Discussion Prompts for Letter VIII: Justice

1. “Rather, let us seek practical spiritual experience of reality and the truth by means of concrete images as well as abstract ideas.” What are some ways in which we can make justice real in our lives — not just an abstract principle, but a concrete fact? (Hint, this is an easier question to answer when we, or someone we love, experience injustice).

2. The Benedictine motto, ora et labora (“pray and work”) is one of the equilibriums the author presents as embodying the spirit of Justice. He sees this equilibrium as the “door” between the oratory and the laboratory — the place where we pray and the place where we work. How do you envision that doorway in your life? Where do you find balance between your spiritual practice and the work you are called to do? How does that balance contributed to the fostering of justice in our world?