The essential cycle of loss and renewal

 

"All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. Creation has a pattern of wisdom, and we must not shield ourselves from it; otherwise, we risk losing our souls. We can follow commandments, believe in doctrines, and attend church services for a lifetime, yet we may still lose sight of our true selves if we avoid the essential cycle of loss and renewal. Death and resurrection occur at every level of the cosmos, but only one species believes it can escape this reality—the human species.”

~Richard Rohr

Christ: The Shape of the Universe

Christ: The Shape of the Universe

Attendance vs. transformation

Early-stage religion is more about belonging and believing than about transformation. When belonging and believing are the primary concerns, people don’t see their need for growth, healing, or basic spiritual curiosity. Once we let the group substitute for an inner life or our own faith journey, all we need to do is “attend.” - Richard Rohr

God confronts, converts and consoles

I have been reading Richard Rohr's daily email reflections for some time now.  He is a Roman Catholic priest who runs the Action and Contemplation Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico which is a center in which people delve deeply into their inner lives while they also strive to pursue actions which bring peace and justice to the community and the larger world.  He is a good thinker and challenging writer, and I have been enjoying the ways that he is calling us to be more adult in the way that we are observing and practicing Advent.  Here is his email reflection that was sent out today, well worth the read:

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

ADVENT

Jesus identified his own message with what he called the coming of the “reign of God” or the “kingdom of God,” whereas we have often settled for the sweet coming of a baby who asked little of us in terms ofsurrender, encounter, mutuality or any studying of the Scriptures or the actual teaching of Jesus. This is what I am inviting you to this Advent.  But be forewarned: the Word of God confronts, converts, and consoles us—in that order.  The suffering, injustice and devastation on this planet are too great now to settle for any infantile gospel or any infantile Jesus.  Actually, that has always been true. Adapted from Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr, p.2