Richard Rohr – The Wisdom Way (Part Three)

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 third session of day 1, Fr. Richard Rohr begins by offering a description of contemplative prayer noting that it is often not verbal but rather an experience of entering into consciousness. What he calls the “desert of prayer . . . is something only the spirit can drive you toward” and it often involves encountering your shadow. This practice of shadowboxing helps to “expand your arena of freedom as little by little your unconscious is allowed to show itself to consciousness,” and the ultimate goal is to enter into an “inner dance with the Divine, with grace, with mercy, with love, with forgiveness” for yourself. Fr. Richard notes that the human ego tries to avoid change, and therefore a practice that can help us to let go of our attachments to thoughts, feelings, and opinions—the process that many call “dying to the self”—is what ultimately makes room for God. “Contemplation,” he teaches, “is basically when you love what’s right in front of you. . . . [It’s] where love precedes knowledge.” Through contemplation we learn to hold paradox and to look “out at all things with a different set of eyes.” He cautions that it is important to experience the necessary humiliation of the ego, but “just don’t let it move beyond to the negative self-hatred that comes right behind that.” When we can grant the same patience and compassion to ourselves and to all of reality as we can grant to those we love, we enter into the mind of Christ. 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/3wNojGFhttps://bit.ly/3wNojGF

Topics

• Wisdom