"Just This". Richard Rohr

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I just started reading it. He states, “The spiritual journey is a constant interplay between moments of awe followed by a general process of surrender to the moment.” He then goes on to relate this surrender to dispassion or equanimity.

I find that surrender, dispassion, equanimity to be the most challenging aspect of my life when it comes to things I do not like or want and cannot change. Even their possibilities are the source of my anxieties and fears. For the past few years I have started to make special effort to consciously surrender to the inevitable, to see it as the unfolding of God’s will in my life.

It is where the rubber meets the road, where all this spiritual stuff has practical application and value.
 
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My priest told me not to read anything by Richard Rhor.

It sounds a bit like Buddhism in a way. But then possibly a lot of religions share some similarities, not surprising since we are all human beings with similar thoughts.
 
When it comes to his position on social issues I am more cautious but on contemplation, prayer and spiritual life I find him useful.
 
I had to look up who Richard Rohr was. I see he appears to be an advocate of “centering prayer”. Centering prayer is a big hot button issue for some Catholics and even some priests. They think that the practice is too New Agey or too rooted in non-Christian tradition, that it will involve too much focus on your inner self or that demons will fly in and attack you if you do it. Despite this, a number of monks and monasteries seem to be practicing and/or promoting it.

Edited to add, he also seems to be supportive of LGBTQ as well, which doesn’t bother me but probably would bother some other people.
 
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I would be cautious of reading anything written by him. There plenty of other good Catholic writers out there.
 
I’ve read four of his books, “Breathing Underwater,” “Everything Belongs,” “Immortal Diamond,” and “Falling Upward.” Right now, I’m slowly making my through an anthology, “Essential Teachings on Love.”

Often, I find myself agreeing with what he says, and other times I find myself thinking, “What?? What did he just say?” He often challenges his readers, deliberately, I’m sure. He speculates, and he offers alternative interpretations of Church teachings, which sometimes go against the traditional understanding, and anyone who reads him should know that going in.
 
christofirst said:
I’ve read four of his books, “Breathing Underwater,” “Everything Belongs,” “Immortal Diamond,” and “Falling Upward.” Right now, I’m slowly making my through an anthology, “Essential Teachings on Love.”

Often, I find myself agreeing with what he says, and other times I find myself thinking, “What?? What did he just say?” He often challenges his readers, deliberately, I’m sure. He speculates, and he offers alternative interpretations of Church teachings, which sometimes go against the traditional understanding, and anyone who reads him should know that going in.
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This. He has a tendency to take a premise too far, sometimes to the point of absurdity. When it was the Enneagram, everything could be explained by the Enneagram. I don’t know if he even talks about the Enneagram any more, which of course leads one to ask if it was ever the greatest thing since sliced bread in the first place. After awhile, you learn to take his enthusiasms with a grain of salt and pass everything he says through a lens of orthodoxy. (He leaves that part to the reader.)
 
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in Everything Belongs he promotes apokatastasis which is a heresy, avoid anything written by him
 
Recall also in “Dancing While Standing Still” I think it was, how our small self is about contraction, fear and isolation while our self in Christ is about expansion and reaching out. That was a particular challenge to me. I think it relates to dispassion. It is all about freedom from our small self that so often constricts everything about us…the small cage we are so used to and comfortable in.
 
I find him helpful on my spiritual journey but I do not look to him for Catholic teaching. I think his insights on spiritual growth and how Jesus calls us to that most difficult death of self are essential.
 
I am surprised at the “book-banning” sort of comments, but each person has to attend to his own spiritual health. In my opinion, if a book or a practice does not weaken your faith, and perhaps it even helps to build your faith, there is no reason to avoid it.

On the other hand, some people should avoid some books and practices.

That was off topic. Sorry. I know nothing about Richard Rohr.
 
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It does look a bit like a guitar pick. It is a gemstone.

In a ring, for example, it would look something like this.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

I do not own such a stone. It’s just my avatar, which is loosely associated with the Holy Trinity.
 
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Not my birthstone, but a stone similar to emerald.

My username Beryllos is from the Greek language, though I am not Greek, and is thought to mean “stone the color of the sea,” which I imagine would be a bit paler, like this, or even lighter:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Emerald is the same mineral as beryl, but jewelers seem to prefer the deeper greens. For my avatar I would prefer a pale green (sea green) three-sided gemstone, but first I have to find one that looks good at low magnification.

I chose the name for obscure reasons, mainly that it sounded exotic and old.

Please accept my apologies, Dear Readers, for this lengthy digression.
 
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I have subscribed to Fr Rohr’s daily meditations.

95% I agree with, but will admit, sometimes it took a while for me to understand.

I got a better understanding when I listened to his talks on YouTube…

His theology is Franciscan, which seeks to serve the poor and disenfranchised.
I never knew there were two theological camps in the Catholic Church, and Franciscan being one of them, until I read Fr Rohr’s explanation of the two.

I’m also beginning to understand his teaching on non-dualism.

Salvation isn’t about arguing about being on the right side of things, or satisfying our desire for certitudes which are what the ego tries to use against others not in our camp.

Jim.
 
Well, I never heard of apokatastasis before so I looked it up on New Advent

It doesn’t seem to be heretical according to St Gregory of Nyssa.

Also, Julian of Norwich said that Jesus told her “in the end, all will be made well.”

Is this apokatastasis ?

Don’t know, but both Fr Rohr and Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI quoted Julian of Norwich in their various works.

Jim
 
Shakuhachi said:
I just started reading it. He states, “The spiritual journey is a constant interplay between moments of awe followed by a general process of surrender to the moment.” He then goes on to relate this surrender to dispassion or equanimity.

I find that surrender, dispassion, equanimity to be the most challenging aspect of my life when it comes to things I do not like or want and cannot change. Even their possibilities are the source of my anxieties and fears. For the past few years I have started to make special effort to consciously surrender to the inevitable, to see it as the unfolding of God’s will in my life.

It is where the rubber meets the road, where all this spiritual stuff has practical application and value.
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“fill every valley and bring all mountains low”.
That is difficult. We love the highs and at the same time, we become equally attached or sometimes more attached, to the lows. For instance some of us make a life’s work of clinging to fear and/or anger.
I see Rohr’s thoughts addressing attachments of all kinds. Freedom from attachments is freedom to love.
 
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