Dr. C. Vanessa White: Discipline Leads to Freedom

Messy Jesus Business

Episode 3, Season 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "The spiritual life is a journey in discipline." - Dr. C. Vanessa White LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Dr. C. Vanessa White and Sister Julia Walsh talk about what healthy spirituality looks like, the importance of balance, and the value of knowing who one is so we can offer our authentic selves. "The spiritual life is a journey in discipline; in making choices. and you can make choices that are life giving or you can make choices that sap you of your life," Dr. C. Vanessa White explains. Those choices can reveal the mess of ministry, in particular when it comes to balancing that ministry with care for loved ones and ourselves. That's why it's so important to rest, Dr. White explains, and in her words, "Revive and renew, so you can do." They also discuss what it means to have hope, even while fatigued by the realities of the global pandemic, and how that hope can be found by changing our focus. "We are so busy focusing on the negative that we miss that God's grace is present in the midst of that. And we need to connect with that; it will help us journey through that time," Dr. White explains. ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr. C. Vanessa White, D. Min., is Associate Professor of Spirituality and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Associate Director of the Master of Theology program at Xavier University of Louisiana.A professed Secular Franciscan for more than 30 years, her articles and essays have appeared in New Theology Review, U.S. Catholic, AMERICA, National Catholic Reporter and CNN.org. She is co-editor of the book, “Songs of Our Hearts and Meditations of Our Souls: Prayers for Black Catholics." (St. Anthony Messenger Press), is a contributor to the Black Catholic Studies Reader (David Endres, editor, CUA, summer 2021) and to the Wisdom Commentary series volume on Luke, 1-9 (General editor, Barbara Reid, Liturgical Press, 2020.) She is an advisor for the Fetzer Institute’s Study of Spirituality in the Americas published in 2020 as well as consultant to the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry. A former convener for the Black Catholic Theological Symposium, she considers herself a womanist practical theologian whose research is focused on the intersections of spirituality and praxis and is attentive to issues of discernment, health, women’s spirituality, diversity/intercultural dialogue, leadership development, spiritual and ministry formation, spiritual practices, lay ministry, adult faith formation and issues pertinent to the lives of Black Catholics. MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski. Email us at [e-mail] BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness