Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States - Center for Action and Contemplation's Father Richard Rohr's Meditation "Eternity is the Shape of Everything" for Monday, 1 December 2014

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States - Center for Action and Contemplation's Father Richard Rohr's Meditation "Eternity is the Shape of Everything" for Monday, 1 December 2014 - If Jesus is the map for the entire human journey, then we see in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ the trajectory for all of creation.

Photograph detail by GaborfromHungary

Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation

Death and Heaven

"Eternity is the Shape of Everything"
Monday, 1 December 2014
Scientists tell me that everything was created in the Big Bang. There are the same number of atoms now as there were then. Nothing has died. Everything has simply been in 14 billion years of change—changing forms, but not substance. The risen Jesus reveals a different form, but is still Jesus, the Christ. Nothing goes away. When you die, you don’t leave. There is no place to go to. This is it! You leave the encapsulation of this finite body which you and I take far too seriously because it’s the only one we have known.
Blessed Julian of Norwich writes: “In this endless love, we are led and protected by God and we never shall be lost for God wants us to know that the soul is a life which life is joined to God’s goodness and grace and will last in heaven without end” (Chapter 53, long text of her Showings). We are treasured and hidden in God, without end, despite our sinfulness, according to this 15th century English mystic. Julian is all cosmic optimism and hope, and precisely because of her firm belief and personal experience of the cosmic meaning of Jesus’ resurrection.
If Jesus is the map for the entire human journey, then Julian sees in the suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ the map and trajectory for all of creation. Paul taught that the final chapter of history will be resurrection (1 Corinthians 15), but we made it into a worthiness contest at which very few seemed to win the prize. Gratefully, we still say in the Eucharistic Preface of the funeral liturgy, “Life is not ended. It is merely changed.” Eternity seems to be the shape of everything.
Christianity should have been the most optimistic religion of all. What a shame that we denied such hope and vision to so many centuries of Christians and chose to live in fear instead. The true Gospel has always been too good to be believed and trusted, and so we decided not to! All we know for sure is that God is not stingy, as all of creation proudly shouts and proclaims.
Adapted from Intimacy: The Divine Ambush, disc 7 (CD, MP3 download)
Gateway to Silence: Falling forever into the deathless depths of God.
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