Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
From the Center for Action and Contemplation
Week Twenty-eight: "Politics
"Creative Political Tension"Tuesday, July 10, 2018
I see our species’ collective shadow on full display today in the United States, exposing intolerance and bigotry at deep levels. Under the guise of avoiding political correctness, truth-telling has been twisted into fear-mongering and scapegoating. When humans cannot face and embrace the insecurities inside themselves, they project these fears outwardly, hating others instead of changing themselves.
People have good reasons to be angry and afraid today. Poverty, racism, climate change, and so many other injustices are causing real suffering for much of the world. Unfortunately, dualistic and oppositional energies cannot bring the change we so desperately need; we cannot fight angry power with more angry power. Only the contemplative mind has the ability to hold the reality of what is and the possibility of what could be. Unless our hearts are transformed, our fears will continue to manipulate our politics, reinforcing a polarized and divided society.
Quaker activist and teacher Parker Palmer has a hopeful, but not Pollyannaish, view. He writes:
Human beings have a well-demonstrated capacity to hold the tension of differences in ways that lead to creative outcomes and advances. It is not an impossible dream to believe we can apply that capacity to politics. In fact, our capacity for creative tension-holding is what made the American experiment possible in the first place. . . . America’s founders—despite the bigotry that limited their conception of who “We the People” were—had the genius to establish [a] form of government in which differences, conflict, and tension were understood not as the enemies of a good social order but as the engines of a better social order.
As “We the People” retreat from the public square and resort to private gripe sessions with those who think like us, we create a vacuum at the center of America’s public life. Politics abhors a vacuum as much as nature does, so nondemocratic powers rush in to fill the void—especially the power called “big money.” . . .
When the Supreme Court gave big money even more power [in the 2010 Citizens United decision], it made many Americans feel even more strongly that their small voices do not count. . . . Wrongly held, our knowledge of the power wielded by big money can accelerate our retreat from politics, discouraging us from being the participants that democracy demands and reducing us to mere spectators of a political game being played exclusively by “them.” [1]
Palmer quotes Bill Moyers: “The antidote, the only antidote, to the power of organized money in Washington is the power of organized people.” [2]We must bring as much passion to our cause as do those who call for building walls. But our job is to tear down walls and build bridges. We have the capacity to grow beyond ego and nationalism into a new identity, one that holds space for everyone to belong and be loved. I still have hope that human consciousness can and will evolve—but apparently we have not suffered enough yet to realize our need for such evolution.
Gateway to Presence: If you want to go deeper with today’s meditation, take note of what word or phrase stands out to you. Come back to that word or phrase throughout the day, being present to its impact and invitation.
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[1] Parker J. Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit (Jossey-Bass: 2014, ©2011), xx-xxi.[2] Bill Moyers, “Democracy Only Works When Ordinary People Claim It as Their Own,” Keynote address for the National Conference for Media Reform (June 7, 2008). Transcript available from Democracy NOW! at https://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/9/moyers.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, unpublished letter, 2016.
Image credit: Dorothy Day OblSB (1897-1980) was an American journalist, social activist, and Catholic convert. She became a key figure in the Catholic Worker Movement and earned a national reputation as a political radical. Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day.
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A Monthly Newsletter from the Center for Action and Contemplation
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- Do you long to be further transformed by love?
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- Are you committed to grounding your actions in the compassionate presence of contemplation?
- Are you willing to risk not knowing, change, and growth?
Our core faculty—Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and James Finley—guide students through a formation experience rooted in the Christian monastic lineage of contemplative practice, rigorous study, and meaningful engagement. This as an immersive experience, going deep to the roots of faith to nurture a generative and compassionate life that is responsive to suffering. The two-year program includes online course work and four gatherings in New Mexico.
Begin your discernment process at cac.org/living-school.
I really wanted to come to Albuquerque and meet other contemplative seekers; I can’t imagine the webcast will be as meaningful. We sure wish you could come, too! Thankfully, the webcast is also a great opportunity to connect with others: in our private Facebook group, through live chat during the event, or by hosting a gathering in your home or church to watch together.
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I don’t have enough information about what CONSPIRE 2018 will be like. The detailed conference schedule is now posted. We’re looking forward to a full experience with a spacious rhythm of listening, sharing, silence, music, movement, and conspirare—breathing together.
Learn more and register for the webcast at cac.org/conspire.
Online Courses
Perhaps you noticed that we paused our online course offerings. What you may not know is that we were developing and testing a new platform to give our students a much-improved experience! Through these media-rich courses, we hope participants learn timeless insights and deepen their contemplative practice. It was important to us to build a better container to hold these transformative studies.
- Breathing Under Water: A Spiritual Study of the Twelve Steps 08/22/18 – 10/17/18
- Immortal Diamond: A Study in Search of the True Self 09/05/18 – 11/14/18
- The Franciscan Way: Beyond the Bird Bath 09/12/18 – 10/31/18
Richard Rohr's Homilies
Father Richard often speaks at his local parish, Holy Family Church, just up the road from the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. We then post the recordings online for people around the world to hear (at no cost). The homilies are often within the top 15 Spirituality podcasts on iTunes! Listen at cac.org/homilies.
Reader Favorites:
Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations
- You Are the Imago Dei: You (and every other creation of God) begin with your unique divine DNA . . . an imago Dei that begs to be allowed, to be fulfilled, and to show itself. (Richard Rohr)
- Walking toward Heaven: If the divinity in me recognizes the divinity in you, how could I abuse, debase, violate, or harass? I would, after all, only be punishing myself. (Josh Radnor)
- The Economy of War: When we can recognize the image of God in every living being, the ethics and economics of war reveal themselves in all their evil and stupidity. (Richard Rohr)
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Thank you for being part of CAC’s contemplative community. You are one of 291,469 readers worldwide (as of July 2018).
News from the CAC
Admissions are now open for the Living School
Our core faculty—Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and James Finley—guide students through a formation experience rooted in the Christian monastic lineage of contemplative practice, rigorous study, and meaningful engagement. This as an immersive experience, going deep to the roots of faith to nurture a generative and compassionate life that is responsive to suffering. The two-year program includes online course work and four gatherings in New Mexico.
Begin your discernment process at cac.org/living-school.
"Image and Likeness"
2018 Daily Meditations Theme
God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
Richard Rohr explores places in which God’s presence has often been ignored or assumed absent. God’s “image” is our inherent identity in and union with God, an eternal essence that cannot be destroyed. “Likeness” is our personal embodiment of that inner divine image that we have the freedom to develop—or not—throughout our lives. Though we differ in likeness, the imago Dei persists and shines through all created things.
Over the course of this year’s Daily Meditations, discover opportunities to incarnate love in your unique context by unveiling the Image and Likeness of God in all that you see and do.
Each week builds on previous topics, but you can join at any time! Click the video to learn more about the theme and to find meditations you may have missed.
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Inspiration for this week's banner image:
As long as we unquestioningly buy into the egoic system, where the roots of our narcissism often lie hidden, we’re going to have problems. If we think we can say our private prayers and still genuflect before the self-perpetuating, unjust systems of this world, our conversion will not go very deep or aid in the unfolding of history. Dorothy Day was not afraid to say it strongly: “We need to change the system. We need to overthrow, not the government, . . . but this rotten, decadent, putrid industrial capitalist system which breeds such suffering.” (Richard Rohr)
Thank you for being part of CAC’s contemplative community. You are one of 291,469 readers worldwide (as of July 2018).
News from the CAC
Admissions are now open for the Living School
- Do you long to be further transformed by love?
- Does your heart break for healing and wholeness in yourself and our planet?
- Are you committed to grounding your actions in the compassionate presence of contemplation?
- Are you willing to risk not knowing, change, and growth?
Our core faculty—Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and James Finley—guide students through a formation experience rooted in the Christian monastic lineage of contemplative practice, rigorous study, and meaningful engagement. This as an immersive experience, going deep to the roots of faith to nurture a generative and compassionate life that is responsive to suffering. The two-year program includes online course work and four gatherings in New Mexico.
Begin your discernment process at cac.org/living-school.
"Image and Likeness"
2018 Daily Meditations Theme
God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
Richard Rohr explores places in which God’s presence has often been ignored or assumed absent. God’s “image” is our inherent identity in and union with God, an eternal essence that cannot be destroyed. “Likeness” is our personal embodiment of that inner divine image that we have the freedom to develop—or not—throughout our lives. Though we differ in likeness, the imago Dei persists and shines through all created things.
Over the course of this year’s Daily Meditations, discover opportunities to incarnate love in your unique context by unveiling the Image and Likeness of God in all that you see and do.
Each week builds on previous topics, but you can join at any time! Click the video to learn more about the theme and to find meditations you may have missed.
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations are made possible through the generosity of CAC's donors. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation.
If you would like to change how often you receive emails from CAC, click here. If you would like to change your email address, click here. Visit our Email Subscription FAQ page for more information. Submit an inquiry here for additional assistance.
Inspiration for this week's banner image:
As long as we unquestioningly buy into the egoic system, where the roots of our narcissism often lie hidden, we’re going to have problems. If we think we can say our private prayers and still genuflect before the self-perpetuating, unjust systems of this world, our conversion will not go very deep or aid in the unfolding of history. Dorothy Day was not afraid to say it strongly: “We need to change the system. We need to overthrow, not the government, . . . but this rotten, decadent, putrid industrial capitalist system which breeds such suffering.” (Richard Rohr)
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