Six of us, four community members, good mate PT and Minister (to some of us officially, some un officially...) Malcolm, went to the first of franciscan Richard Rohr's evening lectures on wholeness and healing.
It was a topic I had heard him speak on before, but it was great to see and hear the man "In the flesh" as it were. He speaks effortlessly and engagingly, easily incorporating quotes and examples from patristic, biblical and theological sources. One of the things I love about Richard's teaching is the way he weaves these sources together to help you understand what he is discussing in the physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions, of our beings.
Some of what I remember he discussed was:
- God sees sin as suffering/pain
- YAHWEH - the sound of the breath in (Yah) and out (Weh) breath. God in and out. As close as our breath.
- We have to move downward, not upward, in our spiritual life to gain wisdom. This avoids the dualistic mind of in/out.
- Jesus starts with our suffering not our sin ( our woundedness not conversion?)
- We are spiritual beings seeking to be human, in all its fullness.
- Perfection is the incorporation, not the exclusion, of imperfection
But he may not have meant anything of this - it is just what touched me last night.
A great night all up. It ended with all the crowd standing together, holding hands and singing Leonard Cohens Hallelujah, which I have to say was a little bizarre....
More after Wednesday nights lecture.
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