The undulating dynamic of birth, death, and rebirth permeates the fabric of existence. It is true for me and for you, as well.

Born of a father of Irish heritage and a mother with French Canadian roots, my early years found me siding with the outsider and the oppressed.

As a young man, I felt a resurgence of energy and engagement with the advent of Vatican Council II, with its emphasis on aggiornamento and its proclamation of the relevance of the Church in the modern world. I saw a possibility that marvelous things could happen as a fresh aliveness flowed into the hearts and minds of many.

In my work with community organization, I saw that people could learn to act freely and achieve what is possible for them to do, as well as make this freedom available for others. Later, when I experienced creation spirituality, another significant dimension of the puzzle fell into place. Through evolutionary science, I began to understand that the events of my life—a reality that is true for all of us—have prepared me for what’s next.

A new vehicle for awareness and engagement discovered its place in my soul as I beheld the sequence of a relevant faith, self-deliverance, and the ability to act. I rejoiced to discover the journey of the soul in justice. My early inclinations were reaffirmed by the realization that my personal identity could find its fullest expression in work that brings balance, harmony, and peace to people and the planet.

I began to experience my life as a Christian in way that healed the division between how I understood my life to be and how I would want it to be. I embraced the realization that God is not an object to be prayed to but rather an enveloping, visible sacred presence that permeates every molecule of existence.

In awakening to the realization of the divine in all things, I was able to contemplate the origins of things and the fourteen billion history that has brought us to where we are now. I could give expression to each new moment of existence as it pulsates among us and draws us into life. It is a life of adventure, risk, and the promise of an ever-present now.

(originally published August 13, 2016)