Love
Life
“God
comes to us disguised as our life.”
Richard
Rohr
Fr. Richard Rohr is a
modern theologian who can just knock my socks off. Now and then, when
I run dry, when there are just no words left for what's going on
around me, and when nothing can light a fire inside me, I go read
some of his insights. They always move me from whatever doldrums I'm
slumped in to higher ground. And often, they are so droll I laugh.
“Maturity,” he says, “is the ability to live joyfully
in an imperfect world.” Boy! Are we getting opportunities to
practice maturity these days.
God comes to us in all
the guises of our lives—especially when we hit the low points. Rohr
says that grace is like water, it pools in low places. Such as when
we reach those junctures in life when we simply give up—give up
trying to be in control, to steer the stars, to be right, to have all
the correct answers and solutions. When we throw in the towel, there
we find grace. And peace.
He reminds us in almost
every paragraph of every book he's written, that God is Love. And
that Love, which we easily recognize in the life of Jesus, is also in
us. We have such a hard time accepting that—at least, I do. It's
easy to see in the saints, especially in those who live in convents
and serve the poor every day. But it's not so easy to identify in
those of us who live a secular life most of the time, who curse at
the TV, and rail against anyone who crosses us. We are far better
acquainted with our rough edges than with our burnished surfaces. Yet
Rohr writes: “There is part of you that is Love itself and that
is what we must fall into. It is already there. Once you move your
identity to that level of deep inner contentment, you will realize
you are drawing upon a Life that is larger than your own and from a
deeper abundance.” It comes from the Source of life itself.
Today, as you take your
shower, and dress for going out into the world, I hope you'll
remember that Love is disguised as your life. Every minute of every
day, whether happy or sad, easy or difficult, life is a gift beyond
measure. Grace is always available, showering down and pooling in our
low places. Put your hands out and catch some.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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