Dorothy Day's "The Long Loneliness" - and her issues with soup kitchens and simple christian life.

Mark Massa has described Dorothy Day's spiritual path as marked by the "downward path". Massa's meaning of the "downward path" is actually referring to what the downward path leads to. Massa's "downward path" leads to salvation. According to the Christian Science meaning of salvation, salvation: is the realization of the supremacy of infinite Mind over all bringing with it the destruction of the illusion of sin, sickness, and death.

With this in mind, it becomes clear as to what Massa meant by calling Dorothy Day's spiritual path as marked by the "downward path". Day dedicated her life for the better well being of the poor and helping other people. Everyday she walked the "downward path" to ultimate salvation by helping others.

I believe that Massa's observation of Dorothy Day does describe her well to an extent. The only part I do not agree with is although I know she thought she was doing the right thing, I do not believe that divorcing her husband because he was not catholic was necessary in order to achieve ultimate salvation. On the other hand, I believe that Massa is correct in that Day was once quoted as saying:

"I first became a Catholic because I felt that the Catholic Church was the church of the poor...the church of all immigrant populations that came over or were brought over for prosperous Puritan, money making developers of this country, ravishers of it, you might say"

With this quote in mind, I believe that it is obvious that everything that Day did from day one, when it comes to religion, had the poor and helping others in mind, which, in my own mind does lead to salvation.

A very important figure in Day's spiritual journey was a man names Peter Maurin. Maurin's role in Day's life...