Richard Rohr on the Path of Descent (Part 1)

About this sermon

This series of talks was delivered to a Presbyterian congregation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in early March 2003. In these talks Fr. Richard Rohr differentiates the gospel call to descent from religion’s common preoccupation with ascent. What Fr. Richard calls "the language of descent" is the "theme of themes" of the Bible. Call it "powerlessness," "the bias from the bottom," "the way of the cross" or "vulnerability," human beings have to be taught how to win by losing. Life itself is a series of necessary losses. In this first session, Fr. Richard Rohr introduces his thesis for the series that the great meta-narrative (the theme of themes) of the Bible is what he calls the path of descent. This begins in the Hebrew scriptures with the themes of exodus and exile, which are the only two places in which God can teach us. Fr. Richard goes on to argue that “Christianity, when it’s faithful to the teaching of Jesus, is the only world explanation that teaches us how to win by losing.” CENTER FOR ACTION AND CONTEMPLATION The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) is an educational nonprofit introducing seekers to the contemplative Christian path of transformation. Founded by Richard Rohr in 1987, our programs and resources are designed to help deepen prayer practice and strengthen compassionate engagement in the world. https://cac.org Subscribe: https://bit.ly/3QypRgu Learn more about Who We Are: https://bit.ly/3D8TtdU Learn more about What We Do: https://bit.ly/3qrYFGc Learn more about Richard Rohr: https://bit.ly/3ozYdmP Learn more about Contemplation: https://bit.ly/3wNojGF