Innovate~Educate~Collaborate

Category: Christogenesis

  • Green Junction: Climate, Advent, and Hope by Julie Peller, Ph.D.

    Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese recently wrote an article in Earthbeat (National Catholic Reporter) expressing his profound concern about climate change: the inaction, the minimal communication, and general apathy toward human/earth rights. “Advent should be a time of hope. As a social scientist, I have little hope. As a Christian, I must have hope. This Advent, I will…

  • So we think we are Catholic?

    This post is for “Catholics” all 23 rites. Those who think you are liberal, conservative, progressive, traditional, fallen away, or in-between. Have we tainted our faith with political ideology? Do we understand the universality of the word “catholic”? How often do we find near-heresies and a few real heresies on all social media posts? Do…

  • Green Junction: The minimalist lifestyle by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    The minimalist lifestyle is described as a simplistic way of living using materials that are necessary or serve a purpose. Those who choose a minimalist lifestyle, often called minimalists, are people who seek happiness and peace in living, not in materials. Minimalism is the conscious decision to live with fewer possessions with more time to…

  • Merton: a ‘mystical experience.’

    In 1966, Merton wrote about a ‘mystical experience’ in a Louisville, Ky., shopping district, commonly known as the 4th & Walnut experience. Merton famously wrote: “I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even…

  • For Merton, what is the Kingdom of God?

    For Thomas Merton, the Fourth & Walnut experience was about “seeing” the ‘Kingdom of God.’ The realization that the ‘kingdom of God is all about “seeing.” The See-Judge-Act methodology allows us to see the goodness in humans naturally. Kingdom = Consciousness, the understanding of the greater good, think, eudaimonia. The Kingdom of God is not…

  • Rest In Peace Frederick Buechner — Pastor Michael Moore’s Blog

    A great book to read. This is a book of wisdom! This is a book Thomas Merton would have been encouraging others to read. Photo from Amazon.com Frederick Buechner (July 11, 1926 – August 15, 2022) was an early inspiration and mentor to me in the early 80’s and continued to touch my heart through…

  • Green Junction: Masks are becoming vogue again By Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Health protection measures throughout the pandemic have involved an enormous amount of one-use plastics. These have included personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, gowns), take-home food packaging, test kits, syringes, wipes, and more, unfortunately intensifying the global plastic waste problem. Billions of disposable masks, mostly made of a plastic called polypropylene, have been used and thrown…

  • Written in the 60s… But…

    Thomas Merton’s voice is heard decades after his death. Maybe it has a lot to do with human nature and who we are, and who we think we should be in the world we live. I often wonder what Merton would think today if he were alive about Propaganda. The 60s really didn’t have the…

  • Green Junction: We take for granted Water by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Many areas worldwide experience shortages of fresh water and/or severe problems with contaminated water supplies. At the same time, populations of people use significant amounts of water to create unnatural green lawns through daily watering and overuse of fertilizers. In contrast, Nature’s rainfall is concentrated along or near the equator; daily rain is rare in…

  • Green Junction: Think about your freshwater. By Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Spring is the season of more daylight, more sunshine, and the renewal of plant life. Warmer temperatures and plentiful rainfall bring about budding trees and bushes and green grass. Among colorful spring flowers, the beauty of yellow dandelions emerges. Dandelions are known to contain many nutrients and have been used for food, drinks, and medicinal benefits for…