Falling Upward
I am reading the newest book of Father Richard Rohr titled, "Falling Upward, A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life". I am not able to speed through this one( which as most of you Rohr Readers know is par for the course with his books) because of it resonates with wisdom for my life at age 50.
"The first part of life, success, security, and containment---'looking good' to ourselves and others--are almost the only questions. Religions, similarily need to make truth claims that are absolutely absolute--and we want them for just that--because they are absolute! We all want and need various certitudes, constants, and insurance policies at every stage of life.
"But we have to be careful, or they totally take over and become all controlling needs, keeping us from further growth."
Rohr goes on to say that most of the church sermons he has heard in his life never move beyond the first level of development, 'and do not challenge it. In fact to challenge it is called heretical, dangerous , or ill-advised."
"The very unfortunate result of this preoccupation with order, control, saftey, pleasure, and certitude is that a high percentage of people never get to the contents of their own lives. There is to much defensive behavior and therefore too much offensive behavior in the first half of life to get to the really substanial questions, which are what drive you forward on the further journey."
And the part that I am really thinking about now on April 26,( one month after my cardinal first started to Bonk !) as to my relationship with the institutional church:
"Human maturity is neither offensive nor defensive; it is finally able to accept that reality is what it is." Ken Keyes said, "More suffering comes into the world by people taking offense than by people intending to give offense." "The offended ones feel the need to offend back those who they think have offended them, creating defensiveness on the part of the presumed offenders, which often becomes a new offensive--ad finitum. There seems to be no way out of this self defeating and violent Ping-Pong game--except growing up spiritually. The True Self, you see, is very hard to offend."
posted by Karen @ 6:20 PM
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2 Comments:
After the baptism of Jesus John's disciples approach Jesus, He asks, "What is it you seek?" One man replies, " Master where are you staying?" Jesus simply answers, "Come and see."
Three words; John's disciples became His.
Where did Jesus stay? The temple, with the rich or powerful, or the Jewish elders? None of these He spent His time with prostitutes, lepers, sinners. The untouchables of socitey becoming untouchable Himself. Are we willing to go see where Jesus really lives? It is not in our churches built by human hands. It is in the heart of His children walking His path do we have faith enough to Come and see........?
That's what Rohr's book is about: Come and see......"Most of us are never told that we can set out from the known and the familiar to take on a further journey. Our institutions and our expectations, including our churches, are almost entirely configured to encourage, support, reward, and validate the tasks of the first half of life.
Thomas Merton, the American Monk, pointed out that we may spend our whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to find when we get to the top that our ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."
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