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Green Junction: Is your garden killing the earth? By Julie Peller Ph.D.
Many views of a healthy earth are misguided by desired appearances, such as the perfect lawn; these are promoted without an understanding of nature and its ecosystems. The Washington Post reporter Dana Milbank decided to spend his winter months learning the difference between native and invasive plants, and landscapes that contribute to the loss of species vs…
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Is Pope Francis our Toto? “Arguing like keyboard warriors.”
“One does not proclaim the Gospel standing still, locked in an office at one desk or computer, arguing like keyboard warriors, replacing the creativity of the proclamation with copy and paste ideas taken from here and there” ~ Pope Francis. “It is clear to us that the first Christian community in Jerusalem was more than…
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An Ethos of Social Justice
Is it time for the East & West of Christianity to develop an Ethos, a “character” to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals of a community of believers based on Mt 5-6-7 & 25 that all have in common? Think Patristics. The Patristics: the mothers & fathers of Christianity spoke against social injustice. This tradition…
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The story of Easter Island by Julie Peller, Ph.D.
The story of Easter Island, named according to its discovery on Easter Sunday in 1722, is one of human indifference toward nature. Studies of the rise and demise of the human population on Easter Island suggest that population overgrowth and environmental degradation led to the collapse of the society. Easter Island is a remote island,…
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Synchronicity, my first love before I even knew its name
Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connection between the subjective and objective world.” ~ Carl Jung Over the years, I have realized synchronicity is much like love in a marriage. You either grow in love over time, or you grow out of love over time, and much depends on your awareness of what matters most in life. Quantum…
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A new monastic form of living evolving?
What I don’t think most people fully realize about Monasticism, especially when we look at people like Anthony the Great ( 251 – 356), Mar Awgin, a Syrian monk, introduced the monastic rule in Mesopotamia, Basil of Caesarea (c. 330-379) and his sister, Macrina and then with Benedict of Nursia, the rise of monastic living was a revolt against the…
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Green Junction: Hydraulic Fracturing by Julie Peller, Ph.D.
Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is an advanced technological process for mining natural gas and oil from the depths of the earth, typically 1000 to 4000 feet. The process requires huge amounts of fresh water, 1.5 million to 16 million gallons per well, that are mixed with chemicals to pressurize the wells and…
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Green Junction: Train Wrecks! by Julie Peller, Ph.D.
The recent train derailment and explosion in Ohio that released toxic chemicals was newsworthy given the magnitude of the crash, toxic releases and affected area. Our chosen way of life is dependent on all types of industrial chemicals and processes, and chemical spills and releases are common. Another fact is that these unhealthy contaminant discharges…
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See-Judge-Act: Following the Call
The lesson learned from Louis J Putz CSC is to think about the method of See-Judge-Act as a methodology. Let the technique and experience of following the Call, living the Sermon on the Mount in our lives and society, enter into our movements, daily lives, and organizations that we create to help bring about the reign of…