The Reverend Father Richard Rohr has long served as the pre-eminent American author, speaker, retreat director and counsellor of Roman Catholic spirituality, including mysticism, coming from a profoundly Franciscan foundation.
This new release is the culmination and summary of all that has gone before and a glimpse of the riches to come.
As well as several retreats presenting this work across America, the Reverend Father Rohr will host on a Saturday morning in early January an official webcast we all may easily attend. Thus we have left no reason left not to accompany the Reverend Father Richard Rohr in his introduction to this essential work of Catholic spirituality.
Released mere weeks ago, we gratefully find here a summary of his long life of spiritual mastery in the Roman Catholic tradition, beginning with an explanation of why he wrote this book. The book is then divided into three parts, plus eight appendices, as well as extra back material; an overflowing cornucopia os spirituality in the Roman Catholic tradition which all may find profoundly beneficial and instructive.
Chapter One describes the Gift Already Given and our yearning for union (not perfection) now with God, who is already one with us, our birthright. Prayer is described as Practicing Heaven Now.
Each chapter, beginning with a Biblical passage, conludes with a bold print summary, or commissioning, we may safely say, here in Chapter One with the great hope of union with God in which we already dwell.
Chapter Two goes on to explore the Great Unsaying, the root of mystic union with God. As Father Rohr explains in the introduction: "All saying must be balanced by unsaying, and knowing must be humbled by unknowing. Without this balance, religion invariably becomes arrogant, exclusionary and even violent (p. 11)."
Each chapter begins with passages from the Bible, and this second chapter on Unsaying commences therefore with the exhortation, the commandment if you will, from Exodus 20: "Do not utter the name of God in vain." Upon this warning the chapter examines deeply the name of God, specifically the Sacred Tetragrammaton, drawing us back into a contemplation, a remembrance, of the sacredness of the name of God. This chapter in itself can last a lifetime of reading, meriting and rewarding careful re-reading, as we come to appreciate this holy name, which is not to be spoken, but breathes, universally.
The third chapter provides us three ways to see a sunset, and draws us to the contemplative way, to the "Urgent Need for Contemplative Seeing," sharing what it means to be a mystic (I must now make this review much more brief, pardon the haste here; this book is so full, so rich, that I regret cutting short a full examination of all it has to offer in our Faith).
Chapter four discusses paradigms of "knowing" and chapter five shares lessons from the monks. Upon this basis chapter six begins us on our quest for God, who is now with us.
Chapter Seven guides us in our judgments and our letting go of judging. "We see what we are ready to see." Chapter eight and nine discuss our doubts and our conversion from wilfullness to willingness, like Mary.
Part Two begins with a direct discussion of Jesus (as if we progress here from the Old Testament to the New, through Mary), and of the Jesus Prayer. Again we see conversion in these chapters, and the levels of conversion, and how the observor comes to the healing of vision. Chapter Twelve looks at how our ego hates the change which comes with conversion; Chapter Thirteen watches how we come from polarity to prayer, as flase dilmnas resolve. "Prayer is resonance." Chapter Fourteen laments our lost tradition of contemplation, and struggles for its necessary rediscovery. Chapter Fifteen examines faith as how to believe, the process and dynamic of belief, while Chapter sixteen opens the door to great love and thus to great suffering (and then greater love).
Perhaps I have filled my space too much here, but Part Three shows what nondual thinking is not, what we mean by wakeful, watchful seeing. Chapter nineteen unfurls the meaning of spiritual love; read this chapter in the least, at the most. The following chapter celebrates paradox, mystics, sinners, and discusses what it means to follow Jesus. The following Chapters are summaries, with an urge to leadership.
The eight appendices are mainly various forms of prayer, including the Litany of the Holy Spirit; the extra material following these appendices include a Joyful Mind and The Shining Word "And."
Once again I apologize very much for such a long report here, and I hope this little is helpful to realize what great value this work of truly Roman Catholic spirituality is for all of us, all of us who whether we realize it now or not are pilgrims upon this spiritual pathway. Here with the Reverend Father Richard Rohr we find a capable, wise and powerful guide, a companion who kindly walks this path with us.
Read this book by Christmas! Send it to all you know!
Peace!
