Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation

From the Center for Action and Contemplation

Week Seventeen Summary and Practice

Apocalyptic Hope

April 25 - April 30, 2021

Sunday
Apocalyptic literature helps us make room for something new by clearing out the old—old ideas, old stories, old ways of thinking, especially if we’ve become overly attached to them.

Monday
Apocalyptic literature is not meant to strike fear in us as much as a radical rearrangement.It’s not the end of the world. It’s the end of worlds—our worlds that we have created.

Tuesday
Twice a year we pause the Daily Meditations to ask for your support. If you’ve been impacted by these Meditations, please consider donating. Any amount is appreciated, as we are committed to keeping these messages free and accessible to all.

Wednesday
Through apocalyptic literature, the Scripture writers were finding a language and set of metaphors that would stir the power of the imagination and shake the unconscious.

Thursday
Jesus’ use of apocalyptic language is his way of showing that everything is passing away. God puts us in a world of passing things where everything changes, and nothing remains the same.

Friday
For people who face situations like [apartheid in South Africa], the Apocalypse is an exciting, inspiring, and marvelous book. It is a book which, in our sociopolitical situation, is a constant call for conversion and change. —Allan Boesak

Lingering in Nature

Most Christian denominations made the Gospel into what CAC teacher and friend Brian McLaren describes as “an evacuation plan for the next world,” which does not allow us to take the incarnation seriously. The Word became flesh in this world, said yes to this world, to this planet, to this earth, to physicality and sexuality, and to materiality itself! It’s all very good, according to God in Genesis 1. But most people’s association with Apocalypse is to escape this world—not to renew it. For me, the high point of the book of Revelation is in 11:15, when John writes, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.” This is not an evacuation plan for the next world—it is a promise of a new heaven and new earth for this world! [1]

The following practice is adapted from my latest book Every Thing Is Sacred, written with my friend Patrick Boland. In this book, Patrick and I create practices and reflections based on selections from The Universal Christ.

In the 1830s Nelson Darby first taught that a rapture would take place, where Christians would be bodily taken up to the clouds to meet the Lord at the Second Coming of Christ. As this view of the world evolved, it shifted the emphasis from the beauty of the first Incarnation to something entirely different. “Sadly,” Fr. Richard writes, “we have a whole section of Christianity that is looking for—even praying for—an exit from God’s ongoing creation toward some kind of Armageddon or Rapture. Talk about missing the point!”

How influenced are we by this idea of escape? How conscious are we of this narrative that tells us our beautiful biosphere, this first Incarnation, is essentially fallen—beyond repair and in need of version 2.0? Perhaps this has affected our attitude toward the earth’s resources, where our behavior displays where our true values lie. Fr. Richard writes:

Without a sense of the inherent sacredness of the world—of every tiny bit of life and death—we struggle to see God in our own reality, let alone to respect reality, protect it, or love it. The consequences of this ignorance are all around us, seen in the way we have exploited and damaged our fellow human beings, the dear animals, the web of growing things, the land, the waters, and the very air.

What difference would it make to the quality of our lives if we lingered more in nature? We invite you to spend some time reconnecting to the wild and alive Earth, and practice experiencing the sacredness of the first Incarnation.

Experience a version of this practice through video and sound.

Reflective Exercises

1. At some point during your time in nature, quiet your body and pay attention to the beauty, the complexity, and the sacredness of this landscape and any animals with which you share this space.
    
2. Reflect on how God is revealed to you through this first Incarnation. Journal or draw what this evokes within you.

In the words of St. Francis, Fr. Richard’s spiritual father, “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”

[1] Richard Rohr, In the Footsteps of St. Paul, disc 1 (Franciscan Media: 2015), CD.

Adapted from Richard Rohr with Patrick Boland, Every Thing Is Sacred: 40 Practices and Reflections on the Universal Christ (Convergent: 2021), 36, 37, 39; and

The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe (Convergent: 2021, 2019), 20, 18.

Image credit: Belinda Rain, Frost - Touched Grass (detail), 1972 photograph, public domain, National Archives. 

Image statement: This image may not present itself clearly upon first glance. With a closer look shape, color, recognition and new understanding fall into place.

News from the CAC

New edition of ONEING now available

This past year many across the world have suffered, and this new issue of ONEING invites readers to participate in our collective healing. ONEING: Trauma explores how “great love and great suffering bring us back to God” through a thoughtfully curated collection of essays, poetry, and critical responses from Fr. Richard Rohr, Matthew Fox, Joan Halifax, Kaitlin Curtice and more. ONEING: Trauma is available now in print or a downloadable PDF.

The Divine Exchange

How can your exchanges and interactions be more united with the divine? Cynthia Bourgeault leads you on a path of discovery in The Divine Exchange, a 14-week online course for intermediate and advanced students of the path. Teaching on the power of exchange, learn to give and receive in a framework that embraces everything.

Explore Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations archive at cac.org. 

The work of the Center for Action and Contemplation is possible only because of people like you! Learn more about how you can help support this work.

If you would like to change how you receive these emails you can update your preferences or unsubscribe from our list. Read our FAQ or privacy policy for more information.