Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

"Follow Your Heart!" Really? -- by Brad Jersak

“Follow you heart.”

There’s something about this bit of proverbial wisdom that sounds so right, so refreshing, so healing. To those who’ve shaken free of the restraints of religious moralism or experienced the bankruptcy of rationalism, the rediscovery of one’s heart is a thrilling find indeed. To uncover this precious gift from beneath a thousand layers of emotional limestone is, in a deep way, to be born again. And what a wonderful surprise to find out that perhaps the human heart is, at its core, not some monster to be destroyed, but a pearl to be reclaimed and cherished.

And so we hear this anthem, this slogan—Follow your heart!—from the impassioned lips of many an anointed guru or [self-]appointed prophet these days.Yet something about this popular phrase has given me pause.

"Borders" by Christine Pendleton

"Borders"

Oh, the covert dealings of the nations.

Who's side am I on?
Who's side am I on?

Oh, the injustice of war;
The suffering of the innocent;
And the growth of the poor and needy.

Who's side am I on?
Who's side am I on?

Where death and destruction flaunt their strength;
Where power and influence inflate their cause;
And where passionate cries are yelled from the hearts of both borders.

Who's side am I on?
Who's side am I on?

Let Me tell you of the of the widow, the orphan, the wounded man and defamed woman.
Let Me tell you of the hungry, the ill and the dying.
Let Me show you the face of the leper; the sea of tears I have caught;
                        and the temple full of wailing that I hold dear to My heart.

I am on their side.
I am on their side.

Within whatever border that may be;
That is where I am.

Reviewing Forgiveness -- by Brad Jersak

"And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." Matthew 18:34-35

For those who find it easy to leave the streams of love, forgiveness, compassion and mercy behind,... you may not care to remain in those streams but, is your infinite debt something you can manage on your own? Be careful not to forget the unforgiving servant. Go back to the streams of God and be grateful for them. -- Adit Gamble 

Beloved... prophetic message via Eric Janzen

    Beloved, there is a table set for you and an invitation to come to that table.  A seat has been prepared for you and upon it is written your name.  What I have for you is abundant life; the Life of my Son; the Life of my Spirit.   

    I want you, beloved, to stop giving your loyalty away so easily.  I have been calling you, asking for your whole heart, your whole mind, your whole soul and spirit. 

Reflections on Personalism -- by Archbishop Lazar Puhalo

I.   INTRODUCTION

    When Dr Andrew Sopko made a comment about Personalism in his examination of my theology, I became curious about the philosophy of Christian Personalism and its French roots. Dr Sopko observed that, unlike some contemporary Orthodox theologians, I had not fallen into "Personalism." From my examination of Personalism, I conclude that there can be no Orthodox Personalism. Whatever our view of it, it is evident that there is no patristic support for Personalism, or for any kind of synthesis of Christianity with Phenomenology or neo-Kantian liberalism.

Peter Dale Scott: The meeting of poetry, prose and politics -- by Ron Dart

Peter Dale Scott comes from a worthy Canadian line and lineage.  His grandfather, Frederick Scott, was a contemporary of Stephen Leacock, an important Canadian poet, an Anglican priest and padre to many soldiers and at the forefront of the Winnipeg strike in 1919. Frederick Scott embodied, in thought, word and deed, a vision of responsible citizenship, but he was very English. Peter’s father, Frank Scott, was one of the best known Canadian poets, constitutional lawyers and founder of the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR) and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). The LSR-CCF were the forerunners of the New Democratic Party (NDP). Frank Scott was a student of Stephen Leacock. As the English empire waned and the American empire waxed, Frank opposed the English colonial way of his father, but he tended to genuflect, in a subtle way, to the New Romans to the south.  Peter’s mother, Marian Dale, was an accomplished Canadian painter. The Politics of the Imagination: A Life of F.R. Scott (1987), by Sandra Djwa, recounts, as an authorized biography, the life of Frank and Marian Scott.