Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Contemplation and justice

"The blessed Ranieri frees the poor from a Florentine jail"
Artist: Sassetta

So many people sadly believe that contemplation means shutting the world out. Actually, it is only through authentic contemplation that we can engage the world as it is:

To live a contemplative life, to be spiritual, does not mean that we spend life in some kind of sacred spa designed to save us from having to deal with the down and dirty parts of life. The contemplative life is not spiritual escapism. Contemplation is immersion in the God who created the world for all of us…. And so must we do whatever justice must be done in our time if we claim to be serious about really sinking into the heart of God.

-- Joan Chittister

No comments:

Post a Comment

New policy: Anonymous posts must be signed or they will be deleted. Pick a name, any name (it could be Paperclip or Doorknob), but identify yourself in some way. Thank you.