Richard Rohr – The Wisdom Way (Part Eleven)

About this sermon

“The Wisdom Way: Scripture, Tradition, and Experience” was a week-long retreat held at the Center for Action and Contemplation for students from Fuller Seminary in April and May 2013. The week of teaching was designed with the goal of “understand[ing] scripture and tradition and experience in a critical way.” Ultimately, Father Richard Rohr and the Fuller students sought to develop a working definition of wisdom for those seeking contemplative spirituality. In this morning discussion on day 4, Fr. Richard Rohr brings the focus back around to experience. Relying most heavily on Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation and Fr. Richard’s Immortal Diamond, the discussion touches upon the concepts of the True Self, the False Self, the Augustinian notion of Original Sin, and Fr. Richard’s own definition of the “contemplative stance.” He argues that without spirituality, culture will only be equipped to validate the False Self: “What true religion is about is transformative. . . . Until that identity transplant happens, I don’t think you’re talking about real Christianity.” He differentiates the False Self from the ego, noting that the ego is the part of us that wants to be separate and in control whereas the “False Self is the many ways that you do that.” Experience of the Divine, however, can “eras[e] the boundaries of that autonomous ‘me.’” Fr. Richard teaches that “original sin” is the False Self that we are given by culture around us, though we are born into our True Selves which Fr. Richard notes is the “original blessing” that must be preserved. Ultimately, Fr. Richard asserts that contemplation is all about experience, and that to take a contemplative stance is to “[emphasize] self-surrender over self-assertion,” to embrace mystery, and to understand that “only the True Self can contemplate.” 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

Topics

• Wisdom