This is so good, Haley. I will be pondering the contrast of sloth and Sabbath:
"After all, children see through our slothful rejection of the good. They call us, and society, to take up our tasks. They call us to revel in the joyous, to receive a more humane kind of life."
"What I would give for a world in which the Christian witness showed the true density of things, the integrity of creation and the cosmic realities radiating from it."
I struggle to sustain hope too. I find some bit of solace in the fact that this is nothing new and that each generation must not just carry the fire but receive it from those who have born it before them. The fire usually isn't a blazing torch; it's a flickering candle held against the wind.
So so so good. I am so glad you share your thoughts and readings with us. We are all much better for it. I loved the part on sloth especially, a spiritual malaise, an apathy that persists. Thank you again.
Thank you 🙏🏼 this is such a spot on analysis. My best friend had an abortion for, I believe, very much the reasons you (and the Free Press) describe. I tried to help her see with eyes of hope when we spoke, but she could only see things through the lens of despair. It was very much a refusal to engage with "the possibility of being made new through enduring unknowns". 💔 I do know that she didn't take it lightly, though, and it has hurt her very much. I think it's a grief she'll always carry with her. I grieve for her child, who would be the same age as my son.
This was beautifully written Haley! What a wonderful vision of Christian witness. You've also convinced me to pick up R.J. Snell's book, it sounds so insightful and ever relevant to the age we're all living in.
This is really good regarding life issues, but I was prompted to an examination of conscience by the definition of sloth as an abhorrence of reality. Butting up against “the limits of one’s own selfhood” has been a reality check for me while trying to pursue anything intellectual or creative and care for young children at the same time. I'm encouraged to strive for more delight in the full mess of family life today <3
This is expanding my vocabulary in a literal and ideological? sense.
You know this isn’t my language, but the collective “Just tell me: Is —— a sin?” feels like a joke in light of these things. Like we don’t even want to take the time to consider if God has good things for us to enjoy, and then run after them in pursuit; we just want to avoid the ‘bad’ of a guilty conscience. To consider the depths to which we have failed to delight in what is good in God’s creation…there really is much to grieve there. I keep finding how much I’ve underestimated the power of delightful reception in terms of spiritual formation! And I guess I’m eager and hopeful to see more of it.
(I absolutely love your choice for the final image)
Sometimes expanding the vocabulary can feel unnecessary for certain things, and other times it truly helps. (I write for myself as much as anyone. And these ideas helped me.)
"The mysterious ways of generativity, of yielding to its various demands, can be what sets a person free from the inhumanity we shackle ourselves with. There is a weight to accepting reality that, in the end, transforms into an exhale of festive lightness."
Hayley this might be your best essay. Leah's comment about these ideas expanding her vocabulary ring true for me too. The weight of living within God's design is heavy but that is what makes it ring true and glorious. Making my almost third trimester self weepy. Thank you for sharing 🫶🏻
This was great. Do you read Father Stephen Freeman's Substack? He is an Orthodox priest. He just posted an essay about sloth and the Sabbath ("Amateur Christians"). Interesting convergence!
Have not - I’ll have to check it out. This idea of sloth vs. sabbath is already rocking my world, and have clearly only scratched the surface. Thanks for reading!
All your essays slap, but this one certifiably so.
This is so good, Haley. I will be pondering the contrast of sloth and Sabbath:
"After all, children see through our slothful rejection of the good. They call us, and society, to take up our tasks. They call us to revel in the joyous, to receive a more humane kind of life."
"What I would give for a world in which the Christian witness showed the true density of things, the integrity of creation and the cosmic realities radiating from it."
I struggle to sustain hope too. I find some bit of solace in the fact that this is nothing new and that each generation must not just carry the fire but receive it from those who have born it before them. The fire usually isn't a blazing torch; it's a flickering candle held against the wind.
This is just beautiful. Thank you so much for writing it!
So so so good. I am so glad you share your thoughts and readings with us. We are all much better for it. I loved the part on sloth especially, a spiritual malaise, an apathy that persists. Thank you again.
Thank you 🙏🏼 this is such a spot on analysis. My best friend had an abortion for, I believe, very much the reasons you (and the Free Press) describe. I tried to help her see with eyes of hope when we spoke, but she could only see things through the lens of despair. It was very much a refusal to engage with "the possibility of being made new through enduring unknowns". 💔 I do know that she didn't take it lightly, though, and it has hurt her very much. I think it's a grief she'll always carry with her. I grieve for her child, who would be the same age as my son.
Thank you very much for reading and sharing this, Sophie. May God bless your friend in all the ways she needs.
I've enjoyed listening to Snell's lectures and I've had this book on my list for a while! Going to order it!
This was beautifully written Haley! What a wonderful vision of Christian witness. You've also convinced me to pick up R.J. Snell's book, it sounds so insightful and ever relevant to the age we're all living in.
This is really good regarding life issues, but I was prompted to an examination of conscience by the definition of sloth as an abhorrence of reality. Butting up against “the limits of one’s own selfhood” has been a reality check for me while trying to pursue anything intellectual or creative and care for young children at the same time. I'm encouraged to strive for more delight in the full mess of family life today <3
They are profoundly worthwhile concepts to mull over. Right there with you in the examination and reality checks.
This is expanding my vocabulary in a literal and ideological? sense.
You know this isn’t my language, but the collective “Just tell me: Is —— a sin?” feels like a joke in light of these things. Like we don’t even want to take the time to consider if God has good things for us to enjoy, and then run after them in pursuit; we just want to avoid the ‘bad’ of a guilty conscience. To consider the depths to which we have failed to delight in what is good in God’s creation…there really is much to grieve there. I keep finding how much I’ve underestimated the power of delightful reception in terms of spiritual formation! And I guess I’m eager and hopeful to see more of it.
(I absolutely love your choice for the final image)
Thanks for sharing this.
!!!
Sometimes expanding the vocabulary can feel unnecessary for certain things, and other times it truly helps. (I write for myself as much as anyone. And these ideas helped me.)
Thank you, as always, for your keen eye and ear.
"The mysterious ways of generativity, of yielding to its various demands, can be what sets a person free from the inhumanity we shackle ourselves with. There is a weight to accepting reality that, in the end, transforms into an exhale of festive lightness."
Hayley this might be your best essay. Leah's comment about these ideas expanding her vocabulary ring true for me too. The weight of living within God's design is heavy but that is what makes it ring true and glorious. Making my almost third trimester self weepy. Thank you for sharing 🫶🏻
Thank you, as always, Shelby.
This was great. Do you read Father Stephen Freeman's Substack? He is an Orthodox priest. He just posted an essay about sloth and the Sabbath ("Amateur Christians"). Interesting convergence!
Have not - I’ll have to check it out. This idea of sloth vs. sabbath is already rocking my world, and have clearly only scratched the surface. Thanks for reading!