Weekly Pause & Ponder

We are on the cusp of a renewed Gospel life for the world. Will Pope Francis have the courage to renew the inner household of the church? This is the only way forward for our unfinished world seeking a new soul. Pope Francis stands at a pivotal moment in cosmic history and his vision of the whole is truly catholic. To bring together science and religion in a new theological vision will require a concerted effort of theologians, scientists, psychologists, environmentalists, economists and key players from Google, Apple and Facebook. It is time for Vatican III.

Ilia Delio.  http://globalsistersreport.org/ 03-12-2015.

Weekly Pause & Ponder

One of the deepest struggles in life is dealing with the unconscious anxiety inside of us that pressures us to try to give ourselves significance and immortality. There is always the inchoate gnawing: do something to guarantee that something of your life will last. It is this propensity that tempts us to try to find meaning and significance through success and accumulation. But in the end it does not work irrespective of how great our successes have been.

Ron Rolheiser.  goodreads.com

Weekly Pause & Ponder

Laughter is an incredible gift of grace that has been bestowed on humans, but it is under-utilized. Simply laughing every day can boost your immune system, lower your blood pressure and improve your sense of wellbeing. Find some cartoons or videos that always make you laugh, learn to see the humor in your day-to-day situations, and engage in laughter with your co-workers and friends whenever appropriate. Laughter can “clean out” the old stagnant energy in your inner “well” and make room for a new light hearted joy, love and kindness that will overflow to others.

Karen M. Wyatt M.D.  www.huffingtonpost.com  09-08-2015.

Weekly Pause & Ponder

The response to war is to live like brothers and sisters. The response to injustice is to share. The response to despair is a limitless trust and hope. The response to prejudice and hatred is forgiveness. To work for community is to work for humanity. To work for peace is to work for a true political solution; it is to work for the Kingdom of God. It is to work to enable everyone to live and taste the secret joys of the human person united to the eternal.

Jean Vanier. A Z Quotes.

Weekly Pause & Ponder

If indeed evolution undergirds the emergence of human life, then we must concede that the human person does not “have” a soul or acquire a soul through special divine intervention; rather the human person is ensouled in the same way that every aspect of conscious life is ensouled. As Thomas Berry reminded us, the earth is primary and we are children of the earth. This means, of course, that our understanding of the “soul” must be reconsidered in terms of quantum physics and evolution. Quantum physics may not only shed light on the meaning of the “soul” in terms of consciousness but it impels us to consider personality in view of the deep entangled energy fields that comprise the fundamental framework of reality.

Ilia Delio.  Nov. 30, 2015 in Speaking of God (/columns/speaking-of-god), Global Sisters Report.