donalddeanchambers

Synod Thoughts – Pope Francis and Brene Brown

The voice of the Holy Spirit speaks loudly through the words of two persons, thousands of miles apart – a religious leader and a qualitative, grounded theory researcher. Ponder on these words! “The world feels high lonesome and heart-broken to me right now. . .We’ve turned away from one another and toward blame and rage. Continue reading “Synod Thoughts – Pope Francis and Brene Brown”

Synodality and Togetherness

The solar system is a planetary system Not ‘cause of one planet But a diversity of planets. The beach is the beach Not ‘cause of one grain of sand But diverse sand grains together. The ocean is the ocean Not ‘cause of one droplet of water But millions of diverse droplets together. Trees are treesContinue reading “Synodality and Togetherness”

Synodality – A Taste of Perfection, Satisfaction and Completeness

We don’t look for perfection, We don’t look for satisfaction, We don’t look for completeness, In one. . . . . . leaf of a tree . . . blade of grass . . . droplet of water or . . . grain of sand. Then why do we look for perfection, Then why doContinue reading “Synodality – A Taste of Perfection, Satisfaction and Completeness”

Global Warming

In the summer of 2022, we witness the double wrath of extreme drought and flood rains and landslides across the globe. I watch in dismay cracking agricultural soil, wild forest fires, dying livestock, and malnourished babies. The media also bombarded viewers with pics of raging muddy flood waters, houses and agricultural lands inundated by water,Continue reading “Global Warming”

Synodal Insights

After reading chapter sixteen, “Community: On Spiritual Companionship,” in Joan Chittister’s book entitled, “The Monastic Heart,” I extracted some excerpts that I believe are Synodal Insights on Communal Journey. LECTIO DIVINA ON THE QUOTATIONS AS A GROUP, A FAMILY OR A COMMUNITY? “The truth is that only in community can you come to truly knowContinue reading “Synodal Insights”

Synodal Waves

Synodality To what can I liken this way of living as Church? Like a sea crab I buried my butt on a sandy beach, Facing rolling waves, crashing a few distance from my feet. Closing my eyes, focusing on the sounds, Then opening them to marry the sound to the sight of the waves. MyContinue reading “Synodal Waves”

What difference can I make?

Yesterday, I was born.TODAY, I AM LIVING.Tomorrow, I will, I will be no more,Like water vapour, come and gone.In that brief moment of TODAY,What difference can I make?

Synodality and the Swimming Pool

This morning I arrived at my swimming class and encountered a new coach. Initially, I thought I had erred in the time for my regular class, but eventually I was assured that I had not erred but that there was a substitute coach for today. During the class, I felt more relaxed, confident, and lessContinue reading “Synodality and the Swimming Pool”

Jamaica needs to come out of bunker culture

THE EDITOR, Madam: Throughout Jamaica’s political independence, citizens have been shooting each other, no pun intended, with the bullets of discrimination, social inequity, economic mismanagement, religious denominational turf war, and political polarisation. The consequence is a psychologically and socially wounded nation with groups of citizens naturally isolating themselves in bunkers both for protection and attack.Continue reading “Jamaica needs to come out of bunker culture”

Synodality – Dance of Kairos and Chronos

Synodality is communication Think of listening, discerning, deciding, implementing, planning and evaluating as beads on a string – the string of communication. Communication is like a dance, A dance between two partners Kairos moves to an internal rhythm Kairos lives in the present moment Kairos is sensitive Kairos befriends silence Kairos reads the “signs ofContinue reading “Synodality – Dance of Kairos and Chronos”