“Those of us known as ‘activists’ have sometimes been hurt by the written or spoken implication that we must be spending too little time on our spiritual contemplative lives. I do know many atheists who are active to improve the lot of humankind. But, for those of us who are Friends, our attendance at meeting for worship and our silent prayerful times are what make our outer activity viable and effective – if it is effective.”
“The man who can teach men has no right to raise turnips. Then, too, we all have special gifts and aptitudes which peculiarly fit us for some tasks rather than for other tasks. The very possession of a marked aptitude or gift is in itself a divine call and carries with it a summons to service – a noblesse oblige.”
September 2024: Contemplation and activism are sometimes presented as a dichotomy in Quakerism, but they are, in fact, intimately related. A rich spiritual life can inspire and ground our work in the world, and faithfulness to leadings can deepen our relationship with Spirit. From the time of the first Friends, Quakers have aspired to “be patterns, be examples” (George Fox) and “stand in the gap” (William Penn), in public witness to our corporate faith.
No sooner will you have given yourself up to serve the Lord in this inward way, than he will begin to purify you and try your faith in order to draw you nearer to himself. And, for this purpose he will lead you through the paths of dryness and desertion, so that when you endeavour to fix your mind in silence, in order to feel after your God, you will not experience the comfort and refreshment you expected.
“For the first Quakers, convincement was about much more than accepting new beliefs. Even a powerful experience of the Light of Christ within was only the beginning. Then they learned how to allow that Light to be an active and growing force. After turning their attention to the inward presence of Christ, early Friends were shown startling and uncomfortable truths about the nature of their society and their inner psyche.”
“‘Pause and Sense’ [is a] practical body-mind experiment. This practice has been transformative for me. […] It’s about counteracting the tendency to live solely in the realm of thoughts, especially in situations where we’re physically present but mentally elsewhere, like when you’re waiting in a grocery store line.”
“The pacifist is literally a peace-maker. He is not a passive or negative person who proposes to lie back and do nothing in the face of injustice, unrighteousness and rampant evil. He stands for ‘the fiery positive.’ Pacifism is not a theory; it is a way of life. It is something you are and do.”
“There are three aspects of the Quaker understanding of life in the early days of the Society. […] The first is that religion must be experimental and experiential. […] The second is the sense that true religion has implications for the whole of one’s life. […] The final starting point is the dedication to certain means as the most valuable and truest approaches to God. […] There is the basis for true unity, and that is the determination to testify honestly and fully to whatever is most deeply meaningful to each of us and to engage in dialogue with all others who are equally willing to be known by what matters most in life to them.”
“In the time of great trouble there may be life stirring underneath, and a true and tender sense, and pure desires, in which there may be a drawing nigh and breathing of heart to the Lord; but, in the time of trouble and great darkness, may not a man easily desire amiss, and pray amiss, if he have not his guide. A little praying from God’s Spirit, and in that which is true and pure, is better than thousands of vehement desires in one’s own will, and after the flesh.”
“Breathe in the quiet purpose of this place; / Through outward stillness, seek a calm within. / Here we can find forgiveness and forgive; / Here feel the healing miracle begin.”
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