Center for Action and Contemplation

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 “𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯,” 𝘍𝘳. 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘩𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 1970s.

I will always cherish my early years among the youth of the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati, Ohio. If nothing else, we were enthusiastic! With the help of the Holy Spirit, there was belief, there was trust, there was hope, there was positive energy. We didn’t immediately critique or analyze everything. We didn’t call everything into question right away.

I believe we must be free to say “yes” before we say “no,” but most of us aren’t that free. Our first response is normally dualistic, negative, and probably even fear based. We often respond initially with something like: “I don’t trust that. I don’t like that. I don’t want that.” The word “yes” before “no” allows for some enthusiasm (en-theos in Greek), which means “filled with God.” I’m encouraging an enthusiasm that is based on intelligence, wisdom, and the great gift of hope.

Hope is a participation in the very life of God. It has nothing to do with circumstances or events going well. It can even thrive in the midst of adversity and trial. True faith, which always includes hope and love, is a predisposition to “yes.” I would go so far as to say that a foundational “yes” is the most distinguishing element between an ego- and fear-based agenda and a Spirit-guided one. As Paul writes of Jesus, “With him it was always ‘yes,’ and however many the promises God made, the ‘yes’ to them all is in him” (2 Corinthians 1:19–20).

Deconstruction comes naturally to most of us, but deconstruction is rather useless without reconstruction and a positive vision. It’s the easiest thing in the world to stand on a pedestal of superiority and point out who and what is wrong — without doing anything positive or becoming a positive answer ourselves. After we criticize and deconstruct, what are we actually for? An awful lot of activists on the left and reactionaries on the right have no positive vision, nothing they believe in, no one they are in love with. They are just overwhelmed with what’s wrong and think that by eliminating the so-called “contaminating element,” the world will be just, peaceful, and right again.

The book of Proverbs says that without a positive vision the people will perish (see 29:18). What the gospel, true religion, and true mythology give us is a cosmic and positive vision, inside of which the soul can live safely. That’s the only place from which lasting change ever comes. Jesus’s term for that totally positive vision — not against anybody or expelling anything — is the reign of God.

Reference:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, “The Wisdom Pattern: Order/Disorder/Reorder” (Franciscan Media, 2020), 62–63, 64.

Take a guess — which CAC faculty member do you think said this quote?

This week’s “Daily Meditations” focus on how to find hope during hard times. https://bit.ly/4voq4qV

Our first meditation — entitled “Love Is the Foundation of Hope” — features a passage by Fr. Richard Rohr.

He writes, “If we are to have foundational hope, it almost demands a foundational belief in a world that is still and always unfolding toward something better. This is the virtue of hope. Personally, I have found that it is almost impossible for individuals or communities to heal over the long haul if they do not trust that the whole cosmic arc is also on a trajectory toward the good.”

Read on to explore this cosmic arc of hope through the Incarnation.

Love Is the Foundation of Hope Hope arises when we embrace a sacred reality.—Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light Father Richard Rohr finds encouragement in his belief that we are

“What kind of spiritual movement could challenge willing sectors of Christian faith to migrate from their systems of belief to a shared way of life centered on love?”
—Brian McLaren, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 “𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴,” 𝘊𝘈𝘊 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘤𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵:

On page after page [of the Gospels], Jesus and his disciples practiced movement dynamics in Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. Jesus seized the opportunity for change created by unrest in Galilee … by the injustices of the Roman occupation, and by corruption among the religious elite. He framed his message through a powerful central image (kingdom of God), a unique art form (parables), and through powerful slogans (“Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand,”… “Love your enemies,” “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me,” for example). He developed a protest and messaging strategy that included public teach-ins (the Sermon on the Mount), demonstrations (healings, exorcisms, feeding of the five thousand), guerrilla theater (his triumphal entry into Jerusalem), and advanced action-reflection leadership training (deployments and retreats with disciples).

His mobilizing structures included the three, the twelve, the seventy, and special two-by-two initiatives. In addition, he taught his disciples to build allies among “people of peace,” and to be willing to let people walk away if they were not ready for the demands of movement involvement. He developed rituals of initiation (baptism) and renewal (Eucharist), calling people to initial commitment and strengthening them for the long haul. His movement culture was unique and distinctive, characterized by feasts, parties, joyful processions, and outdoor festivals at which usually stigmatized and outcast people were warmly welcomed. He gave women an unprecedented level of responsibility in his movement, and among his inner circle he included people of diverse gifts and temperaments, from a poet like John to an activist like Simon the Zealot to a steady pillar like Peter (at his best). His movement culture also emphasized the value of contemplative solitude and withdrawal to nourish the inner life and sustain the struggle over the long haul... Their lives in the movement were characterized by great joy, great sorrow, and great love.

I could see these same dynamics at work in Paul and his colleagues around the Mediterranean, as the “kingdom of God” movement expanded to the far corners of the earth. And I could see similar patterns reemerging throughout Christian history — in the desert fathers and mothers, in Saint Patrick and the Celts, in Saint Francis and Saint Clare, in the Wesleys and the early Pentecostals, in Dr. King and Desmond Tutu, in Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero. Since its earliest and most dynamic centuries, Christianity has been most vital when it has been energized by movements of self-organizing — or perhaps we should say “Spirit-organizing” — cells. These cells have taken root and grown like seeds in communities and institutions. There they have grown, multiplied, and borne fruit — fruit in just and vibrant institutions, fruit in thriving, peaceful, joyful communities.

Reference:
Brian D. McLaren, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 (Convergent Books, 2016), 141–143.

What if you didn't have to earn the love of those around you? https://bit.ly/3RNImTX

Many of us learn early in life that love has to be earned through caretaking or good behavior. Regardless of if you are an Enneagram Type Two, or you find that each Enneagram number is reflected in your life, these reflection questions explore how you relate to caring for others.

➞ Fr. Richard Rohr describes many Twos as “parentified children” who mother and father the adults around them. Did this dynamic show up in your home? How does it impact your life today?
➞ When you help others, are you truly giving freely, or are you quietly keeping score and waiting to feel appreciated?
➞ Twos are gifted at giving, but often uncomfortable receiving. When someone offers you help, what happens inside you? And, what might that reveal?

Which contemplative teacher shared these words on curiosity and kindness? Write your guess in the comments!

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍⚧️ To people on all parts of the continuum of gender identity and expression — we say, you belong.

Today, we invite you to read a passage by Cassidy Hall — she describes coming to embrace her q***rness as a path towards intimacy with her true self:

“Everyone carries their own true self in their own way, in their own words, and in their own time. And that is also beautifully q***r. My true self is the q***r way I rest my ear to the chest of a tree, listening for its heartbeat. My true self is the part of me that shows up at the Indiana statehouse when anti-trans bills are brought to the table, knowing the privilege of my own position as a cis q***r white woman and the roles I am called to in communal care. My true self is the part of me that keeps asking questions, stays curious about my own blossoming, and holds myself — and the world — with open hands… As we unclench our fists, shedding internalized norms and expectations, we step toward everything alive, toward everything wild, toward the truth of who we are.” Read more: https://cac.org/daily-meditations/allowing-ourselves-to-unfold/

A Litany of Belonging – Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations Join us in a meditation inspired by a call and response read at man...

Join us for Falling Upward: Life as a Spiritual Path — an online course featuring Fr. Richard Rohr. https://tinyurl.com/ycyvaj2u

Embark upon a heroic journey into a broader and deeper world, gaining insight into limiting beliefs, lost mythologies, and spiritual truths that guide us through life’s challenges and changes.

Based on Richard Rohr’s beloved book, “Falling Upward,” this self-paced course features reflections from Fr. Richard’s own story as he models moving beyond the first half of life and into the second. Tiered pricing and financial aid are available.