I have recently been exposed to the world of sea turtles. Talk about a hero’s journey. These magnificent creatures are born on the sand and then instinctively scamper to the sea, totally vulnerable, but determined to be the one in a thousand that make it to adulthood.

Similarly, I believe we humans seek the same hero’s journey to survive and “Be all we can be.” A powerful question compels us across the sand of complacency and fear ofthe unknown.

At birth, a sea turtle knows they will not survive and thrive if they stay on the beach. Let’s be like sea turtles!

Groucho Marx is credited with having said, “I would never want to join a club that would have someone like me as a member.” There is a lot to reflect on in that declaration. How many times do we judge ourselves in some way or another and then set ourselves and others up by asking them to accept us unconditionally.

How many people do that with respect to Church membership? And, except for the man crucified next to him, did Christ ever promise anyone membership in his heavenly kingdom? I wonder if it was because he knew the truth in Groucho’s statement.

What do you think?

A powerful question illuminates a person’s path to purpose. But, what is purpose?

I would suggest that there are three ways most of us define purpose. First, and most obvious for Christians, is the one I first learned in the catechism. “To love and serveGod.” Second choice for many would be raising a happy, loving family. Third choice for others would be a successful, meaningful career.

For most of us, loving and serving God happens through loving our neighbors. Hard to measure and how much is enough? Because of aptitude, family expectations and a host of other factors, our career may have chosen us rather than the other way around. And, family? Most of us advancing in age look back and see all the things that were out of our control, things that could have been and should have been. It seems our task in old age is to accept and appreciate the things that went well and let go of the rest.

Tying purpose to loving and serving God is a guaranteed winner, but it is still left to us to determine what “With your whole heart and soul” means in our day-to-day life.

So, is purpose just a giant exercise in accepting, reconciling and letting go? Or is itreally something else that depends on us finding our own truth and our place in God’s plan?

What do you think?

I never considered myself a life-long learner. In fact, school was always a “get it over with” proposition, a way to fulfill requirements or qualify for a particular job. Yet, here I am enrolled in a seven-week online course based on Shirzad Chamaine’s book, Positive Intelligence. And, when I am in Chicago, I am often enrolled in art classes at the Palette and Chisel Art Studio.

I run into many in my age bracket who tell me they lack the energy and ambition to take classes. But, learning is so much more than achievement and passing tests. I think that is one of the big benefits of a Powerful Question. It leads us on a journey of self-discovery and adventure with unlimited possibilities. It has us seeking a more integrated and deeper level of awareness. What a gift to give yourself!

They can be. Case in point:
Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez’s recent death was highlighted in America Magazine. The article, written by Michael E. Lee stated, “Perhaps more than any other theological figure of the past century, this humble Peruvian priest, who died October 22 at the age of 96, wrestled with the question he identified at the heart of Liberation Theology: “How do you tell the poor, “God loves you.””

Fr. Gutierrez wrote the book, A Theology of Liberation.

Liberation Theology stresses the need to care for the poor out of a sense of justice as much as charity. It also stresses, consistent with Pope Francis, that we should not only offer preferential treatment to the poor, but also learn from them. Funny, I was raised to believe that the only thing the poor could teach me was how to avoid getting there.

Liberation Theology has produced a number of martyrs in South America. It has also been a persistent thorn in the side of those who would insulate the Church from thorny issues such as justice.

I would say that Fr. Gutierrez’s Powerful Question was indeed “dangerous.”