 Carlo Carretto (1910–1988) was a member of the Little Brothers of Jesus, a community of contemplatives based on the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi and founded by Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916). Carretto’s life, like that of Francis, was a combination of action… Continue Reading Francis and the Wolf
The Performance Principle
Growing in Christ: Week 1 The Performance Principle Friday, March 22, 2019 Religion in the second half of life is finally not a moral matter; it’s a mystical matter. While most of us begin focused on moral proficiency and perfection, we can’t spend our whole lives this way. Paul calls the first-half-of-life approach “the Law”;… Continue Reading The Performance Principle
Do Not Be Afraid
Death and Resurrection: Week 1 Do Not Be Afraid Friday, November 16, 2018 I am aware of the phrase “true self” occurring only once in the Bible. Paul used the words to describe what he was desperately trying to locate in the midst of some major trials with his false self. He wrote of it… Continue Reading Do Not Be Afraid
Freedom from Fear
Suffering: Week 2 Freedom from Fear Thursday, October 25, 2018 Man suffers most through his fears of suffering. —Etty Hillesum [1] Over the next couple days, James Finley shares insights on suffering drawn from Jesus’ example and teaching. I would like to reflect on the role of Jesus as the one whose very presence is… Continue Reading Freedom from Fear
Unknowing: Week 2 Summary
Unknowing: Week 2 Summary: Sunday, October 7-Friday, October 12, 2018 We cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain a certain degree of anxiety, and a willingness not to know—and not even to need to know. (Sunday) Information is not… Continue Reading Unknowing: Week 2 Summary
Stages of Life
Hinduism Stages of Life Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Beginning with Jesus’ four kinds of soil and receptivity (Matthew 13:4-9), to John of the Cross’ “dark nights” and Teresa of Ávila’s “interior mansions,” through the modern schemas of Jean Piaget, James Fowler, Lawrence Kohlberg, Eric Erikson, Abraham Maslow, Carol Gilligan, and others, each clarify that there… Continue Reading Stages of Life
Creative Political Tension
Politics: Week 1 Creative Political Tension Tuesday, July 10, 2018 I see our species’ collective shadow on full display today in the United States, exposing intolerance and bigotry at deep levels. Under the guise of avoiding political correctness, truth-telling has been twisted into fear-mongering and scapegoating. When humans cannot face and embrace the insecurities inside… Continue Reading Creative Political Tension
Wounded Healers
Justice: Week 1 Wounded Healers Friday, June 15, 2018 Bryan Stevenson (b. 1959) is a lawyer, social justice activist, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. [1] In his book Just Mercy, Stevenson describes how being in touch with our own humanity and need… Continue Reading Wounded Healers
Falling into Mercy
Growing in Love’s Likeness Falling into Mercy Tuesday, March 27, 2018 The transition to the second half of life moves you from either/or thinking to both/and thinking: the ability to increasingly live with paradox and mystery. You no longer think in terms of win/lose, but win/win. It is a very different mind and strategy for… Continue Reading Falling into Mercy
