Tag: the cross

Not Me!

Watching television today leads me to believe that all I have to do to be happy is to buy the right car, live in the right neighborhood, eat the right food or take a particular pill–the list goes on ad infinitum. I don’t think so, in fact I truly doubt that any of that will make me happy. I believe that grappling with life’s struggles, even when I feel completely helpless and abandoned, rewards me and all of us with life.

That seems to be the theme of  Andrew Solomon’s new movie “Far From the Tree”. With this movie Solomon examines life as lived through the lives of five main characters, none of which claim to have any of the above.  I watched, I laughed, I cried and I left the theatre understanding a little better what it means to truly live and not run away, my first choice of action when confronted with a challenge.

Dan O’Donnell, a layman has covenanted with the Chicago Community. In addition to the standard covenant, Dan promises to work at connecting all partners known and unknown, to a conscious following the the way of Jesus, the way of the cross which Dan believes transforms all failure, democratizing the human journey

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We Need to Tell the “Right” Story

 

In this TED Talk, Karen Thompson Walker tells us that we must tell the “right” story if we are going to live. The story we Passionists tell is the story of the Cross.

I am often reluctant to tell that story even when I believe it is the one that needs to be told. For instance, daily following the News, I hear or read about someone who acts out of fear rather than compassion. I share that story, merely retelling what I’ve read or heard. I seldom relate these News items to the fear of the people being reported upon. I almost never suggest that maybe if they followed Jesus’ way, the results would have been different. Of course, I don’t need to watch the news to find examples of the wrong story being told. I can simply reflect on my own actions to see I often do the same.

 

As Ms. Walker so well demonstrates in this talk, we must tell the right story. Doing that, will lead to “right” action.