Hyeokil Kwon

Flowers of Contemplation: Peace and Social Justice Hyeokil Kwon

How do spiritual experiences empower Christians to reform their society? Nowadays, many Christians seek spiritual disciplines in order to develop an intimate relationship with God. However, some of them seem to fail to integrate their transcendent experience with their social activities. Therefore, the author researches the relationship between spiritual experience and social action. He inquires into some important spiritual figures: St. Ignatius of Loyola from an active order tradition, Thomas Merton from a contemplative order tradition, and Gil Seon-Ju from the early Korean Protestant church. The author argues that for the three spiritual masters, their social actions for peace and justice are deeply rooted in their experience of contemplation. Also, he clarifies some aspects of contemplation and action which are needed for the renewal of the Korean church. Anyone wishing to integrate spiritual experience and social reformation will find wisdom from St. Ignatius of Loyola, Thomas Merton, and Gil Seon-ju through this book.