You cannot heal what you cannot acknowledge. Richard Rohr More Quotes by Richard Rohr More Quotes From Richard Rohr Religion was made to order to "save the world," to use a phrase Christians use so much, but we really haven't been doing a good job of it for centuries. It's heartbreaking really. Richard Rohr christianjobsorder Most women prefer circles of sharing to pyramids and hierarchies. They prefer conversation to construction. They will usually choose nurturance and empathy over competition and climbing. They will normally choose connection over simple performance games. Richard Rohr climbingsimplegames I cannot illustrate huge differences between male and female spiritualities except in their starting points, style and fascinations along the way. This is significant, however, and has huge pastoral implications: men must be challenged in the world of doing; women must be challenged in the world of relating. Richard Rohr styledifferencesmen If you stay in the mainstream of life, in other words, you let in the suffering of the world that invariably enters all of our lives by the time we're in our middle years, when we've experienced a few deaths and read a few headlines. Famine, poverty, abuse, you can't keep that all blocked out. If you let those things teach you, influence you, change you, those are the events that transition you without you even knowing it to become more compassionate. In other words, you hold onto your values, but you do it much more inclusively, humbly and in an open ended way. Suffering takes you there. Richard Rohr abuseknowingyears I think it's important to remember that by the second half of our lives, we are meant to see in wholes, and no longer just in parts. Richard Rohr importanthalfthinking G.K. Chesterton, who was part of a Catholic conservatism that was kind and loving, not reactionary or hateful, said "We're all in the same boat in a stormy sea and we owe each other a terrible loyalty." I think that's profoundly true, yet it's difficult to have civil dialogue right now with other Christians, so how can we possibly talk to "all the nations"? Richard Rohr loyaltychristianthinking The real spiritual journey is work. You can make a naïve assertion that you trust in Jesus, but until it is tested a good, oh, 200 times, I doubt very much that it's true. Richard Rohr realspiritualjesus It seems we are suffering from a very narrow and self serving reading of the Gospel right now. Richard Rohr readingsufferingself What I wish I had said in the book [Falling Upward] is that part of the attraction of conservative religions, such as Mormonism, Mennonite, Amish, groups we would consider very traditional, is that they actually do the first half of life very well. They are often very happy people. Richard Rohr bookpeoplefall Egoic consciousness is the one we all normally operate with, until we are told there is something else! Every culture teaches egoic consciousness in different ways. At that level it is all about me, my preferences, my choices, my needs, my desires and me and my group as the central reference point. Richard Rohr groupschoicesdesire A paradox is a seeming contradiction, always demanding a change on the side of the observer. If we look at almost all things honestly we see everything has a character of paradox to it. Everything, including ourselves. Richard Rohr sidescharacterlooks Being informed is different from being formed, and the first is a common substitute for the second. Richard Rohr differentcommonfirsts If you do not transform your wounds you will transmit them. Richard Rohr transmitwoundsifs Many people I know who are doing truly helpful and healing ministry find their primary support from a couple of enlightened friends, and only secondarily, if at all, from the larger organizations. Richard Rohr coupleorganizationhealing You create your response to reality, and that response, for all practical purposes, is your reality. Richard Rohr responsepurposereality The Eucharist becomes a microcosmic moment of belief and power in which we say we believe in the real presence of God in Jesus, in this bread, and in this wine. Richard Rohr realbelievejesus We all remain who we are. But on the way to healing or liberation we have to do what the Romans called agere contra: we have to act against the grain of our natural compulsions. This requires clear decisions. Because it does not happen by itself, it is in a way "unnatural" or "supernatural" . . . (we) simply have to cut loose now and then, and in the process . . . make mistakes. Richard Rohr cuttinghealingmistake I have prayed for years for one good humiliation a day, and then, I must watch my reaction to it. I have no other way of spotting both my denied shadow self and my idealized persona. Richard Rohr shadowselfyears Faith does not need to push the river because faith is able to trust that there is a river. The river is flowing. We are in it. Richard Rohr doeriversneeds One time, a Protestant minister said, "We made Jesus blonde haired and blue eyed and very cute. We made Jesus somehow a much more feminine figure." And there's probably truth to that. Richard Rohr bluecutejesus
