Monthly Archives: July 2024
Humility: The Key to the Kingdom of God
Well I finished Rohr’s book. Since I underlined almost all of it and my memory is flakey, I’m going to reread it and probably post small pieces that really hit where I’ve been and where I struggle now. This is a brilliant priest theologian, activist that has been on a similar journey to mine with just timing differences. I’m a eighty-seven year old woman, married for sixty-years, mother of five with a passel of grands and great grands. My life on the surface level has been nothing like Rohr’s. But spiritually we both grew up Catholic, experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, spent years focusing on equal rights for all and a better life for the poor, and recognized that most of Christianity, including Catholicism, has missed the point of Jesus. That point being that every human being, every pitiful failure, mean as a snake, self-centered, lustful, or just lazy one of us is tenderly and unconditionally loved by God.
Dying to self is not a popular goal and it takes at least all of this life time to even make a dent in our focus on self. But we are only called to play the hand we are dealt and nobody’s dealt a Royal Straight Flush. Recognizing that is the key to humility which is the key to experiencing the kingdom of heaven here. That can free us of judging ourselves and others as bad children. We are all unfinished. At eighty-seven I’m still in a process, a life-time journey literally fueled by the grace of the Love of God fleshed out in Jesus. That grace is poured out for a journey that progresses by a mix of inches, temporary stops and occasional leaps. But the journey is for us to fulfill only our personal potential…..no one else’s and has nothing to do with being loved and everything to do with knowing we are loved. When we are open to that we can pass it on and join with God in bringing about His kingdom on earth. But, don’t get too overwhelmed, or too dependent on seeing results………the time line is eternity. This isn’t heaven. And sometimes things have to get worse in order to get better. Our primary challenge is letting God’s grace of Love make us better. It’s a partnership that doesn’t work when we think we are wise and good enough to do it by ourselves. That’s the key and importance of “walking humbly with our God.” It takes focus, listening, watching, and particularly an openness to all the possibilities so God can show us when we persevere in seeking his will.
I want to pass on something important for men and women that I learned the hard way. In fact ,Rohr is the first person I have ever heard say that it is the reason women outlive men. We can allow ourselves to cry. It’s not weakness. We weep, but persevere. Tears are literally healing, emotionally and physically and spiritually. Jesus wept, so should we. There are plenty of things in this world that need to be wept over. We cry our hearts out. Then get up, wipe our tears away and take God’s hand like a small child and keep on keeping on.
Hugs to all you guys. We are not alone ever!
The Call to Change
I am still reading Richard Rohr’s “Jesus’ Alternative Plan …The Sermon on the Mount.” It’s not a simple or easy read. I have to stop and reflect and sometimes write about the awareness he provokes. Part of my delight is his confirmation of so much of what I’ve had to learn the hard way, from experience. But I think that is the best way because it helps facilitate actual change, not just intellectual assent. As I get farther in the book, I am challenged to face the areas in my psyche that have not been transformed yet by appropriation, that are still just intellectual assent. The journey gets harder along the way and I’ve been on it a long time. I’m obviously a slow learner!
Rohr is a theologian, so sometimes his language gets beyond my everyday understanding and makes me feel stupid. Then I have to struggle with both Google and my feelings of intimidation, so I won’t skip over those parts.
I’m in a very challenging part of my journey and I’m really struggling with it. I use various escapes often and don’t deal with issues that involve so much hard, even painful, self-honesty. I really resist being willing to die to what I like about myself. Which is what we have to do to focus on the nitty-gritty areas in order to see what needs to be let go. And then the hardest work is giving up my emotional pain relievers that I hang on to that keep me from experiencing the growing pains.
One of my escapes is depression. At an unconscious level it’s a choice. My other escape is being around other people who are also letting themselves focus on the bad things in the world outside them, rather than the things within us that need changing. There are some things we can do to try to make the world our version of better. But the biggest challenge ultimately is ourself that with honesty and grace we are called to change for the better. For most of us the “Beatitudes” are a greater challenge on the spiritual journey than the ten commandments.
Ultimately our spiritual journey is the same as Oscar, the Grouch’s: admitting it’s our own attitude that needs changing and seeking the grace to do it.
And sometimes I have needed either a Spiritual Director or a group that is also seeking the grace to grow and change. Right now I don’t have either, but I am seeing and hearing God’s call to change. So, I am focusing on that part of the journey and Rohr’s book really focuses on that challenge. God is in the timing!
Challenges for Me
These are two thoughts from Mark Manson’s Posts “Your Next Breakthrough” TWO THINGS FOR YOU TO ASK YOURSELF Would you rather have attention than happiness? Does this explain any of the recurring problems within your life? ONE THING FOR YOU TO TRY THIS WEEK Give up the desire to be right, to be heard, to be appreciated. See what happens. You might be surprised.
The following spoke to me because it makes me feel good about myself to try to help someone else, but it sometimes really may be a way of avoiding the challenges in my own life. This was from a reader who had a breakthrough from Mark’s challenges. “Taking responsibility is very important. But what about the hazard of taking responsibility for other people’s lives? To take responsibility for one’s own life is life-changing, whereas taking responsibility for another (adult’s) life could just be a distraction that we use to avoid the harder things in our own lives. Not only is it a distraction, but it can be damaging to that person. In fact, this is where “enabling” comes on—when you take responsibility for someone else’s problem to such an extent that you make it easier for them to keep committing the same mistakes. Allowing someone we care about to take responsibility for their own issues and mistakes can be incredibly difficult because it requires us to watch that person we love suffer. But by protecting that person from the suffering inherent in owning their mistakes, you rob them of the ability to learn, grow, and find meaning in them.”
Laughter: Carbonated Grace 