Reflect

Suggesting a meaningful response to the broken parts of the world, Francis Weller writes, “We must build soul muscle to meet these times.” Br. David Steindl-Rast says that we have a “soul-size task” in front of us, one that takes “spiritual backbone.” Try this on: Think of soul muscle as a powerful mix of courage and clarity, a kind of throughline between the inner landscape of your heart and the outer actions of your life. Soul muscle doesn’t require the gym, but it does require stillness, connection, and attunement to the wonder of being alive. It benefits from listening, attention, and ritual; it’s the fertilizer for wholeness. And ultimately it’s what enables us, as Br. David says, to “come alive on the highest level of our caring, of our caring for one another and caring for this planet.”