Beloved Sister and Brothers, As followers of our Lord, remember our vocation and mission is to SERVE and NOT to be SERVED nor to OBSERVE. WheW! Fr. Heart, SVD

1. SPIRITUALITY
AND
POLITICS
BY CORRINE
M
CLAUGHIN
&
GORDON
DAVIDSON
SPIRITUALRECOLLECTION
Fr. Heart, SVD

2. HEAL THE WORLD

3. What path
did you
follow? Some of us
tried to change
the world, while
others "went
inward,"
seeking to
change
ourselves

4. AN
ANECDOTE:A PRAYER
At the AGE of 18: to change
the world,
At 40: to change my family
and friends,
At 80: to change my self

5. POLITICS?
Spirituality?
How can we mention
these in the same breath?

6. For those
caught in
dualistic, "either/or"
thinking, politics
and
spirituality
seem
worlds
apart-- two
different
arenas
that should
never
e
m
ixed.

7. SPIRITUALITY
can ennoble
politics
can help people
leave ego and
power trips at the
door and truly
serve the good of
others
POLITICS
can ground
spirituality
 can provide a
practical arena for
applying spiritual
principles such as
compassion, as
instant feedback is
given if someone
doesn't "walk the
talk
BRINGING SPIRITUAL VALUES SUCH AS ALTRUISM AND
COURAGE INTO POLITICS COULD OFFSET THE IMMENSE
POWER OF MONEYED INTERESTS TO INFLUENCE POLICY
AND THE CYNICISM AND APATHY OF THE PUBLIC.

8. GANDHI
He said,
"I could not lead
a religious life
unless
I identified with
the
whole of mankind,
and that I could
had
no
trouble
bringing
his
spirituality
and
politics
together

9. But what about
separation of church
and state in this
country?
Congressma
n Dennis
Kucinich
says,

10. “Our founders never meant to imply that
we should separate...The actions of
government from spiritual principles." Nor
that we should avoid discussing spiritual
ideas in the public arena. They only
intended that the state not
impose religious beliefs on
citizens or interfere in the
practice of religion.

11. "Religion" refers to an organized institution
and community of believers, with specific
dogmas and practices. But spirituality
relates to one's inner, moral-
centered life in relation to the
transcendent. It is concerned with
qualities of the human spirit such as love and
courage. Religion can help a person be
spiritual, but spirituality isn't dependent upon
religion.

12. PEOPLE TODAY ARE
YEARNING FOR A
SPIRITUALLY BASED POLITICS
GUIDED BY MORAL VALUES

13. a POLITICS
that DOESN'T
appeal only to
self-interest
and pit one
group against
another.

14. THEY SEEK A TYPE OF
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
THAT SPEAKS TO THEIR
DEEPEST VALUES
AS HUMAN
BEINGS

15. PROVIDES A GREATER
SENSE OF
COMMUNITY AND A
TRANSCENDENT
PURPOSE AS A NATION

16. OFFERS US A
HIGHER VISION
OF PUBLIC LIFE
AND SERVICE
TO THE COMMON
GOOD

18. AS
JIM
WALLIS
IN
GOD’S
POLITI