spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
Sometimes gratitude creeps up on you and lightens the mood like a friend razzing you with a harmless practical joke. I was with some friends the other day, and I felt a warmth and peace that eased right into my heart. I’d had the same feelings a few years earlier when I was facing one … Continue reading Extending Gratitude by William Klein
The forms of separation we experience in life are many and manifest literally and figuratively. I’ve seen the power of divorce rip apart individuals and tear into families and wreak havoc on the psyche of a unit’s dimension leaving sadness in its wake. I’ve seen the terror of aloneness stifle people to the point where they … Continue reading Separation by William Klein
There’s an ancient myth where when one is in the deepest dark of the forest, a hermit, a wounded healer, comes along to impart wisdom to help a troubled soul get out of the forest. It just goes to show you that you cannot escape the world. The world will meet you where you are … Continue reading The Wounded Healer by William Klein
It’s the root of things that inspires integrity. The trick to a healthy tree is in the roots. Considering the fact that we are such a polarized society, it begs the question what is at the root of our beliefs? Do we believe in the heart of equality and the soul of justice? What is the … Continue reading Defining Roots by William Klein
I feel like it’s easy to identify the four loves that C. S. Lewis talks about; Agape (Sacred), Storge (Instinctual Affection), Eros (Passionate) and Filial (Familial). I recently learned that Sanskrit has upwards of 96 words for love. Another author noted upwards of 200 words for love. Persian has 80. The Greeks have 4 and we … Continue reading In the Name of Love by William Klein
In this day and age, it seems the word “love” is over used and sometimes just another tawdry claim, but its bonds can be found in the smallest ways and simplest expressions of intent. I’m always amazed to hear what parents do for their children. My friend recently had a baby for the first time, … Continue reading Bonds of Love by William Klein
Blog HOPE by William Klein I remember when I was teaching the theological virtues to my high school students how confused they were when I asked them to define the virtues. They had trouble identifying between faith and hope. They were lost in the abstraction and confused by hope. Isn’t being hopeful having wishful thinking? … Continue reading Hope by William Klein
Spoiler alert. This blog deals with the full context of the story “The Stranger” by Albert Camus. I recently read Albert Camus’ “The Stranger,” one of the seminal existentialist writers of the 20th Century and Noble Prize winner for literature. Camus’s book digs deep into the central questions of pathos and human existence but isn’t for … Continue reading Estrangement from the Heart by William Klein
In his Sermon XII, Meister Eckhart relates the idea of purity of love. He delves deeper into these origins through Jesus’ claim that this is foundational to our being. He opens his sermon with the following: “HOC EST PRAECEPTUM MEUM, UT DILIGATIS INVICEM SICUT DILEXI VOS(John 15:12ff.) I have quoted three words in Latin from the … Continue reading Bearing Witness to the Divine Origins of Love by William Klein
“Each of us is a word of God spoken only once. We have a word to speak with our lives. If we don’t speak it, it may never be heard.” Sr. Peg Dolan, RSHM I love this quote, and it’s one that I always return to in life. Sr. Peg reminded me of how sacred … Continue reading “The Paradox of God in the Spoken and Unspoken”
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