大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Hope Lonergan

Good Morning!

So, I became a Quaker by sending off for a Quaker 鈥榮tarter pack鈥�. I had spent a couple of years window-shopping for a belief system to a) give my life meaning, and b) redivert my attention away from painkillers. Despite briefly alighting upon unorthodox belief systems such as Gnosticism or Vodou. I finally settled upon Quakerism.

What initially appealed to me was their foregrounding of social justice issues; their push for a rectification of inequality. A movement towards light 鈥� towards 鈥渃orrect, reverential action鈥� - guided by 鈥楥hrist the Inward Teacher鈥� or an internal, innate Godliness. And as someone who had wasted years on stasis and lethargy, his call-to-action, this personal response to social ills unprompted by liturgical coercion, was invigorating.

I was already opposed to a reflexive obedience to authority so this anti-establishment bent 鈥� especially when statements of defiance are paired with testimonies for peace 鈥� really appealed to me.

Either way, we need faith and spiritual guidance when the very foundations are shaken 鈥� whether literally or metaphorically as in the case in Turkey and Syria . The deadliest quake in the region in two decades has led to the deaths of thousands. A catastrophic moment that has shown the best of humanity and an inward sense of concern as a humanitarian call-to-action. And if you think your own gesture has no bearing on the wider landscape, remember that an accumulation of personal responses can mend a broken region.

With this in mind. God, I believe you move the tides within me and expand my capacity for fellow-feeling. You point out my responsibilities; my commitment to the Other. Thank you for igniting my social conscience.

Now go lightly.

Amen

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