Thomas Merton

These words from thomas Merton seem to fit well with what we are studying with Richard Rohr's book, Falling Upward:
One thing above all is important: the "return to the Father."
The Son came into the world and died for us, rose and ascended to the Father; sent us His Spirit, that in Him and with Him we might return to the Father.
That we might pass clean out of the midst of all that is transitory and inconclusive: return to the Immense, the Primordial, the Source, the unknown, to Him Who loves and knows, to the Silent, to the Merciful, to the Holy, to Him Who is All.
To seek anything, to be concerned with anything but this is only madness and sickness, for this is the whole meaning and heart of all existence, and in this all the affairs of life, all the needs of the world and of men, take on their right significance: all point to this one great return to the Source.
All goals that are not ultimate, all "ends of the line" that we can see and plan as "ends," are simply absurd, because they do not even begin. The "return" is the end beyond all ends, and the beginning of beginnings.
To "return to the Father" is not to "go back" in time, to roll up the scroll of history, or to reverse anything. It is a going forward (a falling upward), a going beyond, for merely to retrace one's steps would be a vanity on top of vanity, a renewal of the same absurdity in reverse.
Our destiny is to go on beyond everything, to leave everything, to press forward to the End and find in the End our Beginning, the ever-new Beginning that has no end.
To obey Him on the way, in order to reach Him in who I have begun, who is the key and the end -- because He is the Beginning. (I read this as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the I Am).

Beautiful Heartbreak - Hilary Weeks - Every Step

I came across this song. Oh, how it applies to our discussions about "What strips us?"

Continuing discussion . . .We had a great discussion last night. I sent out a group e-mail with a couple of comments, but thought I'd add a couple of things to the blog. One was that at a previous discussion the following question had been posed: "What needs stripping?" Last night there was an addendum added: "What strips me?"
Apropos to our blog discussion, here is a quote by Oswald Chambers: "God has a way of bringing in facts which upset a man's doctrines if these stand in the way of God getting at his soul." THAT is one thing that will bring one to the second half of life, i.s., the contents of the container. He paraphrases Jesus as saying (in Jn 5): "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you hve eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." How true, how true, how sadly true . . .

Unlearning Comment

Julies comments on forming a container early in life are so relevant to Kathy’s comments on risk and vulnerability. We cannot be very vulnerable or risk very much when we are wounded and unformed. At some point you need to form that container. You MAY have people around who help you , or you may be guided by your experience alone ( most commonly it is probably a combination of the two) . As you go through life and age, you definitely recognize people who have done it and those who have not done any of that work. I don’t think you even need to consciously know what it is your are doing when you are doing this type of work, but somehow we can recognize when someone is walking that walk. There is defiantly a spiritual component that happens, sometimes completely unbidden. There is definitely Mystery at this point. I think that Domestic Violence is one of THE most damaging crimes there is ( and one of THE most worthy causes to give to ) as children are so wide open and vulnerable, living with adults who have no container thus becoming unformed themselves, the endless cycle-but not without Hope.. . . What really is Mystery to me , and part of my own experience is that you can do this work, it can be sparked within you and brought to completion without even knowing what/who/how/ it is done. When God calls you he can find you ANYWHERE and renew you, change you heal you. Miraculous indeed! I also love that he can SEND you ANYWHERE he might need you to spread that change to others. MYSTERY = Powerful stuff.

Unlearning

Hey gals...We talked a little about "unlearning" at last week's meeting. Kathy asked for specific examples of what we might be unlearning on our journeys. I've done some thinking about that one and was reminded about this quote by C.S. Lewis I came across a while back. It has changed my view of salvation and has definitely been part of my unlearning process. It may take you a few reads and a few days of processing to fully understand what he means here.

"We do know that no person can be saved except through Christ. We do NOT know that ONLY those who know Him can be saved by Him." ~C.S. Lewis

What does this mean to me? Well...I was brought up in a religious tradition which teaches that in order to be saved, one must say a certain prayer, a certain way, and in a certain context. And that salvation is a single point in time, not a process. This never resonated with me. If we are created uniquely and if our relationship with God is "personal", as we like to call it, then how can the salvation experience be the same for every person? It's been a mind-opening process for me. And I'm grateful for the lightness it brings.

How about you? Any thoughts on what you are unlearning?

What a joy to meet again with all of you on Thursday night! We had a great discussion, and I look forward to many more, with sharing, questions, honesty.
Richard Rohr and this book will challenge you -- accept the challenge!!
Welcome to you who came for the first time. We're excited to have you join us!
I quoted from Curt Thompson's "The Anatomy of a Soul": "Knowledge does not quarantee goodness or courage or love. It certainly can support the emergence of those qualities, but in and of itself it does not produce them. Ultimately, then, knowledge alone does not satisfy. What does satisfy is being known. The process of being known is the vessel in which our lives are kneaded and molded, lanced and sutured, confronted and comforted, bringing God's new creation closer to its fullness in preparation for the return of the King. It is the communal container in which the information about the mind and relationships take its shape and gives birth to the graces of love, joy, peace, patience, . . ."
The verses to think about are Romans 12:2 and I Cor. 8:1-3.
"Think on these things!"