592. Richard Rohr

Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation and academic dean of the CAC’s Living School. An internationally recognized author and spiritual leader, Fr. Richard teaches primarily on incarnational mysticism, non-dual consciousness, and contemplation, with a particular emphasis on how these affect the social justice issues of our time. Podcast: Another Name for Every Thing A few of Fr. Rohr's 30+ books: The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe Every Thing Is Sacred: 40 Practices and Reflections on the Universal Christ The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer Main points discussed in this conversation: The universal Christ and the personal Jesus. Our environmental destruction reveals our failure to realize God’s omnipresence. Tribal vs. universal religion. Christians are known for protecting life before birth, but not after. Process Theology: Consciousness is evolving in its capacity to be received and embodied. We only have metaphors to describe God – e.g. God is light. There was never one notion of God in the old testament or new testament. Jesus is often depicted as a punisher rather than the compassionate man that he was. Order, Disorder, and Reorder – all three are necessary for the universe to exist. Embracing polarities and paradox. God as the Great Allower – free will. Aligning with God’s will. The Universal Christ – the synthesis of Richard’s 50+ ministry. Transactional vs. transformational religion. The meaning of Jesus dying for our sins. Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity but to change the mind of humanity about God. The importance of restorative vs. retributive justice. The Apostles’ creed. Infinite love can never give up on anything it created. Fundamentally, we’re all connected, so we all share each other’s sins and virtues to some degree. The fall had to happen for us to freely choose the good. Nonduality is more explicit in eastern religions but is also in Christianity. Universities teach us knowledge but not wisdom. Great love and great suffering are the universal paths of transformation. If you avoid them, you will never be wise. We need to love something more than ourselves. We start with a stone, a plant, an animal, and work our way up to God. Suffering accompanies love, but without love, there are things you will never know. The meaning of the crucifixion, in terms of solidarity. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 27, 2021 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:02:10 - The Vast Universe and the Universal Christ 00:04:02 - Jesus and the Universal Concept of the Christ 00:06:22 - The Cosmic Notion of Christ 00:08:33 - A New Cosmology and Universalizing Jesus' Message 00:10:49 - The Small Box of Religion 00:12:54 - The Marvel of Intelligence and Creativity 00:14:53 - Caring for Creation and Social Justice 00:16:54 - Saving the Worms 00:18:55 - Changing Notions of God 00:21:12 - The Exclusionary Nature of Theology 00:23:18 - The Journey from Order to Re-order 00:25:41 - Embracing Polarities and Diversities 00:28:05 - The breadth of freedom and social order 00:30:00 - Love God and Do What You Want 00:32:15 - The Changing Grand Canyon 00:34:20 - The Multifaceted Nature of Causality 00:36:39 - The "Father Wound" and the Atonement 00:38:50 - The Transformation of Religion 00:40:46 - The Healing Environment of the Prison System