Interfaith Table Talk: Healing Ourselves and Our World Through Contemplation & Action

Healing Ourselves and Our World:

Contemplation and Action

A Two-Part Interfaith Conversation

“Contemplation is a very dangerous activity.

It not only brings us face to face with God.

It brings us, as well, face to face with the world, face to face with the self.

And then, of course, something must be done…”

~ Joan Chittester

Contemplative practice and social action have often been seen as disconnected and, in some cases, opposed. In the wake of tragedy or atrocity, one might see offers of “thoughts and prayers” countered by demands for “action and legislation.” And yet, both are necessary as we seek to advance justice. 

Our contemplative life is the internal work that grounds our sense of identity and galvanizes our longing and hope for justice. The actions we take to heal our world are then external expressions of our internal spirituality and values – love and compassion lived out. Just as contemplation informs how and where we show up in the world, action, in turn, becomes a practice that shapes our spirituality and sense of self. When it comes to justice, healing ourselves and healing the world are two sides of the same coin – interrelated and interdependent.  

Join us for a two-part Interfaith Tuesday Table Talk, where we will lean into this conversation of Healing Ourselves and Our World. We will be hearing from intergenerational multifaith voices and sharing our own over a delicious dinner at Dominican Center Marywood. 

May 12 – Seeing Contemplation as Justice

Sept 22 – Justice Action as Spiritual Practice

Because these conversations feed each other, we hope you can join us for both, however, you can come to either one if you can’t make both!

Co-hosted by Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Dominican Center Marywood.