Richard Rohr writes:
“…The gift that true contemplatives offer to themselves and society is that they know themselves as a part of a much larger Story, a much larger Self. In that sense, centered people are profoundly conservative, knowing that they stand on the shoulders of their ancestors and the Perennial Tradition. yet true contemplatives are paradoxically risk-takers and reformists, precisely because they have no private agendas, jobs, or securities to maintain. Their security and identity are founded in God, not in being right, being paid by a church, or looking for promotion in people’s eyes.
“These people alone can move beyond self-interest and fear to do God’s necessary work. Look at how many saints, theologians, and especially woman foundresses of orders were corrected, threatened and even persecuted by the church during their lifetimes. God is always bigger than the boxes we build for God, so we should not waste too much time protecting the boxes…”
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer, p.24.
Via Len, (p.s. his forthcoming book on a theology of place is awesome. It will be a gift to many. Keep an eye out for it!)
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