I just got back to work today after spending parts of four days down at Camp St. Francis in Aptos. The camp was located right beside the beach, and there was a basketball hoop and a bunch of the guys organized a little tackle football game, which I’m still sore from. It was also a nice chance to relax and do a little reading. Unlike when we were there in August, the weather was clear the entire time, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more spectacular sunset. Few things in life put things in perspective the way the Pacific Ocean can.
JVC brought in University of San Francisco professor Mike Duffy. He gave three talks on Catholic social thought. He was a really inspiring guy who has done tons immersion trips and work in the City as well as in third world nations, but what I especially liked was when he talked about how each person has to define for themselves their own meaning of social justice, that it’s a long an arduous process and that you have to take time out for yourself so you don’t burnout in one month, or six months or one year. The quote he used several times was from St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Go forth and set the world on fire.” And then he asked us all to contemplate what that would look like in our own lives.
JVC brought in University of San Francisco professor Mike Duffy. He gave three talks on Catholic social thought. He was a really inspiring guy who has done tons immersion trips and work in the City as well as in third world nations, but what I especially liked was when he talked about how each person has to define for themselves their own meaning of social justice, that it’s a long an arduous process and that you have to take time out for yourself so you don’t burnout in one month, or six months or one year. The quote he used several times was from St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Go forth and set the world on fire.” And then he asked us all to contemplate what that would look like in our own lives.
2 comments:
Great pics. I like how you managed to fit seaside retreats into your year of service. Nice. I also like the Ignatius quotation and how what that would look like is different for each person. It's definitely something worth pondering.
I agree. Great pics. I'm struck by the dichotomy of the urban life that you describe in Oakland and the quiet retreats in some of the most beautiful parts of the world. It's that theme of lightness and darkness, hope and despair, cacophony and silence. I'm curious how you move between those extremes and what happens in the process of seeing both side by side.
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