The Contemplative Stance Richard Rohr

"Contemplation becomes a way of life.  I don’t like to think of it so much as something I do, but something I am; so I often use the phrase “the contemplative stance.” 
It’s a way of living, moving, and being in this world.  The very word means “to see.”
"I fully admit that we don’t live all of our twenty-four hours there. 
The world keeps pulling us back into our false and small self.  “Put on this hat.  Attach to this identity.  Take on this hurt.  Put on this self-importance,” we say to ourselves.
It’s all right as long as we know how to take it back off again, and rather quickly, if possible. 
“Who was I before I was hurt?” is your original face, your true identity in God, your own “immaculate conception.” 



We must all crawl our way back to such innocence and such freedom."





 






- Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, Adapted from Contemplative Prayer (CD)

1 comment:

RJ said...

I cherish Richard Rohr and his work of pushing the envelope within the confines of his RC tradition. He is a soul of integrity. I almost went to work for the Center for Action and Contemplation 15 years ago... Thanks for sharing this; I go to his work often. Blessings as Advent unfolds.