Articles on Contemplation in Action
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Lent: Letting Love Enter In
On Ash Wednesday I took tentative steps into the Lenten season. I wasn’t sure what disciplines to embrace, but that morning I lit a candle and sat quietly in prayer before going through liturgical readings for the season. I attended a noon service and stood in line to receive ashes on my forehead, remembering that…
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Heartless Solitude
“Solitude is the furnace of transformation.” Henri Nouwen The day began at 4:00 am with a five-hour bus trip to the state capital, Albany, NY, with 70 other people. By 10:00 am we joined close to 1,000 other activists, allies, and survivors pursuing justice for those placed in solitary confinement up to 24 hours a…
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Slowing Down
There are two gears in my body: fast and stop. I am trying to find or create some intermediate speeds, but it is very difficult. I have even tried QiQong to slow me down and to notice the moment. Even with this, I find I am faster in the movements than everyone else. I can…
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Racial Justice and Equity: What is Mine to Do?
by Tom Adams Recently I was at a dinner with a mix of friends and acquaintances. In the midst of the discussion, someone was talking about how to get into Canada without going through Customs. Once you make it, you are a refugee and given all kinds of support and benefits. A friend I didn’t…
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Please Come Back
by Rose Mary Dougherty A wooden heart hangs on my office door; one side says, “Welcome,” the other, “Please come back.” Sometimes I forget to turn the sign and to leave the door open after my appointment has gone. Other times I choose to close the door and leave the sign turned, because I’m not…
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Proximity and Hope
by Mary Van Balen A movie or book can be transforming. For Black History Month, I’m sharing an experience with both. In January, I attended a movie with friends: Just Mercy. Based on the book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, written by Bryan Stevenson and published in 2014, the movie centers around…