{"id":1976,"date":"2016-09-12T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=1976"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:47:37","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:47:37","slug":"sept-12-conviction-must-open-me-to-takingaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2016\/09\/12\/sept-12-conviction-must-open-me-to-takingaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Sept 12 -“conviction must open me to taking action”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday September 12<\/strong> \u00a0 Jim Wallis and Mary Oliver<\/p>\n

I am taking liberties: linking Jim Wallis, founder of the Sojourners Community in Washington DC, and Mary Oliver, a poet of many decades, without asking them. \u00a0Yesterday afternoon, I came from Jim Wallis’ talk in our Gesu Parish across the street from the university\u2019s campus. \u00a0He spoke of the “American Original Sin of White Privilege” with compelling biblical logic. \u00a0I may be mis-remembering a little, but memory suggests that he concluded his talk to a full house of believers by focusing what had gone before with words close to these: \u201cConviction must open us to taking action.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0Wallis meant, I think, that talking about the sin of white privilege and its consequences, and praying, is a work of grace; but insufficient. \u00a0We must let our conversations and our prayer move us toward taking action in the world.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why later this evening when thumbing through Mary Oliver poems for Monday\u2019s post, her \u201cWhat I have learned so far,\u201d caught my attention, especially her last two lines. \u00a0Fresh from Jim Wallis\u2019 talk, Mary Oliver\u2019s trenchant words sound familiar to this day.<\/p>\n

I found her\u00a0poem requiring several readings, with pauses. \u00a0But I say that most days, don\u2019t I? \u00a0Strong poems always do.<\/p>\n

Have a blest work week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s post <\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cWhat I have Learned So \u00a0Far\u201d<\/p>\n

Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I
\nnot sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
\nlooking into the shining world? Because, properly
\nattended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
\nCan one be passionate about the just, the
\nideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
\nto no labor in its cause? I don’t think so.<\/p>\n

All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
\nstory, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
\nThought buds toward radiance. The gospel of
\nlight is the crossroads of — indolence, or action.<\/p>\n

Be ignited, or be gone.<\/p>\n

Mary Oliver b. 1935<\/p>\n

\"jimwallace\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jim Wallis b 1948
\nhttps:\/\/sojo.net\/biography\/jim-wallis
\n<\/a>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jim_Wallis<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday September 12 \u00a0 Jim Wallis and Mary Oliver I am taking liberties: linking Jim Wallis, founder of the Sojourners Community in Washington DC, and Mary Oliver, a poet of many decades, without asking them. \u00a0Yesterday afternoon, I came from … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1976"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1980,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976\/revisions\/1980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}