Spiritual Life and Social Action
Praying & Living the Faith
Some people think it is simply enough to pray to God. Some people think it is simply enough to do good works. This is the so called Active/Contemplative dichotomy. But when asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus said:
"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost
commandment." "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law
and the Prophets." (Mt. 22:37-40)
In other words, we must first worship God (Spiritual Life) and then, and only then,
can we truly go and love our neighbor (Social Action).
As a mission to the secular University community, the Newman Center exists to
aid students, faculty and friends to grow in the Faith and put that Faith into
action. The Center expresses this mission in three ways: - By making the Sacraments available, most especially the
Eucharist which binds us all into the Mystical Body of Christ..
- By advancing the knowledge and love of the Depositum Fidei
(Deposit of Faith) contained in Scripture and Tradition.
- By providing opportunities to put our Faith into action through
Evangelization and works of Christian Charity (Social Action). |  | At Newman, the Eucharist is the source and summit of all that we do and unites
us to all people of good will through the Mystical Body of Christ. As the
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches us:
(CCC 1396) The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who receive the Eucharis are united more closely to Christ. Through it
Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church. Communion
renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already
achieved by Baptism. Ever mindful that it is possible to 'lose ones soul in programs of highly useful
activities,' (reference the many souls lost in the Wars of Human Secularism
which dominated the last century), at Newman we ground our corporal acts of
mercy in that one ultimate act of charity, Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. | 
Eucharist | Yet, at the same time, we remember the words of St. James, 'Even so, faith
without works is dead.' (Jm. 2:17) and we note the warning the Catechism gives:
(CCC 1397) The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body
and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his
brethren. So, at Newman there is no dichotomy between the active and contemplative life.
We are a both/and community. Come and join us on our actively contemplative
pilgrimage of faith! | 
Thanksgiving
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University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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The Newman Catholic Center at UMass.
472 North Pleasant Street - Amherst MA 01002 -
Tel. 413.549.0300 - FAX 413.548.9182 - Email:
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Last update: Wed, 25 Aug 2010
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