Some Wisdom About Relationships From Richard Rohr
02.13.06 (10:14 am) [edit]
The first question that the gospel sets out to answer for us is Who are you? That's the question of spirituality. And of course we're told right at the beginning, on our baptismal day, "You are a beloved." All our life we hope to raise up our eyes and see someone looking at us and speaking that answer to our basic spiritual question. Hopefully our parents looked into our eyes, told us we were beautiful and kissed us endlessly. All of our lives we hope for that to be repeated and for someone to tell us what our soul of souls and our heart of hearts knows: I'm special, I'm good, I'm a beloved somewhere. We long for it to be repeated because we know it's the truth, the only truth, for which we were created. The second question the gospel asks is one of sexuality: Can we love? Whatever this life is, whatever this identity is that I'm finding inside of myself, I'm never going to be totally sure of it until it's received by another. I don't know I have power within until I can hand over that power to another. In the eternal learning how to had it over and to have it received, we answer the real questions of sexuality: Can I be a loving, intimate person? Can I walk through those doors of fear into intimacy? Can I reveal my true soul to at least one person? Can I take the big risk and somehow discover who I am in another's eyes? Finally, the gospel helps us ask: Can I create? Everyone must be creative. We'll never discover that place of passion within until we find our creative place, that place where we can create life in another, in the world, in our backyard. Love is of one piece. We either love everybody or we do not really love. so after we talk about spirituality and after we talk about sexuality, finally we have to talk about service. We can't love our family and hate our enemies. We either love all things (to be "in love") or we don't really love anything.
posted by: graceshaker (reply)
post date: 02.14.06 (7:20 pm)
will you be upset if i disagree with this guy?
posted by: JolieFille (reply)
post date: 02.15.06 (3:37 am)
Nope, that's the beauty of free speech!
I would be interested in WHY you disagree with him....
:)I'm always up for a good exchanging of ideas.
posted by: graceshaker (reply)
post date: 02.15.06 (11:38 am)
it seems to me that hes making the gospel into some sort of psychological theraputic feel good message.
as i understand the gospel it is quite simple really. man is sinful and can do nothing to free himself from that state. jesus came and died and rose again to provide a means of freeing man from that state. those who have a relationship with jesus will be freed.
maybe im just missing this guys point?
posted by: JolieFille (reply)
post date: 02.16.06 (3:40 am)
You actually bring up a viewpoint that I was waffling on; one that I thought I saw, but wasn't quite sure. You seeing it as well helps to confirm my suspicions. Unfortunatly, the religion as psychology (opiate of the masses, sound familiar) became really popular in Canada in the 80s, and the church has had a catastrophic decline there. Still, if something helps a person to live a more Christlike life, even if they don't know who Christ is, I think it's served it purpose.