Theological Reflection

            Reflection is the human activity that brings transcendence and meaning to our lives. It is a process in which we engage all the time, including when we dream. Reflection is looking back at what has happened so that we might make some sense of our experience. Without the function of reflection, human life would be a simple matter of stimuli and responses. Our decisions and our existence would be determined by the frequency of positive or negative reinforcement.

            Reflection may be spontaneous, or it may be intentional. In this program, our reflections are both intentional and theological. The purpose of intentionally engaging in theological reflection is to discover a direction for living as one of God’s ministers in this world. We think about our lives from socialistic, medical, legal, economic, and many other stances. This is an opportunity to learn to think theologically.

            Serious reflection is hard work involving cognition, emotion, and telling the truth. In theological reflection we also involve our faith because we open our hearts and minds to the possibilities of God’s call to us. The fruits of theological reflection, however, will be well worth the hard work. Through this process faithful men and women come to find a way to live amidst the ambiguity and the brokenness of our world.