Originally Posted: October 18, 2024
What if we can revitalize our spirit with a practical faith for the modern age?
Over the next several posts, I’ll be sharing a series of reflections that weave together two essential elements of the spiritual life: inner contemplation and outward action. These are not two separate paths, but one interconnected movement toward both personal and social transformation. This series will explore how the inner life of reflection can fuel meaningful engagement with the world, and how our work for justice can deepen our connection to the sacred.
Why Contemplation and Action?
At its heart, this exploration is born from the belief that spirituality is not something confined to moments of prayer or meditation, nor is the pursuit of justice something we engage in without an inward, reflective grounding. Both contemplation and action are vital. Together, they create a path that honors the inner dimensions of our being while calling us to act with purpose in the world.
In the posts to come, I will be sharing insights from personal experiences, as well as drawing on the wisdom of thinkers like Simone Weil and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. These reflections will touch on the practice of attention, the role of suffering, the value of competence, and the experience of finding peace in the midst of life’s challenges. Each post will explore a different facet of how we can live more deeply and engage more meaningfully with the world around us.
Here’s a brief look at what’s coming:
Post 1: Awakening to the Sacred: A Journey Begins
The first post will focus on the realization that spirituality and justice are not separate. I’ll share a personal story of awakening to the interconnectedness of the inner life and the outer world, exploring how artistic expression and reflection helped bridge this understanding. This post will set the stage for a journey that brings the sacred into every part of life—both in how we see the world and how we engage with it.
Post 2: Attention as a Spiritual Practice
In the second post, we’ll dive into Simone Weil’s insights on attention as a form of love and prayer. Attention is not just about focus but about being fully present to both the beauty and suffering in the world. We’ll explore how cultivating attention, through meditation or mindful presence, allows us to see more clearly and respond with greater compassion to the needs of those around us.
Post 3: Suffering as a Path to Transformation
This post will delve into the complex role of suffering in spiritual life. Drawing on personal reflections and insights from liberation theology and Weil, we’ll explore how suffering can be both a spiritual teacher and a call to action. The goal is to understand suffering not as something to passively endure, but as a catalyst for personal growth and for standing in solidarity with those who suffer.
Post 4: Competence and Skillful Engagement
How can mastering the tasks of daily life create space for deeper spiritual reflection? In this post, we’ll explore the relationship between competence and inner freedom. Developing skillful habits in our work and personal lives allows us to engage the world more mindfully, freeing mental space for contemplation and helping us act with purpose and effectiveness in the world.
Post 5: Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms
In this post, I’ll reflect on the experience of God’s presence as a sense of relief—a quiet, sustaining peace that grounds us even in difficult times. We’ll explore how this sense of relief allows us to face challenges without becoming overwhelmed, providing the strength needed to engage with the world from a place of calm and resilience.
Post 6: A Universe Filled with Divine Presence
This post will explore panentheism, the idea that God is present within all things and yet beyond them. Drawing on Teilhard de Chardin’s theology, we’ll look at how this perspective helps us see the sacredness of the material world and our connection to the divine through the unfolding of the universe. This broader vision of the cosmos invites us into a deeper relationship with both creation and the Source of it all.
Post 7: Synthesis of Contemplation and Action
The final post will tie everything together, offering a synthesis of the journey we’ve explored. It will reflect on how we can live a life where inner reflection and outward action are seamlessly integrated, where our spiritual depth fuels our work for justice, and where our actions in the world deepen our spiritual life. I’ll also share practical suggestions for how to bring these insights into daily practice, offering ways to live more fully in the presence of the sacred while actively contributing to the healing of the world.
An Invitation to Reflect and Engage
Each of these posts is designed to explore how contemplation and action come together to create a way of living that honors both the inner life and the world we inhabit. As we move through this series, I hope you’ll find moments of reflection that resonate with your own experiences, and perhaps new ways to integrate these practices into your life.
I invite you to journey with me as we explore what it means to live in a way that is both deeply reflective and engaged with the world, a life that finds its strength in the sacred presence that surrounds and sustains us all.
~ CyberArtTime 2024
CyberArtTime 
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