Contemplative Activists

When learning about poverty in our current contexts, the age-old questions are sure to stir:

 What should I do about this? 

How do I respond? 

Certainly, there is not a singular, comprehensive “answer” to these questions. What responses can be found will often vary based on the particular contexts of the questions. As Christ-followers, mirroring His incarnational work in the world, we have been given a rich legacy in the lives of the saints and other heroes of the faith, those men and women who modeled for us the lives of being contemplative activists. When answers are few and far between, we look to them who have drawn near to the poor in their distress, giving us an example to follow. 

We define “contemplative activists” simply as those walking the Jesus-rhythm, who went up to the mountain to be with his Father and pray, and then returned to his life of service, engagement, activity to walk in the places of the world that needed mending. As Anglicans loving “the least of these,” we believe that our life of prayer sources our work among the vulnerable, and our closeness to suffering shapes our prayer and our understanding of God as the Ultimate Healer and Savior.