A new six zoom class entitled “Balancing Action & Contemplation” will soon begin at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The class will meet on zoom weekly from 7 pm – 8 pm starting Thursday, April 20th and will go through Thursday, May 25. It is designed for folks who have a heart for social justice. It will be facilitated by Jamie Massa.

Here is a brief summary of the six-week class.

1. Contemplation: Some form of contemplative practice is necessary to be able to detach from your own agenda, your own anger, your own ego, and your own fear.
2. Alternative Consciousness: What you are doing in contemplation is movingto a level beneath your thoughts: the level of pure and naked being.
3. Watching the River: It is helpful to become aware of one’s thoughts and feelings through simple contemplative practices like: centering prayer, Lectio Divina, welcoming prayer, Yoga, Tai Chi, and other meditative movement, wandering or sitting in nature or simply focusing on your breath.
4. Becoming Pure in Heart: For Jesus, prayer seems to be a matter of waiting in love, returning to love, trusting that love is the unceasing stream of reality.
5. Action AND Contemplation: We need both action and contemplation to have a whole spiritual journey. It doesn’t matter which comes first; action may lead you to contemplation and contemplation may lead you to action.
6. Summary: Over time—months, years, a full lifetime—contemplation gradually opens our hearts, minds, and bodies to Love as our True Self and right action.

Contact Jamie Massa if you are interested in joining.