ahimsa

today, i went to one of my favorite spots in baguio city to take some time away and to dive more deeply into a book i am currently reading on poverty, celibacy, and obedience. coincidentally enough, i realized today that i was back to the place where i FIRST started reading this book, which was about a year and a half ago, as suggested by sr. cathy, a maryknoll sister, when i approached her upon arrival to the PI. of course, during one of my transition identity crises when i first got here. [ me: "ate cathy - i just, don't know...is there a book that you can recommend me to read?" ...and she hands me one ] clearly, in this past year and a half, this book somehow got put in the bunch of books that i desire to read. but now, i am steadfast in my attempt to finish it!

"O'Murchu claims that the vows are first and foremost about values and not about laws. And in this provocative work he suggests that the Eastern concept of non-violence is a core value of the vowed life in all the monastic traditions known to humankind."

in this book, i came across this passage from joan chittister, and i was moved:

To say that we can possibly minister to the poor and never read a single article on the natinoal debt; to think that we can be moral parts of a global community and never study a thing about the Third World debt; to imagine that we can save the planet and never learn a thing about ecology; to infer that we work to promote the women's issue but never go to a women's conference, read a feminist theologian or spend a minute tracing the history of ideas about women; to say we care about the homeless dying and never say a thing about the evil of homelessness or the lack of medical care for the indigent, smacks of pallid conviction at best. Simply to do things is not enough anymore. Professional education that fits us for particular skills but neglects to prepare a person for dealing with the great questions of human life is not enough anymore. The world needs thinkers who take thinking as a spiritual discipline. Anything else may well be denial practiced in the name of religion. ( Joan Chittister)

and with that, i do desire to learn more and to be effective in my journey as a leader and follower in the various communities i am placed in. in this world, there is so much to learn and i am blessed to have a heart that is ready to be stretched!