Comments on: Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change http://anunslife.org/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/ Catholic Sisters and Nuns in Today's World Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:21:29 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: “Sisters of Selma” Documentary — Update « A Nun’s Life http://anunslife.org/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/#comment-677 “Sisters of Selma” Documentary — Update « A Nun’s Life Thu, 11 Jan 2007 12:51:08 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/#comment-677 [...] A while back I wrote about Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change (click here to see my original post). The film is a one-hour documentary produced by Hartfilms in association [...] [...] A while back I wrote about Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change (click here to see my original post). The film is a one-hour documentary produced by Hartfilms in association [...]

]]> By: JPII GenXer http://anunslife.org/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/#comment-678 JPII GenXer Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:40:25 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/#comment-678 With the gift of faith in Christ, Catholics undoubtedly have a different lens to which we strive for social justice, namely the commandment to love our neighbor which flows from this powerful faith. But what worries me is the reshuffling of priorities in many of these religious communities that have lost their focus on Christ in place of social justice, in and of itself. As Pope Benedict said in "Deus Caritas Est," "Practical activity will always be insufficient, unless it visibly expresses a love for man, a love nourished by an encounter with CHRIST." Of course, social justice is of paramount importance for Catholics. I just dont want us to lose the reason why we pursue this noble goal in the first place. PRAYER must be the center of all we do, otherwise we risk falling into "empty activism." To end with Pope Benedict: "In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is in fact the INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF THAT SERVICE." With the gift of faith in Christ, Catholics undoubtedly have a different lens to which we strive for social justice, namely the commandment to love our neighbor which flows from this powerful faith.

But what worries me is the reshuffling of priorities in many of these religious communities that have lost their focus on Christ in place of social justice, in and of itself. As Pope Benedict said in “Deus Caritas Est,” “Practical activity will always be insufficient, unless it visibly expresses a love for man, a love nourished by an encounter with CHRIST.”

Of course, social justice is of paramount importance for Catholics. I just dont want us to lose the reason why we pursue this noble goal in the first place. PRAYER must be the center of all we do, otherwise we risk falling into “empty activism.”

To end with Pope Benedict: “In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is in fact the INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF THAT SERVICE.”

]]> By: Marilyn http://anunslife.org/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/#comment-679 Marilyn Wed, 20 Dec 2006 03:57:41 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/2006/12/19/sisters-of-selma-bearing-witness-for-change/#comment-679 Thank you for posting about this film. I'll definitely look for it. I can't remember now where I read about your blog, but I'm so very glad to have found it. Although I'm no longer Catholic, I was raised in the church and taught by nuns for eight years. How differently I might have felt about the church if I'd been raised in it during a different era (instead of the 60's). What a remarkable thing it would have been to have read blogs by the nuns who taught me! In those days (in that order) all we saw were their faces--they seemed so intimidating and severe. It's wonderful to read your thoughts and feelings of your religious life. Thank you for posting about this film. I’ll definitely look for it. I can’t remember now where I read about your blog, but I’m so very glad to have found it. Although I’m no longer Catholic, I was raised in the church and taught by nuns for eight years. How differently I might have felt about the church if I’d been raised in it during a different era (instead of the 60’s). What a remarkable thing it would have been to have read blogs by the nuns who taught me! In those days (in that order) all we saw were their faces–they seemed so intimidating and severe. It’s wonderful to read your thoughts and feelings of your religious life.

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