People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind. ~Richard Rohr
Stillness Speaks is pleased to introduce Fr. Richard Rohr’s teachings. This post provides a short introduction to Richard, taken from the Center for Action and Contemplation website. Enjoy this brief sampling of his radical and refreshing Christian perspective…. and stay tuned…much more to come … Explore his teacher’s page on Stillness Speaks.
Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard’s teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and self-emptying, expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.
Life is a matter of becoming fully and consciously who we already are, but it is a self that we largely do not know… ~ Richard Rohr, Falling Upwards
Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. His newest book is The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell). Richard’s book are listed on his website bookstore.
Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity’s place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings.
All that each of us can do is to live in the now that is given. We cannot rush the process; we can only carry out each stage of our lives to the best of our ability… ~ Richard Rohr, Falling Upwards
Richard is well known for his Daily Meditations, an email subscription that brings a short piece of wisdom to your inbox. From his CAC website, here’s a description of his meditations….
Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations help us rediscover Christianity’s essential, contemplative foundations and rebuild our spirituality “From the Bottom Up.” These messages are for Christians and spiritual seekers of any (or no) tradition!
Drawing from his own Franciscan heritage, as well as wisdom teachers from other religions, Fr. Richard reframes neglected or misunderstood teachings to reveal the basic pattern of reality: God as loving relationship. From this nondual awareness, we can act in ways of compassion and healing for the world.
The present moment has no competition; it is not judged in comparison to any other. It has never happened before and will not happen again. But when I’m in competition, I’m not in love. I can’t get to love because I’m looking for a new way to dominate…” ~ Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs
For additional information about Richard, his daily meditations, training program, and numerous published books, please visit his website, and explore his Stillness Speaks teacher’s page.
Opening quote sourced from: This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women
Images: (edited and logo added) 1 and Featured) Sunlight by Zach Dischner, 2) File:RichardRohr00208r.jpg by Svobodat, Public Domain, 3) Nature by Elisa Bracco, 4) Green Bangladesh by Md Al Amin, Image #s 1, 3&4) are CC by 2.0, from Flickr.com
