Category Archives: Reflections

Ramadan at Smith

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Kim Alston
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Ramadan Mubarak! Muslims worldwide look forward to the start of the Ramadan season, a beautiful time of year for reflection, spiritual renewal, and devotion to Allah. Some of our students and community members at Smith will engage in Ramadan. You … Continue reading →

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CRSL Shepherds a Re-energized Ramadan at Smith

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Kim Alston
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Whenever we guide others on a path or journey, whether spiritual or physical, it is a great responsibility for the appointed leader. The Center for Religious and Spiritual Life holds this sacred role dear to its heart. Students know when … Continue reading →

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Reflections on Peace

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Anna Ostow
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Peace Now: Not the Absence of Tension but the Presence of Justice; Not the Presence of War but the Absence of Weapons By Reverend Matilda Cantwell, CRSL Director and College Chaplain When I was seventeen, I had a purple T-shirt; … Continue reading →

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What is Mindfulness Anyway?

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Anna Ostow
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Mindfulness has become a bit of a buzz word these days, alongside concepts like “self-care.” So what is mindfulness anyways? Mindfulness is another way of talking about being present. To be present is to drop into current time and the … Continue reading →

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Invocation for Generating Justice and Joy Nov. 30, 2021

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Kim Alston
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We are grateful that our earth has the capacity to take care of all living creatures. We affirm the importance of the humanity of all people. We are gathered to reconfirm our commitment to the seeking of this great concept … Continue reading →

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2021-2022: The Center for Religious and Spiritual Life Explores Transformative and Disability Justice as Spiritual Practices

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Matilda Cantwell
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This year as Smith focuses on “Democracies,”  we are painfully aware that social injustices were woven into the fabric of our society at its founding. We also find ourselves at a point at which the very structure of democracy in … Continue reading →

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Reparations in Higher Education

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Kim Alston
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This post is the first of a few to explore the theme of reparations. The term has come to refer to a broad movement advocating for payments and structural repair to those harmed by slavery in the U.S. and to … Continue reading →

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The War in Afghanistan, 9-11, and our Interconnectedness

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Kim Alston
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I thought it was a good idea to bring attention to the handling of the events in Afghanistan by the U.S. military last month through Generating Justice and Joy because it demonstrates the confusion, complexity, complicity, and connection that so … Continue reading →

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The Planting of Critical Hope: The Practice of Grief and the Blooming of Justice

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Matilda Cantwell
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Dear Friends, Critical hope is defined by Scholar Paulo Freire as a way of addressing injustice through meaningful dialogue—we are not hopeful because we wait for the future, because we create it. Critical thinking is the process by which we interrogate and dismantle. Critical hope is the … Continue reading →

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Think of Criticalhope as One Word

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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Critical hope seems at first to be a contradiction in terms–a clash of two universes of discourse.  “Hope” has to do with the experience of faith which inspires vision, which engages us in action and (hopefully) to a sacred, healing … Continue reading →

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