ON BREAKING FREE OF ME

As we engage in contemplative prayer and allow God to transform us through great love and great suffering, we are reminded of our inherent connectedness. We are liberated from thinking of ourselves as somehow separate from everyone and everything else, including God...There is no authentic freedom if we do not also consider the rights and well-being of others. -- Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," January 19, 2021

Making a people mistake (as in, snarking) and, for appearance sake, promptly apologizing is a penny's worth of nothing toward our spiritual growth.

If our heart is not hurt by our own error, we  will repeat the error in as many different forms as it takes to realize we are stuck in self, heading away not toward God...or our own peace of mind.

According to me, the "great love and great suffering" we find in spiritual growth is pretty much the exact opposite of what our reasoning mind thinks it is. The great love is not what we receive, it is what we give; the great suffering is not our punishment, it is our gift. 

Lest we feel bummed by our great love not being what we receive, remember we can't give what we don't have...the great love we are giving is already within us and...hey, BFO...is what causes great suffering in its need to burst forth for others. (That may be a BFO or a passing thought, whichever, I like it.)

Life seems to me to be all about trading up, as in swapping our preoccupation with self for care and concern for others. We think of care and concern for others as spiritual growth, but no...that is the purpose of life itself. That is not the separate concern for spiritually leaning folks...that is the purpose for which you were born, I was born, we are born. 

Each of us at birth receives the gift of free will. On life's journey we use that free will until it marches us into the arms of God or until we crash and burn, both being one and the same they just feel way different. 

Ah, and here's our U-bie. On our redirected journey, we come to understand unto belief that we are all One...here to serve whomever without fear or favor...to serve with gratitude by grace.

There is no authentic freedom if we do not also consider the rights and well-being of others.

Thank you.