James Conlon, Invisible Excursions: A Compass for the Journey, (Wyndham Hall Press, 2012).
The names commending this visionary autobiography (Diarmuid O ¢â‚¬â„¢Murchu et. al.), writing a Foreword (Rosemary Radford Ruether), and those of James Conlon ¢â‚¬â„¢s mentors (Thomas Berry, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Matthew Fox) give anyone who reads the burgeoning literature on Christian Spirituality an inkling of this book ¢â‚¬â„¢s flavour.
A generation of thoughtful Catholics had their hopes raised when Pope John XXIII convened the Vatican Council II, ¢â‚¬Ëœ[shifting] the focus from apologetics to mission and meaning for a people of faith ¢â‚¬â„¢ (p.27). Optional celibacy, democratised ecclesial structures, increased roles for women in the Church and for laity in the liturgy… these are other ¢â‚¬Ëœreforms ¢â‚¬â„¢ were keenly anticipated. But, as history has shown, the ¢â‚¬Ëœtop-down vertical hierarchy wherein male authority trumped personal charisma and the call of the people ¢â‚¬â„¢ (p. 30) took hold again, driven by John XXIII ¢â‚¬â„¢s successors. Books with titles like A Modern Priest Looks at his Outdated Church (James Cavanaugh) hit the bookstores.
But Conlon found his inspiration in Teilhard ¢â‚¬â„¢s call to unconditional love ( ¢â‚¬ËœIf humanity could once again discover the power of love, they would have for the second time discovered fire ¢â‚¬â„¢), Thomas Berry ¢â‚¬â„¢s ¢â‚¬Ëœecological spirituality ¢â‚¬â„¢ (calling us to ¢â‚¬Ëœjoyfully and deeply appreciate the wondrous beauty of creation ¢â‚¬â„¢), and Matthew Fox ¢â‚¬â„¢s vision of a ¢â‚¬Ëœliving cosmology through science, art and mysticism ¢â‚¬â„¢.
Well, that should whet your appetite to dip into this book ¢â‚¬“ ¢â‚¬Ëœpart memoir and part cosmological commentary ¢â‚¬â„¢. If you want to know more about the four paths along which we experience the Divine (Via Positiva, Via Negativa, Via Creativa, Via Transformativa); or Matthew Fox ¢â‚¬â„¢s brilliant critique of the notion of Original Sin ( ¢â‚¬ËœWhen we are born, we possess original goodness ¢â‚¬â„¢) [1]; or the inspiring invitation to ¢â‚¬Ëœtreat all life as sacred and resacralize the earth ¢â‚¬â„¢ this little book will provide an excellent ¢â‚¬Ëœslow read ¢â‚¬â„¢. It might challenge us to an alternative lifestyle to that of the average career described devastatingly as: ¢â‚¬ËœPeople are born, they graduate in their twenties, they ¢â‚¬Å“die ¢â‚¬ , and many years later they are buried ¢â‚¬â„¢ (p. 116). Conlon and his mentors dare to say to us: ¢â‚¬ËœYou can ¢â‚¬â„¢t do spirituality today with your back to our ecologically endangered planet ¢â‚¬â„¢ (p. 124).
James Conlon directs the Sophia Center at Holy Names University (Oakland, California) where he develops and teaches courses in spirituality and culture, theological education, social and ecological justice, and community organization. His basic message: there is so much goodness and beauty and mystery and wonder all around us, in humans and in all creation that we do not have to be trapped in ecclesiastical irrelevance and mundanity. His purpose in this book: ¢â‚¬ËœIt is time to heal the chasms that divide us, and through aspirations of the heart, ponder our destiny, passion, and purpose. The principles I have expressed are intended to delineate a practical approach forward into a world of hope ¢â‚¬”a world as we would like it to be, that flows out of this cultural epoch and that is open to the promptings of a spirit that celebrates sacredness, creativity, and the work of justice. ¢â‚¬â„¢ [2]
It ¢â‚¬â„¢s a beautiful story of one very-well-put-together life.
More… http://www.jimconlon.net/ , the Sophia Center’s website .
[1] I still remember being deeply moved by reading Fox ¢â‚¬â„¢s signature work, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality and interviewing this charismatic man for national Australian television.
Rowland Croucher
John Mark Ministries (jmm.org.au)
September 2012
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