“By contemplation, we mean the deliberate seeking of God through a willingness to detach from the passing self, the tyranny of emotions, the addiction to self-image, and the false promises of the world. Action, as we are using the word, means a decisive commitment toward involvement and engagement in the social order. Issues will not be resolved by mere reflection, discussion, or even prayer, nor will they be resolved only by protests, boycotts, or even, unfortunately by voting the “right” way. Rather, God “works together with” all those who love (see Romans 8:28)” (Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, January 17, 2020).

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“Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company”  (Rachel Naomi Remen).

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“Saint Basil the Great articulated the goal of Christianity as “Likeness to God as far as possible for human nature.” Everyone of us—because of God’s presence and action in our world—can partake in the divine-likeness (2 Pet 1:4). Christianity is not about going back to the garden, it’s about going forward. It’s about cultivating, by grace, the divine-likeness. And that’s the symbolism of the Garden of Eden—cultivation, not completion. The garden was not meant to be the pinnacle but the prelude of human civilization. A place of infinite possibility—a starting point—a genesis” (Jonathan Bailey@jonathan bailey.com).

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“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against justice” (Martin Luther King).

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“[Jesus] never announced to his disciples: “Hey folks, we’re going to start a new, centralized, institutional religion and name it after me.” Instead, he played the role of a nonviolent leader and launched his movement with the classic words of movement, “Follow me” (see Matthew 4:19, for example). He used his power to empower others. He did great things to inspire his followers to do even greater things [see John 14:12-14]. Rather than demand uniformity, he reminded his disciples that he had “sheep of other folds” (John 10:16). . . . He recruited diverse disciples who learned—by heart—his core vision and way of life. Then he sent these disciples out as apostles to teach and multiply his vision and way of life among “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) (Brian McLaren).

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“Ring the bell that still can ring. Forget the perfect offering.  There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in” (Leonard Cohen).